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Penn Pilsner.
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Sometimes You Just Want a Good, Basic Lager Beer--Like Penn Pilsner
by Belly Buddy Mark Stevens
At A Glance
Beer: Penn Pilsner Pros: Pros Smooth, lightly hoppy pale lager Cons: Little innovative or exciting The Bottom Line: Penn Pilsner is well-brewed with a firm sweet malt base and a somewhat spicy hop character, but lacks complexity and depth. Recommended: Yes
I better start drinking more beer because I'm running out of space in the beer fridge. As I was poking around looking for something to catch my fancy, I realized that I've got quite a bunch of bottles that have been in there for a while and really need some taste-testing now!
This bottle of Penn Pilsner is a prime example. I remember snagging this from a package store in the Pittsburgh area, but I don't recall exactly when it was that I last visited the Iron City -- probably around May, which means this beer has been sitting in the beer fridge for about 5 months.
Beer is almost always best when served fresh, but it is also a far sturdier product than silly "born on dating" commercials would have consumers believe. Almost all craft beer holds up fairly well if it is treated well. Like most beer geeks, I treat my beers well -- it's been constantly refrigerated at a cool temperature (48 degrees Fahrenheit) and has never been left out in the light (heat, exposure to oxygen, and light are the three big enemies of bottled beer). Although pilsner can be a fairly delicate style, this bottle should still be in good condition, so without further ado, let's pop the lid and see what we've got here...
Pop a Bottle of Penn Pilsner... No brainer on the appropriate glassware for this beer -- a tall, clean pilsner glass is just what the beer doctor ordered!
Appearance: The beer pours with a medium straw gold color (maybe about 4 on the SRM scale) and perfectly brilliant clarity. The dense creamy white head is very appetizing. It is a beautiful glass of beer!
Aroma: I get a little bit of malt sweetness right off the bat, but the predominate smell is a slightly spicy and earthy hop signature, it is reminscent of the hop signature of some German pilsners (it reminds me specifically of Bitburger, for some reason, although I can't imagine why that fairly ordinary but servicable pils should come to mind). The beer smells quite clean with no noticeable off-aromas.
Flavor: Very nice, firm, clean malt flavor that reminds me of a lot of the way German pilsners often cross my tongue (again, the experience could be described as similar to Bitburger, though it is also like a dozen other solidly brewed all-malt pale lagers). Although the malt flavor is clean and generally pleasant, it seems to lack some of the depth and complexity of my favorite craft-brewed pilsners (I'm specifically doing a mental comparison of this to beers like DeGroen's Pilsner or Tuppers Hop Pocket Pilsner -- high standards, to be sure).
The beer is somewhat dry on the palate and the hop flavor is assertively pungent and spicy with a bit of a peppery sensation. As I swallow, I get a nice hop bitterness, though without the depth or long-lasting sensation that you'd get on classic Czech pilsners. The brewery claims to use only Hallertau hops in this beer.
Verdict: I generally like this beer. It is a very good, if not especially aggressive pale lager. This beer should appeal to the kinds of beer drinkers who like Dominion Lager or Sam Adams Lager, but who don't quite feel ready to make the leap to bolder, more assertive beer styles. Penn Pilsner is still recognizably "just plain beer" to a lot of people. It won't offend, but neither is it likely to ever be a favorite among drinkers who truly appreciate fine beers.
Perhaps that is why brewer Tom Pastorius continues to have Penn Pilsner brewed under contract by other brewers. Tom is then free to concentrate on the bigger, bolder, more interesting, and more challenging beer styles -- the styles that truly earn him his reputation for being a craftsman among brewers.
In my opinion, Penn Pilsner is okay, but I prefer the brewery's other brands, especially their very authentic Bavarian style wheat beer and their dark german lager.
About Pennsylvania Brewing... Pennsylvania Brewing Company first appeared on the scopes of beer lovers in the mid 1980s when a contract-brewed version of Penn Pilsner was released. At the time it was brewed by Pittsburgh Brewing Company (the Iron City guys), and truth be told, wasn't really much of a pilsner.
Today's Penn Pilsner is lighter in color than the original, and really more of a true pilsner than that beer, but what it shares with its progenitor is that it is a contract-brewed beer.
Even though Tom Pastorius opened his own brewery more than 10 years ago, Pennsylvania Brewing doesn't actually brew the Penn Pilsner themselves. Today, Penn Pilsner is made at the Jones Brewing Company (the Stoneys guys), located about 45 minutes south of Pittsburgh.
Bottom Line: This is a good, all purpose beer. It's not big and bold enough for die-hard beer geeks, but it's a good entry-level beer for someone who wants to move up a step from their basic factory lager.
I'd sure as heck drink another one...and in fact, I think that's exactly what I'll do! So, until next time, see you at the beer fridge -- can I get you something?
Beer is almost always best when served fresh, but it is also a far sturdier product than silly "born on dating" commercials would have consumers believe. Almost all craft beer holds up fairly well if it is treated well. Like most beer geeks, I treat my beers well -- it's been constantly refrigerated at a cool temperature (48 degrees Fahrenheit) and has never been left out in the light (heat, exposure to oxygen, and light are the three big enemies of bottled beer). Although pilsner can be a fairly delicate style, this bottle should still be in good condition, so without further ado, let's pop the lid and see what we've got here...
