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
Showing posts with label Cretan beer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cretan beer. Show all posts
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Review - On The Rocks Bar, Plakias, Rethymno, Crete.
Good afternoon,
feeling better after my first nights sleep in the UK (and a beer or two in Sheffield, details of that to follow tomorrow), I though it would be a good time to review my "local" whilst staying on Crete's central South coast in Plakias, the On The Rocks bar. Here are a few words about the place that Wee Keefy and myself spent a good two hours or more in every night we were there.
On The Rocks is owned by Nikos, and has been open since 2006, which is when I first visited. There is accommodation upstairs, and inside there are two rooms, the front being a terrace overlooking the Plakias bay and the headland, rising between the old harbour and Souda, and behind is the all important bar, the music system, some more seating, and the facilities.
There are quite a few Tavernas and bars along the Souda road and all command spectacular views at sunset, back into Plakias itself and over the headland as described before, but OTR gains marks for being that little bit further away from the centre whilst not being too far to walk (for folks who, say, had 3 blisters, or something). The view past the many cacti with the billowing Greek flag being buffeted by the notorious Plakias winds in the foreground, with the orange red glow of the set sun fading behind, is fantastic.
It is, of course, very much about the beer. I know very well that they do cocktails and juices, spirits and snacks, for those who wish to "eat", but the real draw here is the beer. Craft brewery Pilsner (5.0%) brewed at the excellent Craft Brewery in Athens, is on draught, served in sleek, tall, branded glassware. A large glass will set you back €4.00. Craft Pilsner is a perfectly balanced, if perhaps not rigidly representative example of the style, and the perfect antidote to the hot days and raw winds.
Also available on draught is the rather less inspiring Fix Hellas Pils, a rather sweeter more widely available lager by numbers which I suppose at least isn't the ubiquitous Heineken or Amstel.
Better still, on sale at €3.00 are the full range of Craft brewery bottles, one of which I have studiously taken home to share with Davefromtshop. No bottled Pilsner, alas, but Athens lager, Weiss, Black lager, Red Ale and Smoked lager are available. The Weiss is a faithful example, there is quality red malt (but crying out for some U.S hops!) in the Red Ale, and the Smoked lager is softer but just as good as the average rauchbier.
Craft was started in Athens in 1997, (there is a link to their website here if you would like more info), and I first discovered it in 2006, in OTR in Plakias as it happens. Then, two weeks into my holiday, having drunk Mythos, Alfa, and worse still, Amstel everyday, the excellent crisp refreshing malt and yes, what I really believe is hop bitterness, was a wonder. I recommended it to a couple who started running (in reality ruined a perfectly good) taverna/bar in Elounda that same holiday, but they claimed it wouldn't sell as there is no "C" in the Greek alphabet so none of the locals would know what it was. They were closed by the next year. Seems the problem may not have been limited to the locals alphabetical radicalism....
Back to On The Rocks, the other draw, apart from the beer, views and Nikos' hospitality, is the eclectic mix of music. Varied enough to be interesting, but without being pretentious, chilled enough to be relaxing, without becoming boring - one afternoon session might reveal dub, breakbeat, a couple of hours of well constructed electro, Cretan rembitiko like Nikos Xylouris or even some ska. Its not loud enough to be obtrusive but still detectable enough to set the mood, as you relax with your delicious Craft Pilsner, watching the sunset.
Finally, there is a rather basic website for OTR Here which concentrates almost entirely on their rooms, and without mention of the jewel in South central Crete's bars which is their single Craft Pilsner tap - I say this because despairingly, I have found it ever more difficult to find Craft on sale anywhere. Fellow Blogger Student drinker claims here to have spotted it whilst on holiday in the Blackpool of the Cretan sea which is Malia, but visit Malia for a beer? That's far too high a price to pay!
Happy holidays if you're off, if not then best wishes anyway, and perhaps I'll see you around in a public house or inn, soon.
Wee Beefy.
feeling better after my first nights sleep in the UK (and a beer or two in Sheffield, details of that to follow tomorrow), I though it would be a good time to review my "local" whilst staying on Crete's central South coast in Plakias, the On The Rocks bar. Here are a few words about the place that Wee Keefy and myself spent a good two hours or more in every night we were there.
On The Rocks is owned by Nikos, and has been open since 2006, which is when I first visited. There is accommodation upstairs, and inside there are two rooms, the front being a terrace overlooking the Plakias bay and the headland, rising between the old harbour and Souda, and behind is the all important bar, the music system, some more seating, and the facilities.
There are quite a few Tavernas and bars along the Souda road and all command spectacular views at sunset, back into Plakias itself and over the headland as described before, but OTR gains marks for being that little bit further away from the centre whilst not being too far to walk (for folks who, say, had 3 blisters, or something). The view past the many cacti with the billowing Greek flag being buffeted by the notorious Plakias winds in the foreground, with the orange red glow of the set sun fading behind, is fantastic.
