Ikaria island has no seasons. Only an eternal summer, sun in the winter, a deep blue sea in the spring, its own rhythms and a life of its own that is not like the rest of Greece. Everything produced there has the stamp of uniqueness, a culture freed from clichés, a rebellion that becomes creativity.
That is why Slow Down Brewing came to Evdilos – in the northern port of the island – in 2019, bringing more than 10 different types of fresh, unpasteurized beer and it’s passion for beer.
It was a natural occurrence that at some point it would be introduced to a bigger public – in a taproom environment – that can also introduce and present the work of other, new brewers, wineries and micro-producers, with the aim of representing the community more broadly. This is how the Slow Down Taproom was born, a few months ago in Ano Petralona.
‘In a city with such a strong interest in craft beer, it makes sense for each neighborhood to have its own taproom,’ its founders, Nasia Kyriakou and Jonathan Spanos, share with us. ‘Small beer bars with taps where the beer is served fresh and cool, we encountered while living in America and following the path of craft beer on the other side of the Atlantic, we wanted to bring the idea to our own city and our own neighborhood, in Petralona’.
Slow Down Brewing Taproom is located on Kydantidon Street, behind Filopappou Hill. Nice space, with a mosaic floor, windows that open in the summer to mingle the patrons with the bar and an amazing mural by the painter Dimitris Kordalis with the logo of the brewery. Their own namesake beers flow steadily from the taps, along with guest casks from other fellow microbrewers in frequent succession.
Here the visitor can try their Saison, which is the only one you will find bottled in a can, it has a mildly dry taste, with notes of fruit and pepper; their Porter, a dark beer with 7% alcohol, light in body with notes of coffee and chocolate; their Amber Ale which has a perfect amber colour, medium body and a fruity, sweet aftertaste; their Pale Ale, a light pale blonde with a light body and hints of citrus; their Weisse, a classic Bavarian Heffeweisen with hints of banana and the most recent addition to Slow Down’s quiver, their IPA.
Anyone who wants and desires it, can get the beer that suits their brew dream for home. In the space there is a professional bottling system, directly from the source tap, where beers are filled to order. Speaking of bottled, in its refrigerators SlowDown houses a large and carefully selected collection of beer cans and bottles from all over Greece, while finally, wine lovers will find labels from small Greek producers and natural wines winemaking from Ikaria, Patras, Macedonia, Lefkada, Diakofto.
And if, while enjoying your beer, you crave a bit, SlowDown has seatched small production all over Greece and offers delicious cheeses and cold meats along with the jams and chutneys of the Ikaria Women’s Cooperative on charcuterie boards and the vegan chocolates of Kakau Worship that also ideally accompany their Porter beer.
Slow Down Brewing Taproom
Kydantidon 39, Petralona | www.slowdownbrewing.gr | Facebook | Instagram
