Fonias Pale Ale, the beer of Samothraki

Samothraki has had its own artisanal beer since 2016. It is locally produced using water from the island which is considered one of the purest in Greece.

The beer's name is Fonias Pale Ale, a tribute to Fonias, the most important river on the island. It flows in the northern part of Samothraki, forming impressive waterfalls. The embossed image of one of these waterfalls is depicted on the front label, while on the back, the name and the type are written in Braille characters.

Fonias is also an acronym for:

Fire / Oasis / Nature / Idea / Adventure / Samothraki

The small factory that makes it is called Samothraki Microbrewery. The owner, Thanassis Apostolakos, of Athenian origin, fell in love with Samothraki and has been visiting the island regularly for over 30 years. In 2020 he decided to move permanently, together with his wife and son: "Winters are hard, with cold and snow, but it doesn't matter, I love the island".

Samothraki Microbrewery is in the outskirts of Kamariotissa where the road to Chora begins

About the beer

Fonias Pale Ale is a fresh beer, unfiltered and unpasteurized, bittersweet, of the pale ale variety, with 6.2% alcohol content. To fully enjoy its flavor you shouldn't drink it ice cold, but rather at a temperature of 6-7 degrees Celsius (43-45 degrees Fahrenheit).

The bottles should be kept upright, to let the sediments sink to the bottom.

How much does it cost?

A 330 ml bottle of beer costs 2.2 €. A gift box of 4 bottles is a great present idea and costs 10 €.

You can also order Fonias Pale Ale in the bars and tavernas of the island at prices ranging between 3.5 and 5 € per bottle.

In the Salvanos supermarket in Kamariotissa, Fonias Pale Ale costs 2.3 €, and in the store across the road from the port in Alexandroupoli, the price is 3.1 €.

Fonias Pale Ale is the artisanal beer of Samothraki

New varieties of Fonias beer

The summer of 2020 brought a new beer to the lineup: Fonias Golden Ale, produced in limited edition, made from four kinds of hops. It had an alcohol volume of 5.5%.

A new beer was released in July 2021 - Fonias Summer IPA. It's stronger (6.7% alcohol), fruity in flavor and lighter in color than Fonias Pale Ale.