It is, of course, very much about the beer. I know very well that they do cocktails and juices, spirits and snacks, for those who wish to "eat", but the real draw here is the beer. Craft brewery Pilsner (5.0%) brewed at the excellent Craft Brewery in Athens, is on draught, served in sleek, tall, branded glassware. A large glass will set you back €4.00. Craft Pilsner is a perfectly balanced, if perhaps not rigidly representative example of the style, and the perfect antidote to the hot days and raw winds.
Also available on draught is the rather less inspiring Fix Hellas Pils, a rather sweeter more widely available lager by numbers which I suppose at least isn't the ubiquitous Heineken or Amstel.
Better still, on sale at €3.00 are the full range of Craft brewery bottles, one of which I have studiously taken home to share with Davefromtshop. No bottled Pilsner, alas, but Athens lager, Weiss, Black lager, Red Ale and Smoked lager are available. The Weiss is a faithful example, there is quality red malt (but crying out for some U.S hops!) in the Red Ale, and the Smoked lager is softer but just as good as the average rauchbier.
Craft was started in Athens in 1997, (there is a link to their website here if you would like more info), and I first discovered it in 2006, in OTR in Plakias as it happens. Then, two weeks into my holiday, having drunk Mythos, Alfa, and worse still, Amstel everyday, the excellent crisp refreshing malt and yes, what I really believe is hop bitterness, was a wonder. I recommended it to a couple who started running (in reality ruined a perfectly good) taverna/bar in Elounda that same holiday, but they claimed it wouldn't sell as there is no "C" in the Greek alphabet so none of the locals would know what it was. They were closed by the next year. Seems the problem may not have been limited to the locals alphabetical radicalism....
Back to On The Rocks, the other draw, apart from the beer, views and Nikos' hospitality, is the eclectic mix of music. Varied enough to be interesting, but without being pretentious, chilled enough to be relaxing, without becoming boring - one afternoon session might reveal dub, breakbeat, a couple of hours of well constructed electro, Cretan rembitiko like Nikos Xylouris or even some ska. Its not loud enough to be obtrusive but still detectable enough to set the mood, as you relax with your delicious Craft Pilsner, watching the sunset.
Finally, there is a rather basic website for OTR Here which concentrates almost entirely on their rooms, and without mention of the jewel in South central Crete's bars which is their single Craft Pilsner tap - I say this because despairingly, I have found it ever more difficult to find Craft on sale anywhere. Fellow Blogger Student drinker claims here to have spotted it whilst on holiday in the Blackpool of the Cretan sea which is Malia, but visit Malia for a beer? That's far too high a price to pay!
Happy holidays if you're off, if not then best wishes anyway, and perhaps I'll see you around in a public house or inn, soon.
Wee Beefy.
Sunday, 2 September 2012
Cretan bulletin
Hello (yassas)
just a quick message from Crete. There is relatively little to report in terms of Cretan breweries, imagined or otherwise and unfortunately I haven't made it to Chania this time so no opportunity has been had to check if the Charma brand is still produced.
Brinks Rethimnian organic is available in restaurants in Rethymnon, but few bars stock it, except those charging a premium. I am staying in Plakias on the South coast and one of the contributory factors in choosing this destination was the availability of Craft beer from Athens. Mercifully, I have been able to find it. I'm not saying it would make the holiday experience much less enjoyable if it had not been on sale, but lets just say its a damned relief that it is available.
On the rocks bar in Plakias is still the place to go for Craft - they have the pilsner on draught (Euro 4.00) as well as their full bottled range for about 3 Euro, but otherwise its Draught Alfa or Mythos, between 3 and 4 Euro, and rebadge contract brewed German copies like Kaiser.
The only other notable news is the emergence of a schooner measure - the 500ml large measure is ambiguous enough but a Schooner at 400ml is a bit mean when its still 4 Euro a pop.
So that's all I have, can't wait to have a lovely pint of real ale in my hand - in the rain, soon
Wee Beefy
Sunday, 5 September 2010
More from crete
Hello,
we are nearing the end of the holiday, sat in unhelpful near dark in an internet cafe in Agios. On the last day in Chania I found a Craft outlet and had good beer at a bar that has an Asterix theme on the menu but no name (distinguishable by its odd multi-coloured model of an ostrich type bird on the right hand side of the entrance - I kid you not)! We had 4 fantastic days in Paleochora, Portofino still sells Pilsner Urquell and now also Craft bottles at a decent price, otherwise the beer ranges have been poor (but beaches fantastic and sea clear and warm..)
We are staying in Kritsa, and have been drinkiing what turns out to be a Greek beer, Magnus Magister pils, in Castello, as we always do. We are off to Elounda today to see Dimitri and then Maria in Kato Elounda, and hopefully we'll get some Brinks Rethymnian in Rethymno tomorrow.
