THE CRAFT BEER GUIDE OF CRETE: Heraklio and Agios Nikolaos

Here is the official

CRAFT BEER GUIDE OF CRETE:

Heraklio and Agios Nikolaos.

Looking for Chania and Rethymno? Head over to The Craft Beer Guide of Crete: Chania & Rethymno.

At Bonnie and Clyde Urban Tours, we’re big fans of great beer & travel.

Being pioneers in craft beer tours in Greece, we've done the leg work to show travellers the talented and passionate local breweries of Crete and Greece.

In this blogpost, we've compiled the Craft Brewers of Eastern Crete.

CRAFT BEER GUIDE OF CRETE (part#1): Heraklio and Agios Nikolaos.

This is an excellent time to​ fall in love with Greek beer! The Beer Scene in Greece is growing and counts over 120 independent breweries of all sizes; with almost 20 of them are located on the beautiful island of Crete.

CRAFT BEER TOUR PIONEERS IN GREECE

Let’s get you beer lovers excited to discover Cretan Breweries, with some basics about why we care about the local craft beer scene in Crete and Greece.

April 2021 was a pivotal point for Greek craft beer:

The first Craft Beer Tours in Greece

Proudly created by two beer & travel aficionados who joined forces to present the Greek Craft Beer scene to the world travellers.

A joyful French-Canadian Montreal gal sharing her joie de vivre and her love for great beer joined forced with a cosmopolitan Cretan-Athenian man with a sharp sense of how travelling can evolve for the better.

These two beer aficionados co-founded the award-winning travel agency Bonnie and Clyde Urban Tours.

Based in Chania, Crete, Greece, we set out to create a positive impact in the modern Travel World of Greece. Specialized in Non-Touristy Tours, on a human and Earth-friendly scale, showcasing Crete's authentic character through Craft Beer, Cretan Food and Local Culture.

CRAFT BEER on CRETE island, GREECE

As far as Crete Island is concerned, the largest of all Greek islands, the low-down is that until 2017, there were only few breweries (4-5), in only three years that number jumped to 12 & today in 2025, we count 15 independent breweries on Crete.

BROWSE OUR BEER TOURS IN CRETE

The Greek Beer Map

In the Eastern regions of Crete, Heraklio and Agios Nikolaos, there are six craft breweries with a range of styles, influences and sizes. Homebrewing has also boomed in the past years to encourage the local craft beer movement and appreciation for fresh beer.

From one-man show operations to larger teams, the passion and quality of brewing continues to soar as locals and travellers seek out great beer. The shift away from multi-national commercial lagers toward fresh, locally owned breweries with amazing flavours has begun.

On each one of our beer tours, we select carefully tasty beers from all over Greece, curating the beer menu to present an impressive variety of styles and talent from the passionate brewers in our booming community.

Until you can taste these craft brews yourselves with us in Crete, look no further for the official:

THE CRAFT BEER GUIDE OF CRETE:

HERAKLIO & AGIOS NIKOLAOS

HERAKLIO BREWERIES

NOTOS BREWERY

http://notosbrewery.gr/

Independence. Teamwork. Good times.

This team of "brothers" is linked not by blood but by the love of beer, which they take seriously. With vision and passion, they have created a stellar microbrewery with a terrific variety of styles in their core selection. Notos [Νότος], is the Greek word meaning south, referring to the fact that Crete island is the most southern point in Greece.

They were the first brewery in Heraklio, beginning all the way back in 2010 fiercely independently to this day. Hats off to them! The guys behind Notos are casual, welcoming, low-profile, with strong team work ethic & eclectic backgrounds.

SOLO CRAFT BEER

http://solobeer.gr/en/

Pros. Vision. Character.

"GOOD BEER IS A HUMAN RIGHT" says head master brewer Kjetil Jikiun. Solo pledges to make craft beer with soul & holy smokes, they deliver! It’s something you can taste in every sip. From the team behind the recipes to the finished product readily available across Crete island, they embody a harmony of elements; people, ingredients, labour, philosophy & enjoyment.

Since 2015, joining Cretan and Norwegian roots, they’ve been developing the right balance between these elements and create must-drinks craft beers. They deliver true gusto.

Behind the Scandinavian simplicity of their labels, the product is bustling with flavour. In addition to their great standard lineup, they release fun one-offs and seasonal limited editions. Visit their brewery for a dose of Cretan beer.

KASTA MICROBREWS

http://kastabeer.com/

Microbrews. Modern. Passionate.

Kostas, the passionate brewer behind Kasta, welcomes us into his beer world with a modern touch and excellence in quality. An engineer with a love for fine drinks, he refines his beers from the water profiles he configures himself to using a range of 9+ hop varieties in his lineup. His beers are an absolute delight for beer people in their finess and accessibility. From its inception in 2018, Kasta presents remarkable beers, sleek bottle designs and has already won Frankfurt International Trophies for his Oatmeal Stout and Immortal IPA.

KASTA is an acronym; K for the man behind it all Kostas, A for his lovely wife Anna, S for their daughter Sofia, T for Tita their dog, A for the family name Antonakakis.

BARBANTONIS BREWERY

https://www.barbantonisbrewery.com/

Foodie. Alchemist. Bon-vivant.

In Greek, a “Barbas” is a friendly old man and this barbas's name is Antonis. He is the inspiration, the labour and the passion behind this nanobrewery founded in 2019 in Hersonissos, Heraklio.

All of Barbantonis’ beers share his character, his love for life and enjoyment in every sip. They are truly his creations. From a young age, while working in the family fields of the Lassithi Plateau of Eastern Crete, he had ideas bigger than his village & local society. He then lived many years abroad in Italy and Netherlands.

Now, back to his island with his brewpub in Analipsi, this travelled man is eager for sharing stories, fresh ideas, great beer & food. You can feel the authenticity of his roots & connection to nature in what he brews.

ZOURIDAKIS

http://www.zouridakis.gr/

Roots. Local Culture. Cretan Products.

Following in the footsteps of the prolific ancient Minoan civilization of Crete, the Zouridakis family has their own beer lineup and recipes, which are brewed by one of the best brewers on our island.

Their beer names and styles are inspired by local archeological sites and iconic beaches of the area. For generations they have strived to ensure the purity & quality of all their traditional products & honor their roots.

AGIOS NIKOLAOS BREWERY

DEDALOS BREWERY

https://dedalosbeer.com/

Fun. Good Vibes. Nerdity.

An enthusiastic duo who joined the Cretan brewing scene in 2020, with a core of true enjoyment. The brewers behind Dedalos have been developing a range of beer styles for over 10 years, with true beer-geekery.

Their curiosity and passion has led them to spread a joyful approach to bottled and draft beer in the most Eastern corners of Crete island but not only. Fun is a top priority for them! Having not had the chance to meet their team yet, we are looking forward in meeting the brewers in person!

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Find The Crete Craft Beer Guide: Chania & Rethymno here:

We hope this will make your travels in Crete highly enjoyable. Support the local breweries and drink true Greek Beer!

For an evening of great craft beers, tasty local food pairings & fun, join our walking

Craft Beer Tours in Chania and Rethymno, Crete.

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Love & beer !

- Bonnie and Clyde Urban Tours