Inside Santorini Brewing Company: Donkey beer, tastings, and how to visit

For most people, Santorini means wine, whitewashed houses, and glorious sunsets. Few realize that it’s also home to one of Greece’s most unusual beer brands, recognized by its bright bottle and a stubborn donkey on the label. It isn’t a gimmick—there’s a genuine story behind it, with an intriguing team, bold ideas, and a result you can taste.

Who brought beer to a wine island

It all began in 2011, when four friends—from Serbia, Greece, the United States, and the United Kingdom—decided to open Santorini’s first brewery. They called it Santorini Brewing Company and chose a non-touristy spot: the village of Mesa Gonia. Their aim was to brew the kind of beer Greece hadn’t really seen before: vivid, fresh, alive, and full of character.

What ‘live’ beer means and why it’s temperamental

The beer SBC makes is unfiltered, unpasteurized, and free of preservatives. That keeps the flavor natural, but it has to be stored cold. It isn’t meant to sit on shelves for months—it’s made to be enjoyed fresh. In practice, that makes production and distribution a bit trickier.

The donkeys that set the tone

Every beer here runs under the Donkey name. It’s become both a signature and a local calling card: Yellow Donkey, Red Donkey, Crazy Donkey, White Donkey. There are rarer releases too—like Slow Donkey or Smart Ass, created as experiments.

What goes into it and how Santorini helps

The beers are brewed from imported ingredients: malt from Austria and Germany, hops from various countries, and desalinated water—Santorini has no natural sources. Even so, the result feels distinctly island-born: light, fresh, and well suited to the heat.

SBC isn’t out to conquer the globe. You can find the beer in the United States, Japan, or Australia, but the focus remains Santorini. That’s where people drink it most—at bars, cafés, and the brewery itself.

Sake and beer: unlikely friends

In late 2024, the head of a Japanese sake company visited the brewery to exchange expertise. They found common ground in fermentation processes at low temperatures. The collaboration suggests SBC earns respect well beyond Europe.

How to visit and what to try

The brewery welcomes visitors in summer. You can drop by, taste different styles, sit on the terrace with a view, and pick up souvenirs—from bottles to donkey-branded T-shirts. If your group is larger than four, it’s best to book ahead.

Those who’ve been note the friendly atmosphere and tasty samples. It can feel crowded in peak season, yet for many that hardly gets in the way.

What’s next?

Today SBC is more than the island’s first brewery—it’s part of Santorini’s identity. Other breweries are appearing, but the ‘donkeys’ still lead the pack. And while the island remains synonymous with wine, it speaks with a beer voice as well.