Pilot Program: Rice Helles
Athletic Brewing Co.

Poured from 12oz can into a dimpled mug. Canned on 8/28/21.

Appearance: light straw hue with a dash of haze and a thin layer of frothy white foam. I would have liked to see more head on this one, but otherwise not too bad.

Smell: very lightly malty with a clean aroma and a grassy, noble hop character. It smells very "green", and thus reminds me of springtime. I like it, but that said, it doesn't read as "beer" as much as some of the other Athletic brews do.

Taste: the malt flavor has a bit of dryness to it; another reviewer used the term "crackery" and I think that's spot-on here. It's actually a decent malt flavor and I'm surprised by that given the rice content. Bitterness is light but present. It is missing a certain je-ne-sais-quoi of "real" beer that outs it as NA, but still, it's quite a nice beverage.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a big carbonation and a good creaminess. Once again, Athletic knows what they are doing.

Overall: I like this beer. It's a lovely quaff, and even though it definitely doesn't read as alcohol-ful to me, it's still a refreshing and delightful thing to drink.

Pours a pale straw color that is just foggy enough to barely make out my fingers on the other side of the glass. Head is a finger and a half of white foam. Aroma is a quick blast of bread, biscuits, crackers, and grassy hops with a spry wort consistency behind. Wort works with the bready, biscuity malts to develop a grain-rich nose. It has just a touch of clove to it, but it's malt dominated otherwise. Flavor profile is bready, biscuity, crackery malts with bits and pieces of clove, and grassy, herbaly hops. Finish leans into a vegetal, worty, grain water taste that's edged out quickly with a dry finish. Only thing lingering on the tongue is that vegetal note. The lead up prior to that is great. Mouth feel is a soft crispness that is just crisp enough to be refreshing. Thickness is medium. Overall, a malt forward NA beer that remains simple.

Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 12oz can.

Dry character from the rice in the Kanpai. Light crackery malt flavors, had a pleasant Noble European hop aroma, slightly floral and herbaceous. Clean and refreshing a pleasant brew.