Athens – Tapfield

Although it didn’t look like the most vibrant part of Athens, the area just to the north of the Agora has plenty of food and drink options.

The one that we headed for was Tapfield, as it was Untappd verified and it appeared to have some interesting beer options.

There was a friendly welcome from the team member and the beer list is clearly visible, although it’s also listed on Untappd as well. The team member was willing to give recommendations and I liked the mix of Greek and international beers, with most major beer styles represented here. We seated ourselves indoors at the end of the bar, although there’s more outside seating for those who like sitting in a fog of cigarette smoke. Although it didn’t have many tables inside, that did give it a cosier and more comfortable atmosphere.

My flight of beers, it seemed the easiest way to try several beers. For anyone interested, from left to right:

(i) West Coast IPA from Kykao, with a deep hop flavour, it was punchy, piney and stonefruity.

(ii) Craft IPA from Craft Microbrewery, which was smooth and hoppy but didn’t have any intense and decadent flavours to it.

(iii) Coconut Sky CocoStout from Athens Noctua Microbrewery, this was a little thin but the depth of coconut was intense and I love that. A Bounty bar delight…

(iv) Red Ale from Retimi, there was a bit of caramel, quite malty but again a little thin.

There was a modern bar and dispense, it all felt suitably on-trend. The reviews for this bar are very positive on-line and there are surprisingly few other venues similar to this.

Part of the decor, some considerable effort has gone into all of this.

We got a few cans between Richard and I and I’d better note that as I didn’t get through all of these on my own. This was the Stone Imperial Stout from Stone Brewing, which was pleasant but I had hoped for something more complex. There was a bit of chocolate, a bit of smokiness, it was OK.

This is the Umibozu from Funky Fluid, perhaps my favourite brewery in the world, and Richard loved this beer and gave it his 5 star seal of approval. I liked it, but it was bloody sweet although hugely punchy. There were massive hits of maple syrup and some coffee as well.

The Star People from Elmeleven and this was beautiful, with blueberry all over this. A lovely pastry sour with some end notes of banana. Delicious and much punchier than the ABV and it was aided by the professional pouring from the team member who rolled the fruited sour cans for us to ensure we didn’t get a lump of fruit residue at the end.

And another winner from Elmeleven, the I Want to Leave beer, with caramel undertones, lots of berries, decadent and again way more punchy than the ABV suggested. It was time for us to leave after this beer and we timed it well as some rather noisy customers then entered and we’re too old for that sort of environment (well, more specifically, Richard is too old for that sort of environment).

We very much enjoyed this bar, it was a clean and comfortable environment although it occurred to me afterwards it was the only one that didn’t do a free snacks option with the alcohol, although I’ll forgive them for that. Lots of interesting beer choices, a knowledgeable team member and the pricing was also reasonable. I’d merrily come again and this was one of my favourite bars in Athens. For craft beer people, this is definitely recommended.