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Beer Menu: Pick One Abita Amber Abita Purple Haze Abita Turbo Dog Alaskan Amber Anchor Liberty Ale Anchor Steam Anheuser World Select Aventinus Dunkel Weizenbock Bass Ale Beamish Irish Stout Beck's Oktoberfest Bitburger Boddington's Pub Ale Breckenridge Avalanche Ale Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout Brooklyn Pilsner B to the E Bud Light Budweiser Caffrey's Irish Ale Carta Blanca Coors Light Corona Extra DeGroen's Dunkles DeGroen's Weizen Dos Equis Fat Tire Amber Ale Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale Fuller's 1845 Ale Grant's Lazy Days Guinness Stout Hard Core Hard Cider Harp Lager Heineken Special Dark Hoegaarden Imperial JW Dundee's Honey Brown Killian's Irish Red La Fin du Monde Michelob Winter Sampler Pack Michelob Ultra Modelo Especial Moretti La Rossa Murphy's Irish Red Negra Modelo New Amsterdam Black & Tan North Coast Old No. 38 Ommegang Otter Creek Copper Ale Pabst Blue Ribbon Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen Paulaner Salvator Doppelbock Penn Dark Lager Penn Pilsner Pete's Wicked Oktoberfest Pete's Wicked Strawberry Blonde Pete's Wicked Summer Brew Pete's Wicked Winter Brew Pilsner-Urquell Presidente Pyramid IPA Rolling Rock Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat Samuel Adams Cream Stout Samuel Adams Octoberfest Samuel Adams Pale Ale Samuel Adams Spring Ale Samuel Adams Summer Ale Samuel Adams Weiss Beer Samuel Adams Winter Classics Sapporo Shiner Bock Shiner Summer Stock Shiner Winter Ale Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Singha Spaten Oktoberfest St. Arnold Christmas Ale St. Arnold Spring Bock Superior Tecate Tequiza Trippel Belgian Style Ale Woodchuck Granny Smith Cider Young's Oatmeal Stout Young's Old Nick Barleywine Ale Yuengling Penn Dark Lager. Main Beer Page The Top Six Pack: Caffrey's Irish Ale 10.09 Hoegaarden 9.74 Presidente 9.74 Imperial 9.72 Boddington's Pub Ale 9.61 Harp Lager 9.51 All Beers Listed By Rank Beer Terminology Rated 8.78 by 18 Beer Drinkers.   Rate & Post A Comment Below. When I Hear "Tall, Dark and Handsome", I Think Penn Dark Lager by Belly Buddy Mark Stevens At A Glance Beer: Penn Dark Lager Pros: Smooth and malty with a bit of nutty toast Cons: I can't get this back home! The Bottom Line: Drinking a Penn Dark is like sitting down in a Bavarian beer garden with the finest dunkles a German biermeister can make! Gemutlichkeit in a glass! Recommended: Yes Sitting on my bar stool at Pennsylvania Brewing Company, I can't help but think that I could be one very happy beer drinker if I lived in Pittsburgh. I wonder if the owners would consider charging me monthly rent. I was thinking of following up the weizen that I reviewed previously with something like the Gold or the Pilsner, but I've always had a soft spot in my heart for a good dunkles, so I think I'll try the Penn Dark Lager next and see how it stacks up in my book. But first, let's take a look at what goes into a truly world-class dark lager... What Makes a Dark Lager a Great Dunkles? I really love the deep malt flavor of an authentic southern German dark lager beer. About a year ago I posted a long review that delved into the depths of the style and really explained just exactly what it is that makes these beers so darn tasty! The link to that treatise is at the bottom of this review, but here's the essence in a nutshell. A truly great dark lager is a lithe, agile creature that's lean, mean, and totally balanced. It is a normal gravity beer (12 Plato, more or less) that is not overly sweet, but that manages to sing out the praises of slightly dark kilned Munich malt. A great dunkles is a creature of softness and gentle roast malt flavors. There might be hints of flavors that you could associate with chewy chocolate, but you definitely do not want it to be a flavor that's strongly cocoa or chocolate candy, like you might find in a dark beer brewed with lots of chocolate malt. Nor do you want a strong coffee component. The flavor of dark Munich malt is more svelte and sophisticated than that -- it is a lighter, gentler, more chewy flavor. Colorwise, I look for a deep brown to light black (maybe 15 to 20 on the SRM scale). Hop wise, I look for about zip: I don't want a lot of hop flavor or aroma in a good dunkles (I'll save that treat for the pilsners and IPAs). Now that we understand each other with respect to dark lagers, let's get down to brass rails and order up a tall glass of Penn Dark Lager, shall we? A Beautiful Glass of Beer Appearance: A silky smooth, thick, white creamy head makes this beer look every bit as enticing as the freshest homemade pie with a dollop of whipped cream. I love the deep rich brown color (which I'd guess to be about 17 on the SRM scale). There are some beautiful ruby red flashes at the edges as I hold the beer up to the light, and I don't see so much as a spec of sediment or haze. A truly lovely beer to behold! Aroma: I smell soft malt here with a little bit of a caramel hint to it, or maybe just a bit of freshly toasted sweet bread. No hops and no off aromas. Very clean! Flavor: Flavor is always the most important aspect of a beer, especially