Cretan craft beers, here we come!
A small introduction to my beer notes. While sipping the beautiful nectar that is beer, I write the first thoughts that come to my head. These may make sense, or they may not. They may be way off from the official tasting notes, or they may be bang on. My point is, they’re very personal, like a diary, and I don’t write them for anyone other than myself although I’m now sharing them with you.
Reach out and let me know if you’ve tried these brews, what you make of them, or if you want to understand more about my metaphors/analogies/descriptors!
Disclaimer: This is a blog post about beer and therefore aimed at adults only. Adult content: Alcohol and Adult Language.
Setting The Scene
As it turns out, there are a fair few craft beers popping up in Crete and in the wider Greek nation. I feel the craft scene is very much emerging and is being influenced by West European beers, I am happy to say.
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ‘industrial’ breweries are actually on the mainland. A couple of these ‘industrial’ breweries brew a range of beers, such as the Hellenic Brewery of Atalanti, which is these days 100% Greek owned. Other breweries are subsidies of Carlsberg and Heineken, as it turns out, but that’s a discussion for another day.
Out in Crete this August, I tried 31 different beers from Greece. 18 of those were Cretan craft beers and 13 were Greek, both craft and industrial. I wanted to get a good taste of the beer scene here, if you’ll pardon my pun.
Generally, I found most places sell the ‘usual’ Mythos and Alfa, with some places going for the Eza, Fix or Mamos. In Malia we came across three draught craft beer-selling bars but outside of them, just a small handful had perhaps a dusty bottle of craft beer somewhere. But it’s out there and it’s growing.
Craft beer comes with a hefty price tag though and you’re often paying double for half the quantity of product. The idea is that it’s quality over quantity, as well as more costs involved for the little people. You can expect to pay 3-4€ for a pint of industrial beer in Malia, and craft beers cost 5€-8€ for a bottle. In this article, I want to focus explicitly on the Cretan beers I tried. Don’t stress poppets, the general Greek beers shall make an appearance in a later article. Let’s start with some establishments in which I found and tried some of the beers on my list.
The Establishments
The Street
I usually try to keep the best until a bit later, but me thinks I’ll bring it out first this time. The Street was our favourite bar in Malia. You may remember that I mentioned it in Volume Three, as my partner became infatuated with their June Bug cocktail. Well whilst he was conducting his affair with his cocktail, I was being made very happy by the craft beers on tap.
The bar is family-run. Argiris has had the bar for many years and I must say, his knowledge on the country’s beer was outstanding. Sitting at the bar chatting to him was a pleasure, and tasting each draught craft beer they had (three) was a delight. Equally pleasant was his niece Elena who I met first. It makes such a difference when there’s friendly chat and knowledge sharing to be had.
Their music isn’t loud, but it’s actually decent and they also encourage people to write down their music requests too. I would definitely recommend stopping in this bar either for a cocktail or a Cretan Craft beer. I especially like their use of use and recycled beer cans as lightshades. Genius!
They have two beers from Dedalos and two Charma taps but with beer in only one. Argiris made a comment regarding the Charma brewery looking to expand more to the east side of the island but not having the stock to do so. I didn’t see these beers in any other bar during my stay, so I was lucky to try them here and with the expertise of Argiris.
Μ εθιά
Keeping with the Charma, next we have this small bar in the middle of the Heraklion Central Market. Easy to miss, this place has outside and inside seating and offers a bit of respite from the busy shopping street.
They have a sign outside advertising local craft beers and a photo of multiple Charma brews. When inside, however, I found only Charma Unfiltered Lager. It has its own large fridge, opposite the bar, from which a tap protrudes. The barmaid, one of the only people who appeared to have a poor level of English, procured a cold glass from inside this fridge, then filled it with the tap. How funny!
The bar itself has old photos of Heraklion around the walls, which gives it a local, yet historical feel. They do apparently serve food, although as I was the only customer, I did not see any. Click here for my TripAdvisor review.
A cute little bar, and one of the only places I saw selling Charma. I discovered since arriving in Crete that in actual fact, Charma is kept mostly on the west side of the island. As above, they are supposedly expanding over to the east. Either way, I was glad to have found it and tried it. It was actually my favourite lager I tried in Crete.
The Hub
We found this on our first evening and I was buzzing. They sell a whole board of craft and different beers. They’ve five taps, of which one wasn’t operational when I visited. It’s quite a modern bar setting, but with a chilled-out vibe and some beer decorations on the walls but still pretty minimal. Not the kind of beer place I’d usually go to, but they sold what I wanted.
A pretty penny it was too, however. As you can see from the menu, the beers prices specifically are fairly high. And you don’t get pints, or at least I didn’t. It came in a glass shaped like a wine glass, holding maybe 330ml and I paid 6€. I got a Lola IPA which is a craft beer from the mainland Greece. Surprisingly, I found this beer pretty pleasant and it was a damn sight nicer and not as wankery as I’d expected.
They do sell some Cretan and other craft beers on bottle and I hadn’t heard of lots of them, which was exciting. I sadly didn’t go back here; one reason was the price and the other was due to time constraints.