Cheers
Wee Beefy.
we are nearing the end of the holiday, sat in unhelpful near dark in an internet cafe in Agios. On the last day in Chania I found a Craft outlet and had good beer at a bar that has an Asterix theme on the menu but no name (distinguishable by its odd multi-coloured model of an ostrich type bird on the right hand side of the entrance - I kid you not)! We had 4 fantastic days in Paleochora, Portofino still sells Pilsner Urquell and now also Craft bottles at a decent price, otherwise the beer ranges have been poor (but beaches fantastic and sea clear and warm..)
We are staying in Kritsa, and have been drinkiing what turns out to be a Greek beer, Magnus Magister pils, in Castello, as we always do. We are off to Elounda today to see Dimitri and then Maria in Kato Elounda, and hopefully we'll get some Brinks Rethymnian in Rethymno tomorrow.
Cheers
Wee Beefy.
Monday, 30 August 2010
A message from Crete
Hello,
it seems like about time I posted from Crete, so here I am in Chania, the trendiest and inevitably most expensive Cretan City.
We started in Rethymno on 17th August, travelled to Askifou in the white mountains for 2 days, then onto the high desert village of Anopoli for 4 nights, before rolling up in Sougia the laid back lconic lazy resort on the south coast, for 3 nights.
We got to Chania on Friday 27th and have been staying in a traditional Venetian family home in the old town. This is not rented out on the internet, but an occasionally available property that we have rented through a friend.
The weather has been getting hotter over the last couple of days but was really hot on the coast - mainly it has been humid everywhere.
The beer situation in Chania appears to have deteriorated significantly. No.43 no longer sells any beer, the Metropolitan bar has become a sham cheapo family venue with rolla-cola and fake music, although it does still sell Charma Dark. Bar hippo may not be selling Craft anymore, will be investigating later, Baroro remains excellent with no noticeable change in price. There is one addition to the beer scene with a good range available at a supposed rock bar near where Talos used to be, but none of the places using Charma beer advertising boards seem to sell it, and as yet the only Craft I have seen has been on the South Coast.
Traders report a busy August but I get the feeling that trade was poor earlier on, and the continuing downturn in tourist profits probably drives the inexorable passage towards endless Amstel and Mythos everywhere you go.
There is a harbour front bar which plays decent metal on a Friday and Saturday night so that is an improvement, but overall a low score for Chania - love it as I do, you end up paying nearly double the prices on the South coast for less and less individual venues.
Starbucks was the first indicator that Chania wanted to be anywhere else in the world, and global brands predominate. The final bad news is that the Ouzeri across from Madonna studios has now closed down.
Still, its hovering around 36 degrees and we have a free day before we leave for Paleachora tomorrow so there should be 4 beach days ahead if we want, and hopefully Portofino will still sell Pilsner Urquell.
Hope to get online on the last day otherwise will be back to finally post some details about kafenions when i return - there is a new one ( if that makes sense, perhaps I mean revived) in Chania old town, so will investigate that as well.
Wee Beefy, Chania old town.
it seems like about time I posted from Crete, so here I am in Chania, the trendiest and inevitably most expensive Cretan City.
We started in Rethymno on 17th August, travelled to Askifou in the white mountains for 2 days, then onto the high desert village of Anopoli for 4 nights, before rolling up in Sougia the laid back lconic lazy resort on the south coast, for 3 nights.
We got to Chania on Friday 27th and have been staying in a traditional Venetian family home in the old town. This is not rented out on the internet, but an occasionally available property that we have rented through a friend.
The weather has been getting hotter over the last couple of days but was really hot on the coast - mainly it has been humid everywhere.
The beer situation in Chania appears to have deteriorated significantly. No.43 no longer sells any beer, the Metropolitan bar has become a sham cheapo family venue with rolla-cola and fake music, although it does still sell Charma Dark. Bar hippo may not be selling Craft anymore, will be investigating later, Baroro remains excellent with no noticeable change in price. There is one addition to the beer scene with a good range available at a supposed rock bar near where Talos used to be, but none of the places using Charma beer advertising boards seem to sell it, and as yet the only Craft I have seen has been on the South Coast.
Traders report a busy August but I get the feeling that trade was poor earlier on, and the continuing downturn in tourist profits probably drives the inexorable passage towards endless Amstel and Mythos everywhere you go.
There is a harbour front bar which plays decent metal on a Friday and Saturday night so that is an improvement, but overall a low score for Chania - love it as I do, you end up paying nearly double the prices on the South coast for less and less individual venues.
Starbucks was the first indicator that Chania wanted to be anywhere else in the world, and global brands predominate. The final bad news is that the Ouzeri across from Madonna studios has now closed down.
Still, its hovering around 36 degrees and we have a free day before we leave for Paleachora tomorrow so there should be 4 beach days ahead if we want, and hopefully Portofino will still sell Pilsner Urquell.
Hope to get online on the last day otherwise will be back to finally post some details about kafenions when i return - there is a new one ( if that makes sense, perhaps I mean revived) in Chania old town, so will investigate that as well.
Wee Beefy, Chania old town.
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