Finding good beer in Crete?

Yasas!

   am in the Crete, Sougia to be precise, supping a cold Erdinger in a bar overlooking the beach. It's rather ace - but what about the beer?

We haven't got to Chania yet so news on Charma Dark and Lager will have to follow. Here in Sougia the excellent Polyfimos still advertises Craft from Athens in bottles but it's not been available anywhere so far and this suggests the info on Ratebeer about the brewery closing is true.

In Rethymno the local beer was fairly easy to find, and two new beery venues have emerged. The Pottery Cafe has changed its name to the Garden of Ali Vafis Cultural venue - and they have added guest draught (keg) beers, advertised on a chalk board. On two visits there was Fix Lager and Dark, plus Berliner lager and Augustijn Dubbel. OK, so no-one seems to know who brews the Berliner but it and the dark are excellent. In Crete you have to lower your beer expectations accordingly...

Which brings me to Beeraria - which Ratebeer made a mess on its self over. This is a decent idea poorly delivered - a good beer menu lists Euro faves but none of the local draught or bottled exotica listed by reviewers on Ratebeer, ahem.. however when one comes to order, the beer is unavailable - after four no shows (response "it is hard to get") we gave up, having had a poor Franziskaner and Mythos draught, and no complimentary nibbles for about 9euro. Pooer!

Finally, Paleochora, and Portofino still does draught Pilsner Urqell, but the real star is Aghios cafe bar, offering Fix dark in bottles along with Chimay, and the full range at that.

I must leave you now before I put my fist through this infuriating laptop! More news to follow back in Blighty.

Cheers

Wee Beefy