Experience: The First Craft Beer Walking Tour in Greece

by The Craft Beer Diaries.com

Crete. The land of white mountains and azure blue seas. Largest of the Greek islands.

As far as craft beer is concerned, the Cretan local scene low-down is that until 2018, there were only 3 breweries on this vast island. In the span of only three years, now in 2021, that number has jumped to 12… and counting!

From one-man-show beer-labs to teams of passionate brewers in warehouses, the range of breweries and beer styles are booming & gathering eager, thirsty fans.

To the delight of local and international beer afficionados, Cretan & Greek craft brews can now easily be picked up at kiosks (corner store stands), mini-markets and supermarkets, cavas (bottle shops), specialty restaurants and bars.

In this emerging craft beer scene, we started Bonnie and Clyde Urban Tours, devoting our days to developing the network between craft breweries & beer enthusiasts, while opening new eco-responsible roads in the travel industry.

Being non-touristy tours with plenty of character, we’ve selected walking routes through less-travelled neighbourhoods, with unique urban vibes and secret corners of Chania’s Old Venetian Harbour. We’re proud to present the bars & pubs of the local craft beer scene and share them with our guests.

Our craft beer tours are crafted for small groups, non-touristy, non-scripted, highly personable & delicious. We’ve done the legwork to showcase the Local Craft Beer Scene from coast to coast of Crete, while getting our guests’ taste buds spinning with great hops & excellent food pairings.

To keep the conversation around beer friendly for all levels, we walk our guests through an introduction to beer history, beer-tasting techniques, useful vocabulary, sharing stories behind beer styles & our proud local breweries.

The tours offer an overview of the best from Western to Eastern Crete breweries with specifically chosen Greek brews from Athens, Northern Greece & the Greek Islands

Until we can show you in person in Chania, let’s take you on a mini tour to get your taste buds watering with few of our favourite local beers.

1.Lafkas Brewery Chania, Crete

On the tours, some of the most praised beer & food pairings are with Lakfas’ beers. Something unique happens in between the mountains and their fermenters which lends itself naturally to scrumptious travel moments and we’re happy to share.

White Mountains, Triple Hop Pale Ale, 5% ABV

The White Mountains Triple Hop Pale Ale is a tribute to the region’s mountain range in its glorious 2,454m altitude. It’s an ideal first beer for our food pairings, a tried and tested beer in the land, well-loved by natives & travellers.

— We pair this pale ale with zucchini fritters and mushroom-almond rolls.

Chaniotissa, Orange Wit, Belgian-style, 5% ABV

Lafkas’ latest. An homage to the ladies of Chania, the “Chaniotissa” has been keeping us delightfully refreshed. A Belgian-style witbier that hits all the right notes: thirst-quenching, light crisp mouthfeel, elegant notes of spice and orange, with a silky golden body. With its Cretan and Belgian roots, Chaniotissa is a crushable summer beer.

— We propose food pairing with a creamy sweet pastry such as the Cretan “lixnaraki”.

2.Notos Brewery Heraklion, Crete The Notos Brewery infuses its Cretan pride & traditions in each bottle, through their old-school brewing & strong teamwork.

She’s A Pirate, Dry-Hopped Blonde Ale, 4,2% ABV

The dry-hopped method brings all the aromatic enjoyment of the hops with little to no bitterness (a low 16 IBU). A frothy hazy beer, with a muted base and subtle aromas of papaya, mandarin and rose, thanks to the American hops. It is made from barley malt, wheat malt and oats which gives the beer it’s body.