Althea
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

AltheaAlthea
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From:
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
Dubbel
ABV:
7.7%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.66 | pDev: 10.93%
Reviews:
47
Ratings:
238
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 08, 2019
Added:
Aug 26, 2013
Wants:
  7
Gots:
  39
Althea is a Belgian-style Dubbel brewed with plums, bottle conditioned in a 750 ml/25.4 oz. cork and cage bottle, which weighs in at a substantial 7.7% ABV. It’s a beautiful, dark and fruity ale conceived and brewed by our New Jersey Sales Representative and former Philly Beer Geek, Natalie DeChico.
Every year, hundreds of women in Weyerbacher’s home, Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, are diagnosed with breast cancer. For many of these women, this means countless doctor visits, months of treatments and more. All too often this means lost wages and insurmountable bills during what is possibly the most trying time in that woman’s life.

For every bottle of Althea sold, Weyerbacher will donate $1 to The Pink Ribbon Fund to help these women – our mothers, daughters, wives, sisters and their families – cover costs like travel, child care, prostheses and more.

Althea hit the shelves in October 2013 to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A limited run with an extremely important purpose, Althea is a unique and delicious way for beer lovers to support women in their fight against breast cancer.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by bluejacket74:
Photo of bluejacket74
Reviewed by bluejacket74 from Ohio

3.99/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
750 ml bottle. Served in a goblet, the beer pours a clear ruby red color with about an inch and a half light tan head that sticks around a while. There's also a good amount of lacing. The brew smells like dark fruit (plums, figs), clove, peppery spice, blackberries, caramel and brown sugar. It tastes like sweet and tart dark fruit (plums, figs, raisins, red grapes), blackberries, peppery spice, bready malt/dark bread, cloves, brown sugar and caramel. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's a little bit syrupy and has a good amount of carbonation. I think it's a good brew overall. At $7.99 a bottle (and with $1 from each bottle sold going to a local Breast Cancer charity), I'd buy it again. Definitely worth a try.
Mar 01, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of ovaltine
Reviewed by ovaltine from Indiana

4.1/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a murky rich brown color with a light tan head. The plums are very forward on the nose, but there’s also brown sugar and toffee notes. I am REALLY intrigued to see what this tastes like.

The plums are very tart and really dominate the taste, almost to the point that they detract from what this Dubbel could be ..... and then they retreat, and the brown sugar and toffee flavors step forward. Wow.

The mouthfeel has a depth and substance that you’d expect with a Dubbel, but there’s literally no alcohol presence, which is impressive in a fruit-forward beer that’s packing 7.7% ABV.

This is truly a pleasure to drink, and the fact that some of the proceeds from this excellent beer are supporting a cause that impacts so many of us and the women in our families, that elevates this to “must drink” status.
Apr 08, 2019
 
Rated: 3.69 by Satorn from Florida

Jul 01, 2017
Photo of 2beerdogs
Reviewed by 2beerdogs from California

3.93/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to BA Ozzylizard for the PA gem. Received in NBS BIF#3.
Finally popped this bad girl's cork. Poured a roiled brown with some sandy head bursting up and then quickly retreating to a thin, scattered layer. Very lite lacing.
Smell is of smooth brown sugar sweetness, some plum, and slightly funky yeast.
Taste is definitely plum forward (a bit tart), with a slight white wine grape nod. Also, as I sip more, I find some fig and date notes, as well as some brown bread. Lots going on here.
Mouthfeel is slightly fuller than I expect in a dubbel. I like that. Low carbonation. Quite good.
Overall, I find this to be a very interesting dubbel, and I'm grateful to have tried it.
Jun 25, 2017
Photo of Brutaltruth
Reviewed by Brutaltruth from Ohio

3.97/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Enjoyed from the 750 ml bottle in a snifter. This excellent dubbel pours a
deep muddled brown with a fantastic head of light tan foam that subsides to
a thick ring, thin layer, and light lacing. Nose of plums, light brown sugars, and
subtle breaded yeast. Flavors follow and hit the right notes for the style with plum
and light brown sugars touched with dark biscuit and breaded malts. Excellent mouth feel
with medium low carbonation that is soft and light with subtle dryness on the finish.

