Here I am folks with my second ever beer from the Creature Comforts brewery of Athens, Georgia. Creature Comforts is a relatively new arrival on the Georgia beer scene, which is why I’ve only had a few of their beers. The first I enjoyed was their Tropicalia IPA, which I had at Taco Mac. Tonight, though, I’m not at Taco Mac, but instead I’m at home with a 32-ounce growler of Creature Comforts Athena Berliner Weisse from Stout’s Growlers here in Canton.

I’m not sure where the name “Athena” came from for a Berliner Weiss. Personally, I’d have gone for something more, like Freyja or Brynhilde. At any rate, it’s nice to see another brewery offer up an example of this quenching but rare style. I have been seeing more and more of these as time goes by, but it is still not a commonly brewed beer thanks to the complexity of the secondary lactobacillic fermentation.

Here’s what the brewery says about Athena Berliner Weisse on their website:

A refreshing, gently tart, German-style wheat beer.  Our take on the classic Berliner has a blend of citric and fruit notes with nods to cider and sauvignon blanc. We go through two fermentations with this beer to offer an interesting complexity in an amazingly light and drinkable beer. Athena is a tribute to our home that shares a name with the greek (sic) embodiment of wisdom and curiosity. Given our affinity to the peculiar and curious, we think Athena is a perfect ambassador for the Classic City.

Creature Comforts Athena Berliner Weiss has an alcohol content of 4.5% ABV, and I paid $6.25 for the growler. That’s about $3.13 a pint for fresh draft beer at home.

Creature Comforts Athena Berliner Weiss pours to a bright yellow orange color with a medium sized head of creamy foam and an appetizingly dry and sour nose. Taking a sip, I get lots of tart wheat and a hint of biscuity (pilsner?) malt followed by a very tart, very sour finish. This is a tasty enough beer, very refreshing with the tartness, though I think it could use more of that. While it is sour, it’s not mouth puckering sour, and a little less alcohol would be closer to the style too. Still refreshing on a hot day, I have to say that it did not impress me as much as Blue Tarp Funk Weisse Berliner Weiss did. Still, it is a noble effort and went extremely well with a piping bowl of hot and sour soup.

Update 5/29/2017: Enjoyed Athena again, this time at Taco Mac. The beer seemed more sour and tart this time around. You’ll pay $9.99 a six-pack in cans at Total Wine; I paid $6.25 for an 11-ounce glass at Taco Mac. Creature Comforts makes several fruited versions of this beer including the ridiculously sublime

That glass of Creature Comforts Athena Berliner Weisse arrived cloudy yellow in color with a thick fluffy head and a sourness you can smell in the nose even before you take a sip! Tart wheat presents up front, then the beer becomes puckeringly sour and tart with a huge dry acidic finish.

I've kicked my rating up a star, with only the high alcohol content keeping this one from perfection. A classic Berliner Weisse should run 2.5% to 3% by volume, which lets you drink more of it. With a beer this refreshing you’ll want to. I know I do.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 



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