Mythos Beer

Mythos Beer is a Greek beer brand whose name comes from the Greek word for “myth.” It was introduced in 1997 by Northern Greece Brewery, a company that had been developed from Henninger Hellas after the Boutari Group acquired that business in 1992. The launch was intended to help transform a local distributor and producer associated with the German Henninger brand into a more distinctly Greek beer company. Mythos subsequently became the company’s principal product and gave the brewery its name in 2001, when Northern Greece Brewery was renamed Mythos Brewery. The core Mythos product is a light, straw-coloured lager with an alcohol content of 5 percent. It has been sold in 330-millilitre and 500-millilitre bottles and cans, giving the brand formats suitable for both retail purchase and casual consumption. The range has also included Mythos Ice, a filtered and chilled beer served at approximately minus 1 degree Celsius, and Mythos Radler, a lemon-flavoured beer-based drink available in 330-millilitre bottles and cans. Mythos Red, introduced in 2007 in 330-millilitre and 500-millilitre bottles, was later discontinued. The brand’s corporate history reflects consolidation in the Greek brewing sector. Scottish & Newcastle became a majority shareholder in Mythos Brewery in 2004. Following Carlsberg Group’s acquisition of Scottish & Newcastle’s relevant brewing interests, Mythos became part of the Carlsberg group structure in 2008. In 2015, Mythos Brewery was merged with Olympic Brewery, a brewery already owned by Carlsberg, and the combined business was reorganized as Olympic Brewery. Mythos therefore remains a consumer-facing brand rather than a separately operating brewery. Mythos has broad distribution in Greece and is exported to several European markets and selected markets outside Europe, including the United States, Canada, Panama, Taiwan, Israel, and Australia. Within Greece, Olympic Brewery has also produced or distributed other brands historically associated with the former Mythos Brewery, including Henninger lager and Kaiser pilsner, as well as the local Golden brand. The company also imports and distributes Carlsberg beer in Greece. Mythos is positioned as an accessible mainstream Greek lager, with its identity built around refreshment, Greek origin, and broad availability rather than a specialist or premium craft-beer proposition.

Mythos Beer emerged from the restructuring of a Greek beer-distribution business connected with the Henninger brand. Henninger Hellas S.A., a local distributor of German Henninger beer, had been established in 1968. In 1992, the Boutari Group acquired the company. Two years later, it was renamed Northern Greece Brewery S.A. as part of an effort to establish a more genuinely domestic Greek brewing company rather than retain the identity of a local distributor for an international beer. That strategy produced Mythos, which was launched in 1997. The beer was developed as a Greek lager with a light colour and an approachable profile. Its introduction gave the company a product capable of carrying a national brand identity and competing in the mainstream Greek beer market. As Mythos became the company’s dominant product, the corporate name was changed in 2001 from Northern Greece Brewery to Mythos Brewery S.A. Ownership of the brewery changed during the next phase of expansion and consolidation. In 2004, Scottish & Newcastle became the majority shareholder. The company’s portfolio grew beyond the original Mythos lager to include extensions such as Mythos Ice and Mythos Radler. Mythos Red was launched in 2007, although that product was subsequently discontinued. The main Mythos lager continued to be offered in multiple bottle and can sizes, most notably 330-millilitre and 500-millilitre formats. From 2008, Mythos Brewery became part of the Carlsberg Group following Carlsberg’s acquisition of Scottish & Newcastle’s relevant operations. Carlsberg already had a broader international beer portfolio, while Mythos provided a recognizable Greek brand with established domestic distribution and export potential. The brand was exported to a range of European countries and to markets including the United States, Canada, Panama, Taiwan, Israel, and Australia. The final major corporate transition occurred in 2015. Carlsberg combined Mythos Brewery with Olympic Brewery, another Greek brewery already under its ownership, and reformed the business as Olympic Brewery. This placed Mythos within Olympic Brewery’s operating structure while preserving it as a distinct consumer brand. Olympic Brewery also retained or distributed other brands associated with the former Mythos business, including Henninger, Kaiser, and Golden, and handled the Greek import and distribution of Carlsberg beer. Today, Mythos is best understood as an active Greek beer brand within the Carlsberg Group rather than as an independent brewery. Its core identity remains tied to a light 5-percent lager, Greek provenance, wide domestic availability, and export distribution. The brand’s history illustrates how a locally oriented beer launched in the 1990s became part of a multinational brewing portfolio through successive changes in ownership and brewery organization.

