Cretan Brewery S.A is the first microbrewery in the prefecture of Chania Crete. The brewery is located in Zounaki village, in the municipality of Platanias. Its highly sophisticated industrial facilities, occupy 2000m2, surrounded by orange trees and olive groves. Found, just 25 km away from Chania city center, on the way to the most popular beaches in the area like Balos, Elafonisi and Paleochora.
The vision belongs to Ioannis Lionakis, who founded the brewery in 2007. Ioannis, a mechanical engineer in profession, was born, raised and proud to be Cretan. A long time beer enthusiast himself, he had the aspiration to offer local people and visitors, a fresh, delicious beer, which was something that was missing from the Cretan market.
The vision became reality and reality turned into a perpetual commitment to excellence. Here at Cretan Brewery, our goal is the production and distribution of excellent, handcrafted beers that exude Crete, its traditions and its timeless values through every glass. Our top priority, is the creation of full-flavored, pure beers without preservatives or additives, which will satisfy even the most demanding beer connoisseurs.
Following the expansion of the brewery in 2015, we achieved a tenfold increase in our brewing capacity. In the new sector, we installed brand-new, up-to-date equipment, under the supervision of an experienced engineer.
Commitment to Quality
Our beer is fresh. Fresh equals unfiltered and unpasteurized.
Fresh, unfiltered beer is the purest and most natural state of beer. It is hazy, tasty and full flavored and retains all the nutrients from its raw materials as well as the yeast, which has very high nutritional value.
We ensure the quality of production by using state-of-the-art equipment, while all beer batches undergo strict quality controls before the final stage of kegging. We take our business seriously, we keep up to date with the latest developments of today’s brewing know how and we ensure regular training for all our employees.
TOUR AND TASTING
Do you want to learn more about beer brewing? Just book one of our guided tours, available every day from Monday to Sunday. A state-of-the-art environmentally friendly and operationally clean brewery is waiting to welcome you.
Our experienced staff will guide you through the brewing process in a specially created space where you can watch our brewers doing their magic. On brewing days, a hoppy fragrance fills the rooms – and you will find yourself right in the midst of the process of hand-crafted beer production.
All tours are accompanied by a beer tasting of our different beer styles, as well as a main dish if desired. Just choose the tour that best meets your wishes!
Our dishes are prepared in our open space kitchen and our staff is glad to advise you on which beer should accompany your dish!
Our tap room and restaurant are situated on the terrace of our brewery with panoramic view to the brewing area and the picturesque surroundings. The river valley where the facilities are located is an agricultural area with olive, orange and avocados trees.
Our restaurant offers a large variety of dishes prepared with local ingredients and different beers for a unique culinary experience. Relax in our spacious terrace and enjoy meze or lunch with a cold fresh Charma.