The barmaid(s) on shift didn’t know much about the beer, and were much more interested in chatting to their friends sat on their phones at the bar. This was a shame and thus meant I couldn’t get all the information I’d have wanted. So, good products but not so good execution. My TripAdvisor review here.
Giannis Bar
A sweet little bar in old town, it’s run by a British woman named Claire. She’s lived in Malia many years and knows all the local establishment owners. She was great to chat to and suggested a couple of places to try look for craft beers.
Her place does not sell craft beer, although I did manage to get a Fix Hellas Dark which I’d never seen before.
Up the very narrow stairs you can sit outside on a mini terrace with foliage hanging down. The view isn’t the best, but it’s a nice vibe and away from the madness of the strip. Although the madness of the crickets can be deafening. The inside is decorated in an old traditional working style. As such, it looks like it comes from a museum and it’s pretty cool. Pop in and say hi if you’re passing. See what I thought of the Fix Dark in a later article. Spoiler: A toe-dip into the dark, malty world. Not overpowering, quite mild.
The Red Lion
Standing proud at the bottom end of the Malia strip, the Red Lion looks like the perfect Brit-abroad haven. But it’s a bit more than that, it’s also a hotspot for local beer. As a matter of fact, they’ve a whole double page spread in their menu dedicated to beers and ciders. What I love is that they also include a little silhouette of Crete to show what’s brewed on the island. They also have a different section for the Greek Industrial beers and for the Greek Microbreweries.
When I took a wee snoop around the place, I also saw they sell a wide range of world beers, notably some Belgian and German.
Now, there’s a wonderfully gleaming example of microbrewing equipment proudly displayed in the seating area of the bar. It’s so shiny and clean, it instantly catches your eye. This is because The Red Lion actually have their own range of beers = BeerRa.
Due to Greek law, they’re unable to brew on the premises, for a reason related to ventilation, I believe. However, this does not stop this bold company from teaming up with other microbreweries in the country to get their beer made. The recipes come from them, the ideas and marketing are theirs, and the brewing is done off-site but still at local microbreweries. Three microbreweries in Crete and one on the mainland. You’ll notice the BeeRA Lager on the menu doesn’t carry the wee silhouette, although they’re not brewed with Thirty-Three Brewing Company: the contract went with a different brewery (Zeos, I believe) after they printed the label. When clarifying the collaborative brewing information with the pub, they were happy to provide the following statement:
“In a harmonious blend of creativity and craftsmanship, we have joined forces with renowned Greek microbreweries – like local Notos, Candia and Barbantonis Breweries as well as Zeos Brewery – to create our label beers «BeeRA»: a symphony of craft, fresh beers that redefine the art of brewing. This cooperative endeavour, rooted in a shared passion for quality and innovation, has yielded our remarkable selection of brews that tantalise the senses”
—– The Red Lion, Quote from September 4th 2023.
They offer four craft, microbrewery-brewed beers and you can get try them all in an awesome tasting flight, which of course I had to get. Click here to jump to my notes and opinions on the brews. According to their website, BeeRA is so named as ‘bee’ is the symbol of Malia and they use honey in all of their BeeRA recipes. Referring back to Wise Words, byra is the Greek word for beer and it’s pronounced Beer-RA. According to the 4-beer flight, only two of the four have honey in them. I’m not complaining as I’m not such a sweet tooth.
I would certainly consider this place unique and to be honest, I can get behind their collaborative approach when it comes to crafting the beers. Shared passions can create beautiful things. For more information about this company and what they produce, here’s their website: https://redlion.gr/our-own-fresh-beer/
The Beer
You’ve seen where to get some, you’re heard me mention and namedrop, so here you have it: my list of sampled beers and my thoughts. In this volume, I’m going to focus purely on the Cretan craft beers. The Greek beers will surface at one point or other, but that day is not today. It is Crafty Crete, after all!
I always include how I consumed the beer, whether in bottle/can or draught, as this can impact experience and taste. Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried any of them and agree with my thoughts.
- Candia 5% (Draught):
Nice, simple lager with a tad of something starting but then it changes its mind. Super simple. It’s a bit too simple. Nothing going on but not bad either. Refreshing, pale, bloaty and not that fizzy
- Cretan Breweries – Charma Unfiltered Lager 5% (Draught):
Keeps its head. Best lager on the island so far. Lovely, soft flavour with a buzz fizz in the middle. Cold and relaxing. Nice, unfiltered body. Drinking fast in Heraklion market. Good for a bit of oomph in lager.
- Cretan Breweries – Charma Dunkel 5% (Draught):
Not overly aromatic. Dark and malty but also with a refreshing coolness. Dark, deepening aftertaste. Heavily malty. Dark attack. Drinkable though.
- Dedalos – Kripa Cretan Pale Ale 4.5% (Draught):
Slightly less creamy head but it’s there. Smells so slightly like sausages. Taste: Oh Damn. All about the herb. It’s smooth and quiet until… BAM herb. But it’s nice… weirdly. Has the herb Dictamus. Absolute winner. Like a Greek salad/very small sausage. Not sure I could have a full pint but what an experience.
