| Product: |
Mythos Lager |
| Date: |
19/06/08 (133 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: A Greek lager with decent taste and at a reasonable price, in Greece
Disadvantages: May be difficult to find in the UK
When we go on holiday abroad we like to sample the local food and drinks. I can't understand those folk who only want to eat British food. Why do they bother going? They may as well go to Blackpool or Southend if all they want is fish and chips and tomato ketchup!
Of course, local drinks can often be a bit hit and miss. Too often the local wines in small out-of-the-way places can be a bit rough and the beers always tend to be national or international ones anyway. Few are the places that have as divers a selection of locally brewed beers as we enjoy here in the UK.
Recently we spent a very enjoyable week on Zakynthos (Zante) and during that time we took the opportunity to eat out as much as we could, which meant trying what the island in particular and Greece in general had to offer.
Zakynthos does not have its own brewery although there are several vineyards on the island producing surprisingly good wines. Having tried a few beers we finally settled on a Greek beer as by far the best of all of those we tasted, including various international offerings such a Heineken. That beer was Mythos.
Mythos is actually a lager, as is usually the case in most places in Southern Europe. Here the taste for traditional ales such as those of which we have a wealth of choice in the UK, has never really developed. Mostly Southern Europeans like their beer cold or very cold and Northern European style ales do not stand up well to being frozen.
Mythos has been around for over 10 years and is produced by the Greek Boutaris group, of which the UK Scottish & Newcastle group are a major shareholder, at the Mythos brewery in Thessaloniki. It is a major brand now in Greece and is also available elsewhere in Europe because of the S&N connection.
I didn't find Mythos available on draught anywhere on Zakynthos so the only forms in which I tried it were bottled and in cans. The bottled version is much to be preferred. The canned version I found to have suffered a metallic taste that made the drink somewhat unpleasant. This is not unusual. I have yet to find a canned version of a beer that isn't inferior to the bottled or draught packaging.
Mythos is a standard 5% abv that seems these days to be the common standard for all premium lagers. The style is that of a traditional German Pilsner lager, which is common in Greece. Many of the Greek breweries were originally started by German breweries as local outlets for their brews and Mythos is no exception. Mythos was originally created as a local outlet for Henninger lager back in the 70s.
Mythos is a rich golden straw colour and pours with a significant and long-lasting head. The aroma is fresh and with a noticeable but not significant degree of hops. The taste is also very fresh and a with a distinct but not overwhelming malty taste. There is a tang of citrus which undoubtedly comes from the hops used, probably Saaz from the taste, a common hop used in continental lagers of German influence. Most of all there is a slight background sweetness that makes Mythos very refreshing and easy to drink.
Mythos is not ever going to challenge the likes of the classic Pilsner Urquell or Budweiser (the Czeck Budvar that is, not the American rubbish) but is a decent, refreshing and very gluggable brew; it certainly hits the mark.
Mythos is available in the UK though mostly from the specialist beer outlets. I haven't seen it on the major supermarket's shelves so you may have to shop around. Better still, why not take a holiday to Greece and enjoy a summer, seeing as it looks like we're not going to get one this year in the UK, and take in a few bottles of Mythos at the same time.
Cheers!
Summary: A nice tasting, refreshing lager
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