with a dark lager. This beer strikes me as being incredibly well balanced. It is undeniably sweet, and undeniably malty, but it is also soft and gentle. There is no cloying sweetness, and no sharp hop bitterness. The malt tastes lightly chocolatey but with some of the soft biscuit like character that I often consider to be the hallmark of Munich malts. According to the card on the bar, the beer is brewed to a gravity of 12.8 degrees Plato using Munich malts and 100 percent Hallertau hops. The hops are very subdued in the beer (fortunately), providing mostly balance. I get just a hint of peppery hop bitterness at the back of my throat after I swallow, but by far the impression is one of soft gently roasted Munich malt. A delicious beer! Truly delicious... Verdict: Unquestionably one of the finest dark lagers you can buy and a true testament to the quality and craftsmanship that American craft brewers are capable of achieving. I love the classic dunkles from Bavaria's best breweries, but I would pass over a cold Hacker-Pschoor or Ayinger any day for a freshly poured glass of Penn Dark Lager. It really is that good! How does it stack up against other dunkles? Hmmm. I'd say as good as Germany's best, as good as DeGroen's Dunkles, better than Stoudts, better than Karl Strauss', and much better than Gordon Biersch's. About Pennsylvania Brewing... The Pennsylvania Brewing Company started in 1986 as a contract operation until opening their own brewery and pub in 1989. The brewery concentrates on German-style lager beers. The menu is heavily oriented towards German dishes (try the brats -- they're great!), the beers use German ingredients, and even the brewmaster was German-trained. Sounds like a tasty formula for tasty brews! If you want to know more about the brewery's history and their brewing practices, see the review of Penn Weizen that I recently posted. The links are below. Related Reviews at Epinions: About the Munich Dunkles Style... http://www.epinions.com/content_1515298948 Penn Weizen http://www.epinions.com/content_62758489732 DeGroens Dunkles http://www.epinions.com/content_44393860740 Price per six-pack ($US): 9 Beer Rating: Better than most This review first appeared on Epinions. Rated 8.78 by 18 Beer Drinkers. Add Your Own Comment There are 6 Drinker Comments - Last 10 Displayed View All 8 Scrappy» This is an excellent example of Dark Lager style. John, Scott: people in Pittsburgh go to The Church and rave about their microbrews now. Before the Church was around, however, Penn was the best beer in town. 11 MolsonMatt» Smoothest Creamy Dark Beer ever! 11 Hopsman98» Amazing Dark Lager 1 John Odzga» I have enjoyed Penn Dark for the past 6 years. Definitely one of the best Munich-style dark lagers around, but everything has changed in 2005. This brewery does not allow their beer to age or ferment properly. 11 wade» Quite simply, the finest beer ever made. 8 Scott» A great beer. Great foamy head that laces the glass. Im not sure it's getting much appreciation in the Pgh area and thats a shame. Key:   9 Rating   RED» Guests   GREEN» Registered Buddy Rate It & Post A Comment    IP Logged: 38.103.63.17 Rate It: Choose 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Name (optional): Comment (max 250 char, optional): In order to post a comment, you must also supply a name.           Want to elaborate? Use our new forum ⇒ Beer Menu: Pick One Abita Amber Abita Purple Haze Abita Turbo Dog Alaskan Amber Anchor Liberty Ale Anchor Steam Anheuser World Select Aventinus Dunkel Weizenbock Bass Ale Beamish Irish Stout Beck's Oktoberfest Bitburger Boddington's Pub Ale Breckenridge Avalanche Ale Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout Brooklyn Pilsner B to the E Bud Light Budweiser Caffrey's Irish Ale Carta Blanca Coors Light Corona Extra DeGroen's Dunkles DeGroen's Weizen Dos Equis Fat Tire Amber Ale Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale Fuller's 1845 Ale Grant's Lazy Days Guinness Stout Hard Core Hard Cider Harp Lager Heineken Special Dark Hoegaarden Imperial JW Dundee's Honey Brown Killian's Irish Red La Fin du Monde Michelob Winter Sampler Pack Michelob Ultra Modelo Especial Moretti La Rossa Murphy's Irish Red Negra Modelo New Amsterdam Black & Tan North Coast Old No. 38 Ommegang Otter Creek Copper Ale Pabst Blue Ribbon Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen Paulaner Salvator Doppelbock Penn Dark Lager Penn Pilsner Pete's Wicked Oktoberfest Pete's Wicked Strawberry Blonde Pete's Wicked Summer Brew Pete's Wicked Winter Brew Pilsner-Urquell Presidente Pyramid IPA Rolling Rock Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat Samuel Adams Cream Stout Samuel Adams Octoberfest Samuel Adams Pale Ale Samuel Adams Spring Ale Samuel Adams Summer Ale Samuel Adams Weiss Beer Samuel Adams Winter Classics Sapporo Shiner Bock Shiner Summer Stock Shiner Winter Ale Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Singha Spaten Oktoberfest St. Arnold Christmas Ale St. Arnold Spring Bock Superior Tecate Tequiza Trippel Belgian Style Ale Woodchuck Granny Smith Cider Young's Oatmeal Stout Young's Old Nick Barleywine Ale Yuengling

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