Mythos Red
Olympic Brewery S.A.

Reviewed in the "1001 Beers To Taste Before You Die" and for its early daring to brew a dark lager in the Mediterranean, Red probably deserves to be listed.

Of the macro brand managers, I've always thought that Carlsberg (who owns Olympic) was one of the better ones. They are a big corporation that gets other macros or regionals to do the Good Guy things (brew sustainably, better ingredients, maybe local.) And Olympic has taken upon itself to "bring brewing culture to Greece." And for that, I give Olympic some good Overall Hugs.

 

I guess it's red...ish. It's more like an amber/orange color, and completely clear. The head is a foamy, compact off-white one that, while small, lasts a good while. It drops some patching and a bit of light legging as it goes.
Caramel sweetness and grains make for a simple aroma. It could be cleaned up, but it's stronger than I expected, which is something. It even has a bit of herbal leaf just underneath.
There's lots of maltiness in the flavor, that caramel sweetness with lots of toastiness and a bit of dark fruit as well. It's actually quite sweet, but the unexpected hoppiness, though light, keeps it in check, as does biscuit dryness.
There's a little graininess underneath, but it's surprisingly smooth. It has a light but consistent bite of crispness in a light-medium body.

 

 

Trying this Greek Beer, Mythos Red. Like most of the foreign beers I have had, except those from the Big three (Britain, Belgium, & Germany), it's a disappointment. I had hoped that the "Red" would impart more flavor, and it does, to a certain extent; but bottom line it still has that cheap, adjunct beer taste that lingers in the mouth.

I would love to try beers from 100 countries, but until we start getting better imports, such as some foreign craft beers that I have read about, I will have to endure a lot of mediocre/poor brew to reach my goal.

 

 

I can't remember the last beer I had from Greece. I still haven't been to Greece. Maybe this beer gives me an excuse to go. Of course, the beer probably isn't the only reason to visit. History and the beaches are enough for me! We have reviewed a few beers from Carlsberg, but nothing to write home about. I actually didn't think this was distributed to Arizona until I saw it over at Sun Devil Liquors. It was $1.99, so I grabbed a bottle. I hope it's good! Of course, BeerAdvocate reviews aren't looking good. Cheers!

In the Glass: At first, I was excited about the head this beer was producing. Then I blinked, and it was gone. Not much going on here. Weak lace, too. There are a few tiny white bubbles sticking around just to tease me, but nothing to write home about. I hope this smells good. It came a long way for me to consume!

Nose: Well that smells like a Euro dark lager. A little bit of funk is coming through, with a hint of metallic. They talked about carmel in the tasting notes… but I am not smelling much carmel here. Of course, I have never had the pleasure of trying Greek carmel. Maybe it's different! I am not saying this smells bad, just doesn't not what I was expecting.

Flavor: The flavor is much better than the aroma. There are some definite sweet notes creeping in there, and the hops are really balanced here. There isn't much flavor in the finish, but as you drink the flavor is really well balanced. I bet this would be a good food beer.

Mouthfeel: The beer is a bit more carbonated than I wanted. Looking at this you would never know it was carbonated. Now that I look at it a little more, the color reminds me of a nice thick sweet barleywine. It is not a barleywine at all… and I am not getting much, if any sweetness. Good job, Greece… but you didn't impress me with his release.

Aftertaste: The aftertaste is subtle, but has nice dryness to it. Every time I swallow I get those same metallic notes that I was smelling a little bit ago.

This beer could be dangerous. It is easy to drink, and if served by the pint or by the pitcher, I could see, with a few slices of pizza, of downing a gallon of this stuff. It might not be delicious, but it sure is easy to drink. Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

Poured into a standard pint glass. The beer is a murky reddish amber. The off-white head dissipates immediately and there is little or no lacing. The beer smells good with loads of caramel coming through. The taste is semi-sweet with malts and caramel dominating. The mouthfeel is light bodied and even watery.

Overall, a really unbalanced beer. Loads of malts and caramel with little else. Add in the watered down mouthfeel, and this beer doesn't have a lot going for it. But, it's interesting to try beer from unassuming countries such as Greece.

Best before date of 03/2012.

A simple pour left a finger of amber hued head. The body is a regal looking reddish orange. There are surprisingly few bubbles rising to the surface. When the head finished receding I was left with not much more than a thin frothy ring. No real lacing to report.

The rich aromas of malt and toffee were the first impressions I got. Digging deeper I got a little bread and a very light gardeny aroma.

The flavor seeks to confound. Caramel malt, and toffee along with bread and honey all seem to swirl together. A little spice on the end of the bread, with a garden herb style bitter coming through and combining with the bread and spice on the end. More complex than expected.

This beer is medium bodied and coats the mouth decently. It has a slightly bitter finish, but is overall rather sweet.

Overall I couldn't bring myself to call it average but I also couldn't really rate it as good as a 4. It feels like as you're drinking it you almost feel a potential that it just doesn't live up to.

 

I was allowed to pour my own--pretty good head that settles as expected. Leaves some streaky lace. Amber color and clear

Rich caramel aroma--very sweet nose.

Tastes better than I expected. It isn't as sweet as the smell suggests. There's also enough hop to give some good balance. Body is okay and the carbonation is slightly understated. Pretty much tastes like a sweet American amber.

I poured this really average beer into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer was a reddish color and poured a tan head head. The beer was a bready tasting affair and really had nothing exceptional, but then it really was not terrible either. Regardless it just did not stand out enough warrant buying again.

11.2 ounce bottle, best before end of 03/2012. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a clear reddish/copper color with about an inch light tan head. Head retention and lacing are both decent. Aroma is bready and caramel malt, toffee, and some honey. The brew tastes like bready malt, toffee, and some bitter grassy hops. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's a bit creamy with moderate carbonation. It's also smooth and easy enough to drink. Overall I think this is an OK brew and worth trying.