Skip to main content

This is How to Pair Beer with Classic Greek Food

santorini yellow-donkey-beer
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Feasting is our column dedicated to cooking, grilling, eating and discovering what’s on the menu across America and the world.

Craft beer certainly isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Greece. But a motley crew of brewers from Santorini are here to change that notion. Six years ago, a Greek oenologist (read: wine scientist), a Serbian brewer, an English brewing enthusiast, and an American came together to open Greece’s first craft beer operation: Santorini Brewing Company. Their simple recipe of malted barley, hops, yeast and water is used to create their three signature brews and any special varieties that are released each year. Their “living” beers are unfiltered, unpasteurized and preservative-free, so they must be refrigerated and enjoyed right away.

greek food, Santorini Brewing Company
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s difficult to find Santorini Brewing Company outside of Greece, so one man decided to introduce the line of beers stateside. Kamal Kouiri, wine director of Molyvos restaurant in New York City, discovered the brews on one of his many research trips to Greece. Kouiri loved them so much that he put four of the beers on the menu at the upscale Greek eatery. As it turns out, they pair perfectly with both the restaurant’s traditional dishes and their modern interpretations of the classics.

Even if you’re nowhere near New York City and aren’t able to get your hands on these island brews, you can still pair your favorite type of beer with a traditional Greek meal. Here, Kouiri explains how to pair four Santorini brews with some of the restaurant’s best dishes. Simply match your favorite beer to the description, whip up one of yiayia’s recipes and enjoy.

Santorini Yellow Donkey

A refined, dry, unfiltered, fresh lager with citrus flavors and slightly bitter undertones.

Pair with: Pan Seared Salmon, made with baked gigantes beans, roasted eggplant, and extra virgin olive oil. Salmon is a light fish, but it’s also oily. So, not only does it stand up to a lager, but the contrast between the two will create a joyous feeling on the tongue.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Santorini Red Donkey

A full-bodied red ale with citrus hops and a crisp flavor.

Pair with: Moussaka, made with spiced ground lamb and beef, potato, eggplant, pepper, and yogurt béchamel. Strong flavors from meat dishes tend to overwhelm light beers, which is why you need a complex, heavier brew, such as a red ale to balance out the meal.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Santorini White Donkey

A malty, hoppy beer in the German Weiss style with citrus and banana flavors, sweet spices and a light bitter fruitiness.

Pair with: Aegean Seafood, a dish made with marinated mussels, scallops, shrimp, crab, red onions, green cracked olive, celery heart and citrus vinaigrette. Weiss-style beers work better with richer, sweeter seafood like shrimp and crab. In addition, the soft texture of the beer offers a refreshing counterpoint to the bright and sharp acidity of the vinaigrette-dressed seafood.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Santorini Crazy Donkey

A rich, briny, yeasty IPA with hoppy wine notes, a tropical fruit taste, and a dry long finish.

Pair with: Lamb Shank Youvetsi, served with orzo, tomatoes and Kefalotyri cheese. IPAs are robust in flavor and help to accentuate the spice of the dish while cutting through the richness of the slow-cooked meat.

Bonus Beer
Serres Voreia: An American-style Pilsner with subtle bitterness, citrus and floral flavors, light and very pleasant aftertaste.
Pair with: Ouzo Flamed Halloumi Cheese, served with lemon sauce. Pilsner is perfect for delicate, light-tasting cheeses like Halloumi, and the malt sweetness from the beer will balance out the tart, citrus sauce.

Editors' Recommendations

Amanda Gabriele
Amanda Gabriele is a food and travel writer at The Manual and the former senior editor at Supercall. She can’t live without…
The Best Drinks to Pair With Your Favorite Food Shows
couple tv wine

One of the best drinking games ever was conceived by a friend. He, a fan of travel shows, suggested a pull of beer every time Rick Steves was seen holding a beverage. Many, many drinks later, we realized the PBS travel guru very much likes his wine.

But that’s not always the case. There are a fair number of travel and cooking shows that don’t always stress the beverage side of the coin. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but pairing enthusiasts are left scratching their collective head. We can’t all be Anthony Bourdain (RIP), sauntering about in a foreign land with drink in hand, but we certainly can at home from our favorite TV-viewing piece of furniture.
New Scandinavian Cooking
New Scandinavian Cooking - Trailer

Read more
Pairing the English Premier League Soccer Teams with Craft Beers from the United States
beer soccer game tv

man watching the soccer match on the tv Franckreporter/Getty Images
European soccer has returned in earnest, much to the delight of footy fans. Sure, the MLS (Major League Soccer) is improving and the women’s World Cup was glorious, but the former is in its dog days of summer and the latter has come to an end.
In short, there’s nothing quite like the English Premiere League and the beer-soaked fanfare it inspires. As the 2019-2020 season kicks off, consider these pairings if you’re looking for a beer that behaves like your team. Apologies to Manchester United. We’ll talk about you as soon as you become bona fide contenders again, whenever that may be. (Note: the writer is ignoring their thumping of Chelsea at the moment.)
Since most of us here are watching from the U.S., we decided to pair the teams not just with a style, but with some of our favorite American-made beers.
Manchester City
Style: Farmhouse Saison

Pep Guardiola is arguably the greatest manager on earth, known to produce unselfish teams with tremendous passing ability. Manchester City is no different under his command and, as a result, the winningest English club of the last several seasons. Players like Kevin DeBruyne, Raheem Sterling, David Silva, and just-signed Rodri combine to create lopsided possession stats and run their opponents straight into the ground. 
This type of technically sound play wherein scores of superstars still behave like a team calls for a similarly impressive, sum-of-all-its-parts type of beer. A nice saison encapsulates the squad nicely. Try the Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse.

Read more
How to Host a Bottle Share: 5 Tips for Planning Your First Beer Tasting
Beer flight tasting types

With thousands of amazing breweries spread across the globe already open (with more on the horizon) and a constantly expanding range of styles from which to choose, it’s impossible to drink all of the world’s great beers. Attending beer festivals or ordering flights from breweries are great ways to expand your knowledge and palate. These opportunities provide several small pours of beer instead of the traditional method of ordering full-size glasses. More variety for the same quantity, if you will.

An alternative to festivals and flights is organizing a bottle share, otherwise known as your own mini beer festival.

Read more