Greece – Kykao Brewery Patras (En)

We decided to cross via the bridge, as it’s a direct route, but it costs almost 50 euros, so next time we’ll take the ferry, even though it takes longer. We saw that there was a brewery on the outskirts of Patras where we could stay for free and that they had live music on Friday nights, so we decided to go there. It’s a craft brewery that uses local ingredients and collaborates with local farmers, recreates traditional recipes, and experiments with innovative beers.

Where to stay

As I mentioned, we stayed at Kykao Brewery (38.300932, 21.81899 lat, long), a craft microbrewery in a small village just outside Patras. Parking is available right past the brewery, on the right. There are tables and chairs outside. Amenities include drinking water, Wi-Fi, and a sink for washing dishes. You can use the brewery’s restroom when it’s open, which has a cold shower. Dogs are welcome both inside and outside. The brewery is open Monday to Thursday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and on Friday evenings from 7:00 PM to 4:00 AM. It’s closed on weekends, so you should leave by 9:00 AM on Saturday. Friday nights are incredibly lively with music playing until the early hours. If you want to sleep, I don’t recommend it, as the music didn’t end until 4 in the morning.

What to do

During the day, we visited the brewery, which is really cool. Inside, there’s a bar, a tasting room that looks like a laboratory, and an area with arcade games. The manager explained that the Greek word Kykao means to mix, to combine different ingredients. So the result is a psychoactive drink. We loved the outdoor area with tables and chairs, where all the action happens at night. The beers are quite expensive; the cheapest cost 6 euros. One of the things we liked most was their sign welcoming everyone without racism or prejudice.

In the afternoon, around 8 pm, the brewery was packed. So we went to enjoy the music and try some beers. Ben tried two different beers, the New England IPA and the Kyako Double IPA. According to Ben, they were quite strong. I tried the Coffee Stout, which was less carbonated than the others; it was very similar to Guinness, but with a coffee flavour. They were giving away free homemade Neapolitan pizza with the beer! One of the best pizzas we’ve ever had.

The next day at 9 am, without having slept much, we went to Kato Alissos, a coastal town famous for its lush landscapes and beaches with stunning views of the Patraikos Gulf, which you can see in the next blog.