Overall, another fantastic brew from a fantastic brewery and a good donation to a great
cause----drink up!

Cheers
Jan 07, 2017
 
Rated: 3.79 by dbrauneis from North Carolina

Nov 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.6 by rderedin from Maine

Oct 07, 2016
 
Rated: 3.96 by Dmbphoenix from New York

Sep 29, 2016
Photo of Dragginballs76
Reviewed by Dragginballs76 from South Carolina

3.99/5  rDev +9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance - Deep plum color, nice thick tan head with pretty good lacing.

Smell - Lots of plum and dark fruit, little bit of yeast, grape and cherries. Little bit of brown sugar as grape as well.

Taste - There is plenty of plum and grape in the flavor, seems to be less yeast in the taste than the smell. Cherries and brown sugar.

Feel - Heavy side of medium, very well carbonated. Nice warmth from the alcohol.

Overall - Pretty good beer, I like the plum in the flavor and it has just the right amount of sweetness.
Sep 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by jwat from Pennsylvania

Sep 02, 2016
 
Rated: 3.83 by WVbeergeek from West Virginia

Aug 21, 2016
Photo of stortore
Reviewed by stortore from Illinois

4.04/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
750 ml bottle into a chalice.

Pours a medium amber, cloudy, with a one finger head and a thin coat of lacing. The smell is malt, plums, cherries, raisins, figs, yeast, dates, purple grapes. The plums really give the aroma a boost. The taste also leads with the malt and plums, then caramel, figs, some cherries and raisins, dates, light wine and grapes. Mostly smooth, a little light bodied for the style, maybe a touch over carbonated.

The big plum presence gives this a nice twist on a traditional Dubbel. Great aroma, really good flavor, kind of refreshing and enjoyable to drink. Certainly worth a purchase.
Jul 29, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by PA-Michigander from Pennsylvania

Jul 21, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by LennyBound from Illinois

Jul 01, 2016
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

4.07/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
25.4 oz bottle BB 09/10/16 at 42 degrees into a hand washed and dried JK snifter
Aroma – slightly sweet and fruity
Head large (Maximum seven cm, aggressive pour), light brown, fizzy with rocks, diminishing to a one cm creamy ring and layer
Lacing - none
Body – dark amber, cloudy, clears up some as it warms
Flavor – begins slightly sweet with a plum flavor, some weak yeast phenolics also come through; no hops, no malt, no alcohol, no diacetyl
Palate medium, creamy, soft carbonation

A very enjoyable dubbel with the alcohol well hidden. The plums contribute a pleasant flavor which reduces the yeasty phenolics, smoothing the flavor into something which, considering the well-hidden alcohol, makes this deceptively quaffable. The only other plum-based brew I’ve ever had was also quite flavorful, as I recall. If I could only remember the name…

Appearance 3.5, Aroma 4, Flavor 4.25, Palate 4, Overall 4
Jun 12, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by CharlesK from Pennsylvania

May 31, 2016
Photo of hman43
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Look: It pours a cloudy light brown with reddish hues. There is a light brown head.

Smell: It has aromas of cherries, malt, and a bit of sour on the nose.

Taste: The taste features cherries with plums mix into with a sweet and sour malt bill.

Feel: It has a moderate feel to it with a sour and slightly sweet finish.

Overall: This is a good example of a dubbel with a complex combination of malts and fruity esters.
May 22, 2016
Photo of gutbuster
Reviewed by gutbuster from Kentucky

3.59/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a very murky garnet in color with a dense frothy off white head that lingers well almost to the bottom of the glass. Very heavy amounts of lacing. Very appealing.

Dark fruits jump out of the glass with the aromas of plums and cherries. Very red wine like.

Taste consists of more of the already mentioned dark fruits, with just a hint of toast. Finishes with just a bare hint of caramel sweetness.

Highly carbonated and medium bodied. Dry and just a tad tart.
Apr 30, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by Gkruszewski from New York

Apr 15, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by Rizzy17 from Pennsylvania

Mar 31, 2016
Althea from Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 238 ratings