Everything started in 1996, the year of the 140th anniversary of Żywiec Brewery. This is when Birofilia, the International Meeting of Collectors of Beers Accessories, was organized for the first time to celebrate the anniversary. The meeting, which attracted about 150 collectors from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany, was held in the sports hall KS Góral Żywiec close to the brewery. The attendance was very high for those times and the mood was extraordinary. The guests were welcomed by the Management Board of the Company. They received sets of company gifts, such as the anniversary mug featuring the founder of the brewery, Archduke Albrecht Friedrich Habsburg. Although the event was held for the first time, in the opinion of the visitors it was one of the best events of this kind in Poland.

The next two editions were also held in the sports hall KS Góral Żywiec.
The 4th International Birofilia Meeting obtained a new location in the hospitable Habsburg Castle in the Żywiec park. Attendance was increasingly higher year by year. A new location had to be arranged. Organizing the meeting in the Żywiec Pub turned out to be the best solution. The Żywiec Pub (Piwiarnia Żywiecka) was thoroughly modernized in 2000 and the beer garden located nearby occupied a much larger area.
In 2003, new elements connected with home brewing were added, as well as THE BREWERS’ FESTIVAL and the FIRST CONTEST OF HOME MADE BEERS. 

Ingredients of the Home Made Beer Korneluk and Stefaniuk (Biała Podlaska) - "Air Beer" 3.23 points
 

The International Birofilia Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2005. To commemorate the anniversary, an exhibition was shown in the Old Castle: BREWING TRADITIONS OF THE ŻYWIEC REGION. ŻYWIEC BREWERY OVER 150 YEARS. BIROFILIA. A book under the same title was published. The exhibition was extremely successful. Crowds of inhabitants of Żywiec and tourists came to see it, giving an incentive to open Żywiec Brewery Museum in the following year.