Fresh Chios Beer House Ale
Chios Microbrewery

Chios House Looks only slight above average; barely amber and certainly more foam would help. Smells are largely the same, I'm getting a spicier malt than mostly sweet; but it is not distinguished in a style that tends to use lots of aromatic hops. Tastes however are balanced; but also not much intrigue (maybe a more pungent hop blend also ups the flavour.) Medium-mouthed.

Bottled on 6/1/2025 so quite fresh. I received it as a gift. Poured into a pub glass. It pours a pretty, honey-orange color with a modest, fluffy, egg-white head and soapy lacing. Its smell includes musty malt, subtle spice, and some sweet fruit in the background. The flavor is more robust than I anticipated. There is a strong base of sweet caramel malt balanced by burnt toast and notes of tangerine/orange zest with a strong, earthy bitterness throughout. This ale is fairly creamy and well-carbonated. It drinks very easily at only 4.9% ABV. Overall, I have no complaints. This ale is well-crafted and flavorful. I'm not sure it is available in the USA but if you are vacationing in Greece, then I recommend seeking it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rating from notes taken Summer 2014 in Thessaloniki:

High C+ / ABOVE AVERAGE

 

surprisingly tasty beer from chios island. nice hoppy aroma with some citrus. tastes toasted malt, mandarin and slight caramel. light-medium bodied, low-moderate carbonation. nice refresher and easy to drink.

 

 

 

Amazing complex smell and taste. Drank straight from the bottle in athens. Was sad when i finished!

Pours old golden with a small, but lasting white head. Not sticky.
Smell has some spicy hop and yeast (peppery), apple mash and a really cool rustic maltiness, like homemade biscuits.
There's that generic spicy "ale yeast" note up front that micro(pico)breweries use, with that homemade beer kind of authenticity. The malts help a lot, with a great, toasted, sweet caramel-covered biscuits, even warm-fresh white bread. Pinch of salt and pepper, hints of clove, light apple (esters). Bearable. The finish has top notch spicy hops, with a really cool bitterness.
Aftertaste has toasted biscuits, some hop and those yeasts still at work. Medium body, medium carbonation.
"House Ale", indeed. Love these types of beer. They somehow show a lot of... well, soul. Even if it sounds corny.

I had this in at Beer Times in Athens, one of many bottles from Greek Micro-brews. This beer seemed stronger than it was with a aroma of fresh fruits & breads. It proved to have quite a bitter taste, especially the finish.