1. 2015Mythos Brewery merges with Olympic Brewery

   Carlsberg combined Mythos Brewery with its already-owned Olympic Brewery and reorganized the business as Olympic Brewery.

   Source
2. 2008Mythos becomes part of Carlsberg Group

   Mythos Brewery entered the Carlsberg Group structure following Carlsberg’s acquisition of Scottish & Newcastle’s relevant brewing interests.

   Source
3. 2007Mythos Red introduced

   Mythos Red was launched in 330-millilitre and 500-millilitre bottles; the product was later discontinued.

   Source
4. 2004Scottish & Newcastle becomes majority shareholder

   Scottish & Newcastle acquired a majority shareholding in Mythos Brewery.

   Source
5. 2001Brewery renamed Mythos Brewery

   Northern Greece Brewery adopted the name Mythos Brewery after Mythos became its primary product.

   Source
6. 1997Mythos lager launched

   The original Mythos lager was introduced, becoming the brewery’s principal consumer brand.

   Source
7. 1994Business renamed Northern Greece Brewery

   Henninger Hellas was renamed Northern Greece Brewery as part of a strategy to develop a more distinctly Greek brewing company.

   Source
8. 1992Boutari Group acquires Henninger Hellas

   The Boutari Group purchased Henninger Hellas, bringing the local beer business into its portfolio.

   Source
9. 1968Henninger Hellas established

   Henninger Hellas S.A. was established as a Greek distributor associated with German Henninger beer, creating the corporate predecessor from which the later Mythos business developed.

   Source

Mainstream Greek lager positioned around refreshment, accessibility, and Greek identity.

• Mythos LagerLager beer1997

  The original Mythos product is a light, straw-coloured lager introduced in 1997. It has an alcohol content of 5 percent and has been sold in 330-millilitre and 500-millilitre bottles and cans. It is the brand’s principal and enduring product, forming the basis of Mythos’s mainstream Greek beer identity and domestic and export distribution.

• Mythos IceLager beer

  Mythos Ice is a filtered and chilled variant associated with the Mythos range. It is described as being chilled to approximately minus 1 degree Celsius during production and has been offered in 330-millilitre bottles. The product extends the brand’s refreshment-oriented positioning through a colder-serving proposition.

• Mythos RadlerRadler

  Mythos Radler is a lemon-flavoured beer-based drink in the Mythos portfolio. It has been available in 330-millilitre bottles and cans, offering a citrus-oriented alternative to the core lager for consumers seeking a lighter and more fruit-forward format.

• Mythos RedBeer2007

  Mythos Red was a variant introduced in 2007 and sold in 330-millilitre and 500-millilitre bottles. It was part of the brand’s historical product expansion but has since been discontinued.

• 2015Merger into Olympic BreweryM&A

  Carlsberg controlled both Mythos Brewery and Olympic Brewery within its Greek brewing operations.

  What changed. The two brewery businesses were merged and reorganized as Olympic Brewery.

  Aftermath. Mythos continued as a beer brand under Olympic Brewery and the Carlsberg Group rather than as a separately operating brewery.

  Source
• 2001Corporate rebranding around MythosStrategy

  Mythos had become the brewery’s primary product after its 1997 introduction.

  What changed. Northern Greece Brewery changed its corporate name to Mythos Brewery S.A.

  Aftermath. The corporate identity became closely associated with the Greek Mythos brand until the later merger with Olympic Brewery.

  Source
• 1997Launch of the Mythos lagerProduct launch

  Northern Greece Brewery was pursuing a more distinctly domestic Greek brewing identity after the business had previously operated as a distributor of German Henninger beer.

  What changed. The company introduced Mythos, a light 5-percent lager that subsequently became its principal product.

  Aftermath. The success and importance of the product led the company to rename itself Mythos Brewery in 2001.

  Source

1. Mythos Beer