Mythos is one of those beers that instantly transports people into holiday mode after the first sip. Cold bottle, grilled seafood, suspiciously blue sea somewhere nearby, absolutely no urgent emails in sight.

Originally launched in Greece in the late 1990s, Mythos became one of the country’s defining modern lagers and is now brewed by Olympic Brewery under the Carlsberg group. It’s built very much for Mediterranean drinking conditions. Crisp, lightly malty and cold enough to survive serious heat.

The flavour profile stays straightforward in the best possible way. Soft grain sweetness, mild herbal hop bitterness and a clean finish designed for drinking quickly alongside salty food. There’s enough body to keep it satisfying, but nothing overly heavy or complicated getting in the way.

What makes Mythos particularly enjoyable is context. This is not really a beer for careful tasting notes and cellar discussions. It’s for beach bars, grilled octopus, late lunches and conversations stretching longer than intended because another round quietly arrived.

Interestingly, the beer has developed a proper following in the UK recently too, largely because half the country seems to associate it with slightly happier versions of themselves on Greek islands. Hard to blame them really.