Greek beer
Greece has traditionally been a wine country, but beer has also been brewed there for centuries and the craft scene is growing. You'll find fresh lagers and pilsners, but also red ales and smoked beer. At Hoptimaal you'll find Greek beer from Seven Island Brewery, with IPA as the style.
- In stock now3 beers
- Breweries1
Breweries from Greece 1
All beers in stock 3
Beer in Greece is older than you think
Excavations have turned up objects and materials for beer production from the Bronze Age, roughly 3300 to 1200 BC. In antiquity, beer was called zythos. It was considered a drink of the common people, while wine belonged to the elite.
Wine remained the norm, and even now more wine than beer is still drunk in Greece. Even so, beer gained ground: it grew into a serious industry that provided more than 60,000 jobs in 2005.
The craft side is more recent. In 2007 there were only 7 official microbreweries; by 2019 there were already 45.
Lagers, red ales and smoked beer
The Greek craft beer scene is broad. You'll find lagers, pilsners, red ales, pale ales and even smoked beer. Many brewers give their beer a local story.
Blue Monkey from Ftelos Brewery is named after the frescoes of blue monkeys from the prehistoric settlement of Akrotiri. Άλη from Thessaloniki was the first microbrewery in that city and brews a red ale with oat flakes. Patraiki Brewery makes a light lager with smoked malt, ORA Patrinella. On Ikaria, the island's first brewery uses water from natural springs.
Gypsy brewers are active too. 608 Brewing Co. develops the recipe for Lost in Naxos, which is brewed at Pineios Brewery. Belka Brews from Athens has its pilsner brewed at Άλη.
Greek beer at Hoptimaal
Our Greek range centres on Seven Island Brewery and on IPA. From this brewery we stock the Hop Slayer variants Peach, Passionfruit and Melon. They are among the beers that are rated highly on Untappd.
Want to know more about the brewery behind the beer? Every brewery in our range has its own page, with all the beers we supply from it.
Frequently asked questions
What is typical Greek beer?
Greek beers are often lagers and pilsners, but the craft brewers also make red ales, pale ales and smoked beer. Many brewers use local stories or places for their beers, such as Akrotiri or Naxos.
Which Greek breweries are well known?
Well-known names from the Greek craft scene are Ftelos Brewery, Άλη in Thessaloniki, Patraiki Brewery and Septem Microbrewery on Evia. At Hoptimaal you'll find Seven Island Brewery.
Did the ancient Greeks drink beer?
Yes, but it was considered a drink of the common people. Beer was called zythos and wine was the drink of the elite. Traces of beer production have already been found from the Bronze Age.
Beer from other countries
- Dutch beer 175
- American beer 71
- Belgian beer 68
- Canadian beer 54
- German beer 37
- English beer 37
- Spanish beer 21
- Romanian beer 17
- French beer 16
- Swedish beer 15
- Norwegian beer 14
- Estonian beer 17
- Polish beer 11
- Irish beer 8
- Finnish beer 9
- Hungarian beer 8
- Latvian beer 8
- Croatian beer 8
- Danish beer 8
- Portuguese beer 4
- Welsh beer 5
- Scottish beer 4
- Brazilian beer 4
- Ukrainian beer 2
- Slovenian beer 3
- Czech beer 3
