Greek beer is not as famous worldwide as Greek wine, but that doesn’t mean Greece does not have some of Europe’s most refreshing local beers and breweries. There is archaeological evidence that beer was produced in Greece since 2000 BC, so what has happened since then?
Greece has been famous for its wine since the beginning of time, but not for its beers. And that is a mistake that needs to be fixed.
But honestly, there is nothing better than enjoying a local beer in the Greek summer, and if you want it in a restaurant or a taverna, don’t forget to tip (read also my tipping in Greece guide)! In the last 10-15 years, the beer brewing industry in Greece has been booming, with a new microbrewery popping up in the country every year. These local breweries usually become an integral part of the local economy and, in many cases, even an attraction for the area or the island, like the wineries in Santorini.
Commercial Beers: Mythos Beer, Fix Beer, Alfa Beer
Microbreweries in mainland Greece and Greek Islands: Mamos Beer, Vergina Beer, Eza Beer, 56 Isles Beer, Ammousa Beer, Chios Beer, Corfu Beer, Donkey Beer, Delphi Beer, Flaros Beer, Fonias Beer, Ikariotissa Beer, Nissos Beer, Zeos Beer, Volkan Beer, Lafkas Beer, Kirki Beer, Samos Beer, Septem Beer, Noctua Beer, Notos Beer, Zythos VAP BeerIn the following list, I have picked some of the most well-established Greek beer brands and some local beers from different parts of Greece (Greek islands and mainland Greece).
What is the most popular beer in Greece?
Undoubtedly, the most popular beer in Greece is Mythos Beer, a 4.7% lager introduced to the Greek market in 1997 and has since grown in popularity.
So…without further ado, let’s see the Best Greek Beers, in random order:
1. Mythos Beer
Mythos is a refreshing lager that perfectly complements the hot summer in Greece. It is exported worldwide and can be found outside of Greece in many European countries or even the US. However, Mythos is not produced by any independent artisanal brewery; it has been part of the Carlsberg Group since 2008.
2. Fix Beer
Johann Karl Fix founded the first proper Greek brewery, the “Fix brewery” (Φιξ in Greek), in Athens in 1864. His father started producing beer in Greece around 30 years before that, and he had the know-how. Fix beer was the only Greek beer for over 100 years (a monopoly,y pretty much) as it was the King’s favourite beer.
However, this Greek lager brand declared bankruptcy in 1983 and was reintroduced in 2009 under new ownership but with the same branding, which was loved in Greece and other countries. Fix beer is a premium lager beer with soft flavours and a light bitterness that leaves a refreshing taste in the mouth.
3. Alfa Beer
With a golden colour and a mild malt aroma, this beer has a 5% alcohol level. It’s brewed in Greece using only Greek barley and the same traditional recipe for 30 years. ALFA’s flavours are both delicate and well-balanced.
Tender meats and seafood, home-cooked Sunday roast dishes, and any meal that can be shared by a group of friends all work well with this wine. Alfa beer is usually compared directly with Mythos as they are very similar, even though I prefer Alfa.
4. Mamos Beer
Mamos Beer is a full-bodied beer with a distinct hop scent, a thick head, and a lingering finish. It has an ABV of 5%. This Greek beer is a collaboration between the Athenian Brewery and the Patras-based Mamos family business brewery, which resulted in its release in 2018.
At the time, the goals were restricted to Patras and Western Greece, hoping that achieving them would open doors for the local brand’s growth. It wasn’t until the first sip that people began to fall in love with the beer, and rightly so; it managed to conjure up memories and resurrect its distinctive flavour through its original recipe, which is loved all over Greece.
According to analysts, this debut has stimulated a growing Greek market for small-batch beers with distinctive labels and native characteristics. Additionally, the company used its distribution network to spread the summertime vibe of Mamos across Greece in 2018.
It distributed the product where it needed to be at the right time and place. Mamos is considered a macro lager beer with a mildly bitter malty taste and thin body, which makes it perfect for these hot summers in Greece.5. Vergina Beer
Vergina is the capital city of ancient Macedonia, the motherland of Alexander the Great. Was he also enjoying a pint of beer…?
