Penn Weizen - Pennsylvania Brewing Company

markleyc06

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Once again I can not praise the brewers at Penn enough. This beer is the height of their mastery of brewing. If any of you have homebrewed a hefeweizen before then you must certainly know how difficult it is to master the balance and subtle flavor of this beer. There is also lots of patience in conditioning involved. These guys do it in the most traditional of ways just like in bavaria. With that said, if you've never tried this beer and are a fan of german wheat...it is an absolute must.

A-Cloudy straw color with a tinge of orange. Typical hefe look with a nice frothy head.

S- This is where it gets good, big clove and banana esters right away...but not overpowering. The balance between the two is just right for the style.

T- Great balance of malty and fruity character with just enough of an acidic zest to quench your thirst and keep you wanting for another gulp...not sip! haha

M- Light body but just enough so that its not too thin and super drinkable. The zesty quality makes it very refreshing on a warm evening.

Overall: If you are a fan of the german style beers, there is nobody in america that does it better than Penn Brewing, in my opinion, and this beer is on the top of their list if you had only one to choose.

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2013 18:59:23 | More by markleyc06

emerge077

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a tulip glass, there's a decent head of white foam, leaving irregular arcs of lace with lasting head retention. Dull dishwater color, murky brownish orange once the yeast is poured in. As blah as that is, the head never fades, which is impressive.

Soft yeastiness of clove and hints of mellow wheat aromas.

Taste is similar, "tangy clove" indeed, the commercial description is certainly accurate. Mellow and sweet with dominating clove spice, no banana, clean finish. Initial sweetness doesn't linger too long. Wheat is subdued and pleasant. Body is light to medium with a bit of a twang that leans toward the astringent side, though not on a bad way. Overall a good American weissbier, fairly middle of the road but good enough.

Thanks for this one Eric!

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 23:35:55 | More by emerge077

searsclone

Arizona

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured from a bottle into a hefe glass. hazy straw color before the swirl, then looked like a lave lamp before turning an opaque butterscotch color. fluffy white head that went away fairly quickly

smells is spice, maybe nutmeg? kind of smells like egg nog. also, bready and sweet with a bit of bubble gum

taste is spicy upfront, then sweetness of the yeast, then bitter with a touch of smoke, and leaves the sweet yeast flavor after

nicely carbonated and a bit chewy. really nice

overall, very good. If this was available at home, I would probably drink it often.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 00:40:12 | More by searsclone

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.58/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap in a pint glass

Appearance – The beer poured a very hazy orange-yellow color with a medium white head. The head faded relatively fast to give a light amount of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is wheaty and yeasty with nice smells of banana, clove, coriander and some citrus aroma.

Taste – The taste is very much as the nose would suggest. It starts out wheaty and yeasty which form a base for the beer which lasts throughout the taste experience. At the start there is also a lighter citrus and banana flavor, which fade over time yielding to some spice flavors. More toward the end of the taste, the yeast seems to intensify some with the sweeter flavors lightening. Overall it leaves a slightly drier flavor on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The beers body is of average thickness with the carbonation level being on the slightly above average side. Both are fitting for the style.

Overall – It is a good session drier style Weizen. Easy drinking and tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

07-10-2012 00:15:17 | More by Darkmagus82

mralphabet

Virginia

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle into pint glass

A: Poured a murky yellow/orange color with a good fingers worth of head that settled to a nice ring, pretty good lacing from start to finish.

S: Banana with a hint of clove right up front with a touch of yeast and some lemon zest.

T: A lot like the smell... soft sweet bananas with a hit of clove a touch of lemon, and is rounded out with a amount of yeast

M: Mid to light bodied. A lot thicker than I was expecting it to be (could be the very heavy amount of sediment that came from the bottom of the bottle.

O: A very good hefe here, not a lemony as I've had in the past and a little thicker too.... Worth looking out for.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 02:04:09 | More by mralphabet

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light yellow color, with a short white head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains wheat, bananas, light caramelized malts, citrus and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out bready with flavors of wheat and a hearty but not too heavy malt character. Then some sweetness comes in from flavors of citrus and bananas. The hops presence is mild but complementary and creates a good balance. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, this is a solid beer to drink for a while if you’re in the mood for the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 02:36:12 | More by TheManiacalOne

AMiz602

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

It is a pretty light Weizen by all accounts. It is definitely not one of those sweet, bready creations of Germany. But it definitely looks the part.

It pours a fantastic opaque yellow, and is as cloudy as a Weizen should be.

