Beer in Greece: history, traditions and breweries
The ancient Greeks mocked beer drinkers – until a Bavarian prince became king and brought beer to Athens.
History
For the ancient Greeks it was clear: civilised people drink wine. Beer was seen as the drink of the “barbarians” to the north and in Egypt. In the 7th century BC the poet Archilochus mocked Thracians and Phrygians who sucked their barley beer through a tube. The Greeks called Egyptian beer “zythos”.
And yet the story is not so simple. Bronze Age finds in northern Greece show that grain was being sprouted there more than 4,000 years ago and probably made into beer. So there was beer in Greece too – it just had a bad reputation in the poems and stories of antiquity.
The modern story of beer begins in 1832 with a surprise: after the War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire, Greece got a king from Bavaria, the 17-year-old Otto of Wittelsbach. With him came officials, soldiers, craftsmen – and Bavarian brewers. The first small breweries appeared in Athens.
In 1864 Johann Karl Fix, from a Bavarian family that had followed King Otto, founded a larger brewery in Athens. His lager became so popular that for decades “Fix” simply meant “beer” in Greece. If you ordered a beer in a taverna, you said: “Ena Fix!”
But the name did not survive everything. After disputes among shareholders, new competition and heavy debt, the Fix brewery went bankrupt in 1983. Foreign brands such as Amstel, brewed by the Athenian Brewery, took over the market. In 1997 a new Greek brand, Mythos, joined them, and in 2010 even Fix returned – brewed in a new brewery.
Today Greece is experiencing a small beer revolution. In 2009 there were only a handful of small breweries; by 2020 there were around 65. They brew on islands such as Tinos, Crete or Corfu and use thyme honey, mastic or Greek herbs – showing that beer can be at home in the land of wine too.
Traditions and drinking culture
In Greece beer is drunk mainly in summer, ice-cold and often in chilled glasses, with meze such as tzatziki, olives, grilled octopus or souvlaki. The toast is “Yamas!”, to our health.
In many tavernas beer comes in a big bottle for sharing. Wine and ouzo remain important, but at football matches and on the beach beer is now the most popular drink.
Fun facts
- The first modern king of Greece, Otto, came from Bavaria in 1832 – and with him the first brewers.
- For decades people in Greece simply ordered “a Fix” when they wanted a beer.
- As early as the 7th century BC the poet Archilochus mocked Thracians who drank beer through a tube.
- The number of small breweries in Greece rose from about 6 in 2009 to around 65 in 2020.
Typical beer styles
Beer cities and their stories
Athens
This is where King Otto settled with his Bavarians, and where Johann Karl Fix founded the brewery in 1864 whose name became the Greek word for beer. The large Athenian Brewery also brews in Athens today.
Thessaloniki
In Sindos near Thessaloniki stands the brewery where Mythos has been brewed since 1997. The city has a lively bar and beer scene today.
Komotini
In this town in the north-east of the country Vergina is brewed, one of the few larger Greek beer brands in Greek hands.
Breweries and their stories
Fix
Founded by Johann Karl Fix from a Bavarian family. The brewery went bankrupt in 1983; the beer has been back since 2010.
Known for: Fix Hellas
Athenian Brewery
Brews Amstel and the Greek brand Alfa and now belongs to Heineken.
Known for: Alfa
Mythos
The Mythos brand is brewed in Sindos near Thessaloniki and now belongs to Carlsberg.
Known for: Mythos
Timeline
- c. 650 BCwhole country
The poet Archilochus mocks Thracians who drink beer through a tube.
- 1832Athens
Otto of Bavaria becomes King of Greece. Bavarian brewers come with him.
- 1864Athens
Johann Karl Fix founds his brewery in Athens – “Fix” becomes the word for beer.
- 1963Athens
The Athenian Brewery is founded and soon brews Amstel.
- 1983Athens
The Fix brewery goes bankrupt.
- 1997Thessaloniki
The new Greek brand Mythos is launched.
- 2010whole country
Fix returns – brewed in a new brewery.