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Corfu Beer Festival
Guest Blog by Alex Christou
of www.greencorfu.com
Celebrating Beer in Corfu
All Photos (c) Alex Christou
This October, the 1st Corfu Beer Festival was held in Arillas, in North West Corfu. It was organised by our local Corfu Microbrewery, in close cooperation with the local community. It took a lot of work, and more than 150 volunteers were involved in the planning, setting up, advertising and actually running the Festival. The Festival lasted five days, from 9-13 October, and it was a bigger success than we could ever have imagined! Thousands of people visited the festival grounds, tasted the beers, local food and local products offered, enjoyed the music and danced along to many different tunes: Corfiot, Greek and German!
Corfu meets Bavaria
The theme was Corfu meets Bavaria. We chose Bavaria because it is the homeland of beer as we know it. The Law on the Purity of Beer (Reinheitsgebot) was made an official law of Bavaria back in 1516! Also in Munich, the capital of Bavaria, the annual Oktoberfest is held, the biggest and oldest beer festival in the world! So, the idea was that this festival could bring together Greeks and Germans to drink, eat and dance, leaving behind the politics that are trying to separate us.
Corfu Beer Festival: The Beers
The Corfu Microbrewery is a small but fast-growing brewery, producing some of the best beers in Greece. All their beers are fresh, unpasteurised and delicious. They produce two types of real ale, plus a lager, a pilsner, and a special beer re-fermented with honey. They were commissioned by JD Wetherspoon to produce a real ale called Koroibos exclusively for the London Olympics. With their connections they managed to get four German brewers to come to Corfu and brew four different wheat beers (Weizenbier) exclusively for the festival.
Food
There was a wide selection of food at the Corfu Beer Festival, from traditional Greek souvlakia to German weisswurst, and from local specialties such as sofrito and pastitsada to recipes created by accomplished Corfiot chefs especially for the occasion. (See Greece Travel Secrets’ Corfu Food and Drink page.)
Music and Dance
There was a diverse music program, changing every night. The stars were the traditional band Zuaweziaga from Bavaria, along with the Rosenheim dancers who performed their impressive dances in lederhosen every night. From the Greek side we had two to three different bands or dance groups each night, performing music ranging from traditional music and rembetika to opera and Queen covers! Dancing went on till deep in the night...
Some Cool Corfu Souvenirs
Paleokastritsa Luggage Tag
Corfu Cypresses Capri Leggings
Corfu T-shirt
Corfu Tote Bag
Seminars
In the mornings, when most of us were recovering from the previous night, seminars were organised on different subjects. There was of course a seminar on beer, but also seminars on bartending, cooking and olive oil, all presented by experienced professionals and acclaimed scientists.
The best thing of the whole festival though was the relaxed atmosphere. We may have had more than 10,000 people who drank about as many liters of beer, but there wasn’t a single misunderstanding or fight in the whole five days! It was a great experience and we are all looking forward to next year’s Corfu meets the UK festival (8-12 October 2014), with participants from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland!
More Information
For more videos of the festival you can visit our Green Corfu YouTube channel. And if you want to come to next year’s festival, you can check out our accommodations in Arillas!
Where to Stay on Corfu
Other Corfu pages
Where to Stay in Southern Corfu
Greece Travel Secrets’ pick of where to stay in southern Corfu including hotels in Moraïtika, Paramonas, Messonghi, Agios Georgios, and near Benitses.
Where to Stay in Northern Corfu
Greece Travel Secrets picks where to stay in northern Corfu with budget and luxury hotels in Sidari, Daphnila Bay, Kontokali, Ipsos, Barbati and more.
Where to Stay in North-West and Central Corfu
Greece Travel Secrets recommends where to stay in north-west and central Corfu including luxury mansions, inexpensive rooms, and resort hotels.
Where to Eat in Northern Corfu
This is the Greece Travel Secrets selection of where to eat in northern Corfu, from classy restaurants and traditional tavernas to beachside fish tavernas.
Where to Eat in North-West Corfu
Greece Travel Secrets has its list of favourite places where you can eat in north-west Corfu, including in Paleokastritsa, Pelekas, and Ayios Stefanos.
Visiting Albania from Corfu
Donna Dailey of Greece Travel Secrets visits Albania by boat from Corfu Town, staying overnight and seeing archaeological sites with Sipa Tours.
Two Corfu Saints
The main two Corfu saints are Saint Spyridon, the patron saint of Corfu who saved the island four times from disaster, and Saint Theodora Augusta.
The Invasion of Corfu
From Nero to Nicolas Cage, the invasion of Corfu goes back to Roman times and through to Hollywood today!
The Corfu Trail
The Corfu Trail runs from the southernmost point of Corfu at Cape Asprokavos and winds for 220km (137 miles) to the northernmost point near Andinioti Lagoon.
Southern Corfu
Southern Corfu has busy beach resorts like Benitses, historical buildings like the Achilleion Palace and Gardiki Castle, and wildlife at the Korision Lagoon.
Southern Corfu Drive
This Southern Corfu drive starts and ends in Moraïtika, taking in hill villages, secluded beaches, lovely views, and a visit to Gardiki Castle.
Southern Corfu Beaches and Villages
This guide to southern Corfu’s beaches and villages includes busy resorts, quiet beach, hill villages and the southernmost tip of Corfu at Cape Asprókavos.
Northern Corfu
Northern Corfu is the most diverse part of the island, with Corfu's highest point, Mt Pantokrator, and beach resorts like Sidari and Palaiokastritsa.
Northern Corfu in Three Days
If you want to tour northern Corfu in three days you can see busy resorts, quiet fishing villages, Mount Pantokrator, and the Andinioti Lagoon.
Northern Corfu Drive
There are two sides to every Greek island, the tourist and the traditional, and this drive from Corfu Town through northern Corfu shows the two faces of Corfu.
Northern Corfu Beaches and Villages
Northern Corfu’s beaches and villages include busy resorts and secluded beaches, with several hill and mountain villages well worth visiting.
North-West Corfu Beaches and Villages
North-West Corfu’s beaches and villages include busy resorts, quiet beaches, hill villages, and places ideal for watching the sunset,
Fun Facts about Corfu
These fun facts about Corfu include how the island got its name, who wrote the Greek National Anthem, and the eccentric Englishman, the Earl of Guilford.
Corfu
Corfu or Kerkyra is the main island in the Greek Ionian islands with Corfu Town being one of the most attractive of Greek island capitals.
Corfu Writers and Artists
Corfu writers and artists inspired by the island include both residents and visitors, like Gerald and Lawrence Durrell, Edward Lear, and Henry Miller.
Corfu Wildlife
Corfu’s wildlife includes rare and colourful birds, snakes, lizards, fireflies, and insects, with plenty of places to watch the wildlife like lakes and lagoons.
Corfu Town
Corfu Town is the capital of Corfu and of the Ionian Islands and has museums, two forts, several museums, churches, and many other attractions.
Corfu Town’s Old Fortress
Corfu Town’s Old Fortress is the town’s most striking landmark, standing east of the Old Town on top of a rocky promontory.
Corfu’s Special Cuisine
Corfu’s special cuisine includes dishes like sofrito and pastitsade and the chance to try ginger beer and kumquats.
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