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Athena

Georgia
United States
Athena
Judges Ratings 
1 Review
87
Aroma:
22 / 24
Flavor:
35 / 40
Appearance:
5 / 6
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
17 / 20
Description 

Athena is a refreshing, gently tart, German-style wheat beer. It's a take on the classic Berliner and has a blend of citric and fruit notes with nods to cider and sauvignon blanc. Athena goes through two fermentations to offer an interesting complexity and to create an amazingly light and drinkable beer.

Beverage Profile
ABV: 
4.5%
IBUs: 
0
Served at: 
45° - 50° F
Judges Review 
Josh Weikert's picture
Judges Rating:
87
Aroma:
22 / 24
Appearance:
5 / 6
Flavor:
35 / 40
Mouthfeel:
8 / 10
Overall Impression:
17 / 20

As a common "gateway" sour, Berliner Weisse tends to be a little one-note, but it's usually a pretty good note! Athena follows that model, and is a good drinking sour even if it isn't a great example of a Berliner Weisse.

Pouring with a bit more haze than one would expect, even for a wheat beer, the color seems to be on the dark side, leaning more towards gold than straw. There was surprisingly little head formatting, but what did form was finely-bubbled and persistent.

The aroma is medium-funky (clean, lactic sour aroma), with a pleasant fruity background featuring lemon and apricot. A faint grainy note builds as it warms.

Athena is brightly but not prominently acidic, with the acid combining with the fruity character to create a pleasantly citric flavor. With almost no bitterness, some sweetness (either from the 4.5% ABV or a Pilsner or honey malt) lingers into the finish. Ordinarily that sweetness would be offset by a bite from the high carbonation or a dominant acidity, but neither is present here, and the result is a little too candy-like. That impression is amplified by a slightly slick mouthfeel.

None of these little quirks is a serious issue, though, and the overall impression is of a beer that will appeal to a wide audience of beer novices and experts. Those looking for a traditional Berliner Weisse (sharply sour, pale as a ghost, barely-there alcohol) might be disappointed, but this is still a very nice beer.

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