In a world dominated by IPA's, this summers trend of Sour and Sessionable beers had made me very, very happy. An avowed fan of the Porters and Stouts, it's been fun trying and learning about newer, less heavy styles. Arguably you could call the summer of 2015--"The Summer of Sour".
Berliner Weisse's have been immensely popular with many of the newer breweries popping up trying to perfect the Old-World German style.
Southern breweries have lead that charge and the reason is simple: A light, slightly sour beer is the perfect accompaniment on a 90 degree southern night.
Quite possibly the best representative of the Berliner Weisse style is brewed in Athens, Georgia by Creature Comforts Brewing: Athena.
Creature Comforts has quickly become a standard bearer for Georgia beer and there are few better than Athena--the Greek Goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature.
In fact that definition fits this beer perfectly.
Two fermentations make this beer one of the cleanest you'll ever drink and the citrus and fruit notes are prominent enough to satisfy even the wine fanatic with a taste for whites.The beer is cloudy in its pour and the carbonation while not quite as pronounced as in a champagne, the flavor does remind you of one.
A friend of mine recently said; "This beer is perfect for drinking after mowing your lawn". And I can't disagree with that. Or you could call it a "Grilling" beer. Something light and easy to drink watching your food of choice sizzle on the grill.
Athena pairs really well with barbecue and richer, heavier food. It cuts the heavier taste down to size with the tartness alone. For me, I don't want something heavy with a burger or steak, I want something light.
The other place where Athena shines: Dessert. Yes, seriously--Athena as a dessert beer. Try it with a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie or piece of cake after dinner, you won't be disappointed. I promise.
The Creature Comforts web site talks about the beer being an homage to their hometown of Athens. And to many in Georgia, while being the home of the Georgia Bulldogs, Athens is also known as the "Classic City".
In short Athena does its hometown proud, the beer has been labeled a "Classic" by many a reviewer. Living in Georgia I can tell you it is hard to find. Very hard to find. But if you do see it at the store or do find it on tap it's well worth the investment. At the end of the day, the "Classic" moniker fits. Athena is easily one of my favorite beers, hopefully it will be one of yours too.
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