The legend of Mythos and a pool bar with no olives

Got every twist of this bomb...except the splash!!

Last week I had a fantastic week in Greece, soaking up just enough sun so that I wouldn’t burn and just enough sea and sand that I wasn’t moaning about salt water or seaweed. But mostly I soaked up lots of relaxing hours reading, cooling off in the pool and nipping in the shade for an afternoon beer (oh and some messing around in the pool!)

We were at a small resort called Kriopigi, on Kassandra, the most densely inhabited penisula of Halkidiki, in Northen Greece. It was nice, not as slow moving or pretty as any of the places we’ve seen on other islands, but far from the hustle and bustle we desperately wanted to avoid. The hotel was nicer than it looked in the pictures online and on a quiet hill down to the beach, overlooking trees that sprawled down towards the sea.

Aegean Hotel, Kriopigi

We only had seven days and on a budget didn’t fancy many of the day trips, so we plumped for the ‘let’s just take it really slowly’ holiday, and it was just what I needed (to be honest I was a bit disappointed with the lack of accessible ‘culture’ so my SLR didn’t get too much action –  wished I’d had it for Rhodes Town last year!).

Days were long and the week felt longer than it was.  Within a few hours on the first morning we’d developed a holiday cycle: reading in the sun (I got through all of John Gribbin’s The Universe and 3/5 ths of The Grapes of Wrath!), dipping in the pool and heading for the shade for a beer and nibbles (the only bad thing about our hotel being that the pool bar didn’t serve olives, a cardinal sin in my eyes!). At the peak of the suns path, my equivalent of the Hellenic siesta involved an couple of bottles of Mythos on the balcony looking towards the hazy sea-sky horizon.

Mythos on holiday...the perfect siesta time beer?

Which brings me nicely onto beer and that legendary Mythos (or should I say mythical as the adverts do). Mythos (Μυθος in Greek) must benefit significantly from a lack of competition in the Greek beer market that just wouldn’t be possible in the UK. Yes, there are other beers, including Alfa (AΛΦA), a ‘traditional’ Greek lager brewed since 2000 by the Athenian Brewing company and a variety of imported beers, but none match the ubiquitous of Mythos in pubs, supermarkets and poolside bars.

It’s worth pointing out the Mythos isn’t the largest brewer, that title goes to the Athenian Brewing company, but I’ll hazard a guess and say that that is more to do with the fact that they also sell Amstel, Fischer, Duvel, Chimay, Murphy’s and Murphy’s Red and most of the other beers you come across in Greek Restaurants (the other notables bee you’ll find is Kaiser which is brewed by our friends at Mythos).

Greek pilsner!

This oligopoly is actually not even the full scenario, as Heineken/Amstel and Scottish & Newcastle respectively actually own the marketplace, and from what I can see independent brewers don’t make the shelves and fridges of the seaside resorts.

Back to Mythos and I guess this is kinda my review. What can I say? In the unnerving heat of the Greek summertime, quite frankly Mythos is brilliant. It’s yellowy golden like a field of straw, it’s refreshing and thirst quenching, it’s light, it doesn’t bloat you (unless you are in Malia and necking it by the bucket load). It’s almost pilsner-esque, it’s easy to drink and it’s perfect for holidaying.

Amstel...more popular with the British folk at our hotel

But all this positive rambling, at the end of the day it’s a relatively cheap lager. Is it really better than Alfa? Is it better than Amstel, arguably more intense and malty? Is it better than lugging a crate of Carlsberg to a BBQ or a warm pint of Tuborg at a festival?

Well, yes, because when I think of Mythos I think of those lazy, glorious, cyclical days of beer, olives, sun, pool, sea, Greek salads, a glass of wine, the stroll home from a restaurant , the late night games of Shithead overlooking the dipping sun. And it you think that’s not enough, well don’t buy it.

Would I buy it in the UK? Chances slim to none, but would I swap it for anything else from a Greek poolside? Not on your nelly!