Who knows? The fact is, though, that Vergina is very popular in northern Greece, but can be found anywhere.
The founder of Vegina Beer, Dimitrios Politopoulos, set up the Macedonian Thrace Brewery in the 90s, and the very first bottles of “Vergina” went on sale in 1998. This Greek beer has a very crisp initial mouthfeel and overall taste, and if you travel to Northern Greece, you have to try it.6. Eza Beer
Eza is one of the oldest Greek beers. It’s like a pommy blonde lager with rich aromas and taste. HBA brewery sits next to the famous Parnassos mountain, where fresh artisanal water produces Eza beer.
7. 56 Isles (Paros island)
The beer was an instant success in the local market of Paros and was loved by visitors to the island. The beer has a unique taste, and its founders call it the “Aegean Wit,” which is pretty close to the Belgian Wit in character but with a Greek heart.
The microbrewery also produces a Pilsener version, which is rich in foam and produced by Parian barley that grows under the Aegean sun. 56 Isles is a beer now internationally recognised and loved by many beer enthusiasts.
8. Ammousa (Patras)
Ammousa beer is another success story from the city of Patras in western Greece. This new artisanal Greek beer was introduced to the market in 2016 after its founder, Georgios Ntanos, decided to produce his home-brewed beer in larger quantities in a proper microbrewery. He tested and learned the whole process in the basement of his house!
Ammousa has been awarded many prestigious awards worldwide, but it is not a beer you can find easily, even in Greece. You would only be able to find it in very select restaurants and delis in Greece, and that’s exactly how its founder wanted it to be: a truly artisanal beer for the very curious beer lovers.
The beer itself is an English IPA with fruity flavours and hoppy bitterness at the end. If you are lucky enough to find this Greek beer, try it!
9. Chios Beer (Chios island)
Chios Beer comes from the lovely island of Chios on the eastern side of Greece, close to the sea bordering Turkey in the Aegean Sea. A local microbrewery on the island has been producing Chios beer since 2012, and it’s a Greek beer with many varieties.
Chios Beer is producing a fresh blonde lager, a black stout, a smoked BBQ Beer, a Wheat Mastic beer (the only one with real mastic), and a new IPA. The Chios microbrewery has recently expanded into a larger area as the demand for its beer has grown significantly.
10. Corfu Beer (Corfu island)
They are all produced with 98% Greek malt from barley or wheat, a natural process without added sugars or additives. If you are in Corfu, this microbrewery is worth a visit as the owner’s family will welcome you in a lovely beer-tasting session along with some of Corfu’s delicacies.
11. Donkey Beer (Santorini)
The microbrewery is close to the famous Kamari beach area and has a bus stop outside. It is now one of the most visited microbreweries in Greece, mostly due to the island’s fame, but its beers are definitely worth a try, as they are extremely refreshing and unique.
12. Delphi Beer (Delphi)
Delphi beer is an artisanal unpasteurised pilsener beer with Mediterranean character and flavours that perfectly accompany the Greek cuisine. The microbrewery also produces Marea beer, a more everyday pale ale and blonde with a fruity taste and white peach and bergamot finishes.
13. Flaros (Athens)
The microbrewery mainly uses nomadic brewing. It does not have an established microbrewery yet, but it plans to expand as much as possible because sales are booming. Flaros Greek beer is now producing a Session Ale, an IPA, a Wheat beer, an Amber Ale, and even a new Porter (black) beer.
14. Fonias Beer (Samothraki island)
The barley comes from the surrounding northern Greek valley of Komotini and the waterfall’s waters. History books say that the first beer production in ancient Greece was on the island of Samothraki, so there is some historical connection here.
You can usually find this beer in northern Greece and Athens. It is also the first Greek beer with its name engraved in the Braille system on the back of its bottle!
15. Ikariotissa Beer (Ikaria island)
Ikariotissa is produced on Ikaria, one of the less touristic Greek islands (but still lovely). The beer itself has been awarded the Superior Taste Award from the International Taste Institute of Brussels in 2020, and it is a Greek ale. The microbrewery also produces an ale, a red ale, an alcohol-free beer, and an unfiltered ale.