- Dedalos – Betta Keen Amber Ale 4.5% (Draught)
Creamy head. Smells ambery, for sure. Cloudy. Tastes like a colder, emptier version of a good English amber. Fizzy as it goes down but also fairly smooth. Not a severe, sharp taste but a deeper, softer bitterness. Decent body. Lingering aftertaste.
- Dedalos – Proto Newworld Top Pilsner 5% (Bottle)
Unfiltered. Smells strong with some citra-y hops. I like the body. Starts out wanker but then has a nice twist and ends on a nicely-hopped but restrained note. Aftertaste nice and then a bitter bit after that. A wee journey.
- Notos Brewery – Pilsner 5.4% (Bottle)
Smells like cheese balls (the crisps)! Malty taste but not too dark. Beautifully balanced honestly. Light-ish but dark enough flavour to enjoy at a leisurely pace. A nice beer.
- Notos Brewery – Lager 5% (Bottle)
Also a cheese balls smell from the bottle? A bit fizzy. A sweetness to it. This lager is different to the norm. Got some oomph going on. Also balanced and nice flavour with a good body. I like it.
- Notos Brewery – She’s a Pirate 5.2% (Bottle)
Smells pineappley. Okay, not overboard on the fruit but then we get a twangy, hoppy finish. Like a Jamaican or Caribbean feel. It’s quite nice. Not a session drink but interesting and something a bit ‘out there’. Sediment at the bottom. (Didn’t get the fruits such as blueberry mentioned on bottle or the malt)
- Rethymnian Brewery – Brink’s Oragnic Blonde Beer 4.8% (Bottle)
Fizzy. Nice planty taste though. Light and hoppy. A farmer checking crops is the imagery I think of. I like it.
- Rethymnian Brewery – Brink’s Organic Dark Beer 4.8% (Bottle)
Smells like dark caramel. Barely dark tasting. Not heavy. Not much flavour. It’s meh. Slight dark caramel aftertaste.
- Solo Brewery – Psaki Classic IPA 7.5% (Bottle)
Lively as hell. Produces a massive head and not just because I poured it. Mostly transparent. Smells like an old room with linen décor. Tastes a bit like it too. Tastes ‘classic’. Bitter but also like falsely-scented disinfectant/antiseptic… Not relaxing but an experience drink. More like disinfectant fluid. Heal a wound and clean a bathroom. Nope. It is deceivingly light though.
- Solo Brewery – Village Saison 6.5% (Bottle)
Very cloudy. Pale and yellowy with a head. Tastes darker than it looks. Slight tropical fruit flavour and very thin, fast bubbles: Fizzy. Quite nice. Not too outlandish and much nicer than its Classic IP cousin but not my favourite. Meh. Slight smoky finish.
- Solo Brewery – Imperial IPA 10% (Bottle)
Not transparent. Tropical, yellowy hue. Smells like trees in the rain. Big flavour, omg. Fizzy. Alcohol cuts like a knife. Like a liqueur. Body seems separate to the alcohol. Like the alcohol is running ahead, almost uncontrolled. Not for me.
- BeeRA Collaboration (either Notos or Barbantonis Brewery) – Pilsner 5% (Bottle?)
Transparent. I think smells of raw meat. Earthy. I get that and a bit of straw with a tad sweetness dripped in there. The aftertaste does linger but nasally, which is nice. Nice beer, good body.
- BeeRA Collaboration (either Notos or Barbantonis Brewery) – Weiss 5.6% (Bottle?)
Smells gross. Herby/pepperminty. WTF. Omg no. Absolutely not. Got black pepper, basil, peppermint and God knows what in it. Like an unwanted fancy tea. Not my cup of. I can’t drink this. Urgh. Not refreshing. Full-bodied. Unfiltered and unpasteurised it says – It’s still a no from me
- BeeRA Collaboration (Candia) – Hazy 6.5% (Draught)
Hazy indeed. Full bodied. A nice, almost cooked meat taste? I get the slight fruitiness but it’s well disguised. It’s not heavy and it goes down well. Like pork with a bit of apple. Dangerously high ABV for an easy drink – it doesn’t taste that strong.
- BeeRA Collaboration (Zeos Brewery) – Lager 5% (Draught)
Unfiltered, hazy – seems darker than Hazy. Unfiltered is nice. Quite a low taste. Not really fizzy. Not quite like a lager I’ve known. It’s okay, not my favourite.
—Side note: I know this technically wasn’t brewed in Crete, but I’m not splitting it up from it’s family!
My personal favourite experience was the Kripa Cretan Pale Ale. Unlike anything I usually go for, or like, it was a real piece of Crete you don’t get anywhere else. Certainly the the Notos beers and the BeeRA Hazy and Pilsner were awesome too.
I hope that gave you a good taste of the Cretan beer scene and I bet you can almost taste some of those beers now…. I enjoyed trying them all, even the ones I didn’t like! It’s the experience for me and the learning that I love.
To read about our travel adventures in Crete, check out Craft Crete: Volume One, Volume Two and Volume Three 😊
Curious about Montengro beer? Click here to dive in and discover!
