The Peloponnese is not exactly known for its beer. A mistake, in my opinion, because the beer from the Peloponnese has nothing to hide. It tastes good!
We discovered two smaller breweries that produce beer to our taste.
Mani Brewery – the beer from the Peloponnese
Mani Brewery is located in the picturesque fishing village of Agios Nikolaos on the coast of western Mani in the Peloponnese. Founders Christos Meimeteas and Takis Kapetaneas set up their brewery here in 2018. It took them a while to find their unique recipe for NEMA beer. Word of its quality and inimitable taste quickly spread among visitors and locals alike.
Various beers are now produced, all to a high standard. They are brewed using only selected ingredients, preferably from Greece. Anyone who drinks the bottled beer from the Peloponnese is sure to enjoy an unfiltered beer with an excellent taste.
The brewery is open from June to September for anyone who wants to take a look at the production process and, of course, try a sip of beer.
Beers from the Mani Brewery
NEMA Summer Ale This light, wonderfully sparkling beer has a taste of lemon, apricot and pineapple on the palate. Only a slight bitter taste spreads across the palate, leaving a full-bodied taste.
At 4.9%, the beer is quite light and I find it just drinks away, especially in summer.
NEMA blonde This beer shimmers golden in the glass and has an alcohol content of 4.6%. The unflitered beer is perfect for the Greek summer, it is light and full of flavor.
NEMA Indian pale ale Pale ale is characterized by the taste of bitter American hops. The brewers use special malts and, of course, Thracian malt in the brewing process. This gives the beer a unique, somewhat stronger taste. With an alcohol content of 5.5%, it is one of the brewery’s strong beers.
I liked the beer very much, precisely because it wasn’t too soft. However, I would be cautious about drinking it in summer temperatures, for me it is more of a beer for a cooler time of year.
NEMA porter A hint of coffee and chocolate aromas hit my nose when I drink NEMA porter. Roasted barley and chocolate malt were used in the brewing process, which not only gives the dark beer its color, but also its taste. The beer has an alcohol content of 5%.
Drinking NEMA beer in Kalamata
The NOTOS GREEK CRAFT BEER pub in Kalamata also serves beer from the Mani brewery. The pub also offers beers from other Greek microbreweries.
Beer from the ZEOS Brewery
A brewery in the Pelopennes is located near Argos and Nafplio. The ZEOS Brewery is surrounded by orange groves and olive plantations and has been brewing a truly outstanding beer there since 1988.
The Canadian master brewer David Wood has brewed Zeos Pilsner in the brewery with a great deal of love and expertise using the best ingredients. The beer was and is so good that demand has steadily increased. The call from connoisseurs for more varieties grew louder and louder and so the brewery introduced further products, which found more and more fans.
The craft-brewed beer is produced according to strict purity standards. This means that only what belongs in a beer goes into it: water, barley malt, wheat malt, hops and yeast. The brewing process is not forced, the beer has time to ferment and mature.
ZEOS Brewery beers
Three products are produced all year round. We were given the opportunity to test all varieties at an event.
ZEOS GOLD PILSNER A slightly floral aroma fills the nose even before the first sip. Then the shimmering golden beer flows down our throats. The pilsner is full-bodied, perhaps a little earthy and has a long aftertaste. The hint of hops that makes a Pilsner so distinctive is wonderful.
The beer has 5% alcohol content. I found it very good, very drinkable and the bottle was empty far too quickly. If you look for the beer in the store, you will find it in 0.33l and 0.5l bottles.
ZEOS Black The dark beer from the Peloponnese with its 5% alcohol content impresses with its wonderful texture. The taste is rather soft with a slightly bitter taste, velvety and full-bodied. The beer gets its beautiful color from the caramel malt, which also gives the beer a slight aroma of roasted coffee. I think it smelled a little chocolaty.
ZEOS LAGER The brewery also offers its customers a lager beer. Like the brewery’s other beers, the lager has an alcohol content of 5%.
The beer shimmers in the glass and the foam has good porosity. The first sip is slightly sweet, but is quickly replaced by a slight bitter note. I find the beer very refreshing and very good.
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