Ikaria is considered the island of “long life,” where people live ten years longer on average than people in Europe and the USA. The microbrewery is named after the island’s matriarchal tradition, and four young local people founded it with an extreme love for their island and its traditions.
16. Nissos Beer (Tinos island)
This artisanal microbrewery in the heart of Tinos town produces organic beers that are the only ones certified with the prestigious FSCC 22000 Certification. Its beers are the first ones in the world to obtain the European AFQ certification for the very high bioactivity of their composition, benefiting human health and well-being.
All beers are organic, with rich taste, aromas, and natural carbonation. The brewery produces a Pilsener, a Lager, a Keller, a Baltic Porter, and a Monastic Double Ale. The great thing about this microbrewery is that it also keeps some beers in a cellar in the basement of the St. Francis Monastery on the island of Tinos, which allows them to age under ideal conditions.
17. Zeos Beer (Argos)
Zeos beer comes from the historic town of Argos in the Peloponnese peninsula (mainland Greece). The brewery was founded in 1988 by Canadian brewmaster David Wood and is located in a beautiful area surrounded by olive trees and orange groves.
The beer is brewed with the highest quality materials and has a cult following. The brewery produces three beers mainly: Zeos Gold Pilsner, Zeos Black Weiss, and Zeos Blue Lager.
18. Volkan Beer (Santorini)
How cool is that? Volkan is probably one of the most unique specialty beers in Europe at the moment, with many awards and a large variety of beers such as Volkan Blonde (pilsner), Volkan Black (Dunkel), Volkan Grey (wheat exotic), and Volkan White (lager).
19. Lafkas Beer (Crete)
The brewery also produces “Chaniotissa” (orange wit) and Orpheus (breakfast stout). If you are in Chania, you can even contact the owners to visit the microbrewery and have a beer-tasting session at their beautiful patio overlooking the famous White Mountains, along with handmade pizzas.
20. Kirki beer (Piraeus)
Kirki produces “Kirki Pale Ale”, “Pikri I.P.A..”, “Niki Amber Lager”, and “Pikri Forbidden” (unfiltered IPA). All the beers are unfiltered and unpasteurized with lots of aroma and flavours. Nowadays, you can even find Kirki beers in some of the largest grocery stores and supermarkets in Athens, Greece.
21. Samos Beer (Samos island)
The result of these ingredients is a very refreshing beer with a rich taste. This is a very small brewery, a scarce beer that is worth a try when you find it (mainly on the island of Samos).
22. SEPTEM Beer (Evia island)
23. NOCTUA Beer (Athens)
Noctua Beer is the only real Athens beer based in the centre of Athens in an impressive microbrewery that used to be a car garage. It is the child of pure passion of a team of young people from Athens. Noctua has the Athens owl as its symbol, and it’s the first real craft beer from Athens.
Noctua has an innovative approach and philosophy, putting pure pleasure at the epicentre of its production with continuous experimentation on new beer flavours and types. They also have a unique distribution method; you can order directly from their website. The microbrewery currently produces an IPA, a Pale Ale, a Black Pale Ale, and a New England Pale Ale, but they regularly release limited-series beers and awesome merchandise.
24. NOTOS Beer (Crete)
Notos Beer is a microbrewery and a taproom based in Heraklion, Crete, founded in 2016. It produces unfiltered and naturally carbonated beers like Lager, Weiss, Pilsner, Dry Stout, and a Blonde Ale.
The microbrewery is in the centre of Heraklion. It is the first independent microbrewery in the city. You can visit the microbrewery and taste the beers in its lovely taproom.
25. Zythos VAP (Rhodes island)
The main beer that the microbrewery produces is Zythos VAP Lager, which has a lovely golden colour and rich aromas with a dry finish. You will mainly find this Greek beer brand on the island of Rhodes, but you can also find it in Crete or even Santorini.
CONCLUSION
Combining these unique beers with an epic Greek meal will give you an excellent gastronomical level of pleasure and Greek-ness. Ya Mas! (Cheers! in Greek)
