Top 10 Breweries in Greece
Greece is a wine country by history and culture, and the craft beer scene that has developed since the late 2000s has had to establish itself against both the entrenched dominance of wine in Greek social settings and the duopoly of Mythos and Alfa in the commercial beer market. The craft movement has found footholds in island tourism, in Athens's changing hospitality culture, and in the genuine distinctiveness that specific Greek terroirs — the volcanic soils of Santorini, the unique water of various islands — can bring to beer. The scene is small, young, and still developing, but the best Greek craft beer is genuinely interesting.
1. Septem Microbrewery, Evia
Septem (named for the seven days of the week, which structure their beer range: Monday Pale Ale, Sunday Wheat Beer, and so forth) is based on the island of Evia and is arguably Greece's most ambitious craft brewery. Founded in 2009 by Spiros Leisas, the brewery has won medals at the European Beer Star and other international competitions, giving it credentials that extend beyond the local Greek market. The Sunday's Honey Golden Ale (brewed with Hymettus honey, a protected Greek varietal honey from the Attica region) and the 8th Day Barrel Aged Strong Ale are the most distinctive products. Septem exports to a dozen countries, making it the most internationally visible Greek craft brand.
2. Volkan Beer, Santorini
Volkan is brewed with volcanic mineral water from Santorini's caldera and ingredients that reflect the island's agricultural traditions — Santorini fava beans, local barley, and citrus. The Volkan White (a witbier with kumquat and lemon) and Volkan Black (a dark ale) are the core products, sold primarily in Santorini's tourism industry and in premium Greek retail. The volcanic water narrative is both genuine (the mineral composition of Santorini's water is distinct) and effective as marketing, positioning Volkan as a luxury product appropriate to Greece's highest-end tourism destination.
3. Corfu Beer, Corfu
Corfu Beer has operated since 2006 on the Ionian island of Corfu, making it one of Greece's oldest current craft operations. The Corfu Rotten Apple (a farmhouse-influenced ale with apple) and Red Ale have been the most discussed products, and the brewery's location in a major tourism destination has given it wider consumer exposure than mainland Greek craft producers. Corfu Beer's longevity in a market that has seen many craft entrants struggle to survive is itself notable.
4. Mythos Brewery, Thessaloniki
Mythos, produced by Carlsberg Greece (formerly Athenian Brewery, now owned by Carlsberg Group), is Greece's most internationally recognized beer brand — the label most likely to appear in Greek restaurants in London, Sydney, and New York. A clean, malt-forward lager of modest bitterness, Mythos is well-made for its category. Its significance to the Greek craft story is primarily as context: Mythos and Alfa (owned by Heineken) together control the mainstream Greek market that craft brewers are trying to carve space from.
5. Athenian Brewery (Heineken), Athens
The Athenian Brewery, dating to 1963 and now owned by Heineken, produces Amstel (the most widely sold beer in Greece), Alfa, and locally produced Heineken. Its Athens facility is one of the larger brewery operations in southeastern Europe. As with Mythos, its significance to craft beer is primarily as the landscape that craft is operating within.
6. Mikonu, Mykonos
Mikonu is a small craft brewery on Mykonos — the island whose party culture would seem an unlikely base for craft brewing, but whose premium tourism market provides consumers willing to pay craft prices. The Mikonu beers are available primarily on the island and in Athens premium hospitality venues, leveraging the Mykonos brand identity.
7. Vap Pita Brewery, Athens
Vap Pita is one of Athens's more active craft producers, operating a taproom in the Kerameikos neighborhood that has become a gathering point for Athens's young craft beer community. The rotating tap list and experimental approach — seasonal beers, collaborations with other Greek and European producers — reflect engagement with contemporary craft conventions.
8. Crete Brewery (Cretan Beer), Crete
Crete hosts several small brewing operations tied to the island's growing premium tourism sector. Cretan Beer uses local ingredients including Cretan herbs and honey alongside international brewing conventions to produce beers with genuinely local character. The combination of strong regional tourism and Greek food culture creates a market context where locally made, ingredient-interesting beer can find premium positioning.
9. Zeos Brewery, Argos
Zeos operates from the Peloponnese and has been one of Greece's more consistently available craft brands in the national retail market. The core lager and ale range is accessible and technically adequate; the brewery has grown through distribution rather than taproom culture, which makes it more visible in Greek supermarkets and restaurants than the island-based producers.
10. Two Owls Craft Brewery, Athens
Two Owls is among Athens's newer craft producers, based in the Piraeus port area and producing a range of IPAs, saisons, and stouts that engage with current European craft conventions. The Athens location and access to the capital's growing craft bar scene have given Two Owls distribution advantages over regional producers.
Explore on the map
Greek craft breweries from Santorini to Thessaloniki are on the interactive map, alongside the macro producers that define the landscape they operate within. Open the map to find the craft operations on whichever Greek island or mainland region you plan to visit.