The beer is sweet, with just a little of that "Weizen" taste that is unique to this style of beer. It has a light spiciness, coriander or such, and gets sweeter as it goes down, and is very refreshing.

By and large it is a good, lightly flavored Weizen that won't overpower you, and can drink a lot of!

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 02:47:35 | More by AMiz602

jeremy13586

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured in to a smaller weizen-type glass.

Very cloudy orange color. About one finger of fluffy head. it didn't last too long, but it did leave some a little bit of lacing once it disappeared.

Pretty big yeast and banana. There's also some nice clove and spice.

The taste is very similar to the nose. It was more yeasty than anything. I'm not saying that it was a bad thing because I kicked up all the yeast in the bottle. Still pretty tasty.

It seemed a bit over carbonated. The mouthfeel was sharp and not as creamy as many other wheat beers. Overall, very smooth and drinkable. Had a very clean finish.

Not the best, but a very nice American take on the style. Now that Penn is back making quality beers (the stuff out of Wilkes-Barre wasn't that great), it would be nice to this this particular beer in a bigger bottle. A 16.9oz, perhaps? Anways, a nice PA brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 06:44:15 | More by jeremy13586

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Deep golden orange with heavy haze. Fast-fallen head without much lacing in a wet glass. My fault there. 3.0

Orange, buttery wheat, lemon zest, coriander, clove, and some estery banana. Hint of maple. Insinuatingly sweet. 4.0

Much more banana/clove and coriander spice in the taste. Fruity and semi-sweet in the middle with a spicy sparkling semi-dry finish. Slight hoppiness detectable. 4.0

Persistent carbonation. Spiky body. Still drinks good. 3.5

Probably my favorite local hefe. Penn's got the lockdown on authentic German beer styles. Recommended. 4.0

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 01:55:43 | More by thecheapies

schoolboy

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I know nothing about this brewery, but their German style wheat is good. I would like to session a bunch of these to see if maybe it's better than good (or maybe not).

It's very no-descript for the style, but without doing a single thing wrong. What I am not sure of is if anything is wrong with it - that will take more consideration.

For now, it is good smelling, tasting and after tasting and the appearance is what you would expect. But it does seem very average in every way.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 22:28:45 | More by schoolboy

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a hazy yellow color with a white head. In the aroma, dry banana and some spice notes. In the taste, dry banana, and notes of spice, especially clove and cinnamon. A spice like bite and a lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry banana flavor in the aftertaste. A bit thin, but spicy and nice flavors of banana, just about average though.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 17:30:12 | More by OWSLEY069

deltatauhobbit

Maine

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very hazy yellow/orange color, small white fizzy head that fades in lightning speed, no lacing whatsoever.

Smell has a strong aroma of coriander and clove, slight hint of banana and bubblegum, as well as a dash of orange citrus.

Taste has very active carbonation that explodes in the mouth, very strong yeasty presence that leaves a bit of an off-flavor in the aftertaste, coriander and clove are the major spice notes, very thin body that's almost thirst quenching in a way.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 00:20:19 | More by deltatauhobbit

output01x

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. capped bottle (no date) into a weizen glass.

A moderate pour yields a 1-finger off-white head that dissipates after a minute or so to a faint dusting and thin foam ring. The body is a hazy golden straw with traces of orange. Just a little lacing can be seen throughout consumption but never sticks around very long.

The nose is pretty standard for a hefeweizen. The standard aromas of wheat, bananas, and cloves are all there. Notes of bubble gum and vanilla are also noticeable.

The taste starts out with flavors of wheat, yeast, and cloves with just a little lemon zest. Upon swallowing, the clove and banana flavors come out more.

Medium bodied with great carbonation, this beer. The body may be a bit full compared to some other hefeweizens but it really allows the flavors to present themselves. The carbonation is a little fizzy, but that should be expected from the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 02:09:42 | More by output01x

frenchblood21

Ohio

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz. bottle into pint glass.

Appearance- Cloudy orange...thin snow white head that disappears right away.

Smell- Bubble gum and clove up front...followed by orange and other citrus fruit.

Taste- Just delicious! Orange and just a hint of bubble gum. It honestly tastes like someone squeezed a whole orange in this beer.

Mouthfeel- Not the best...its surprisingly too thin, and it has just the faintest of alcohol burn in your throat. This is surprising, considering its only 5%.

Overall- Above average for its price/style. I am happy to have tried it, but I will not seek it out again.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2011 01:50:08 | More by frenchblood21

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Spot on to style it's a hazy bright golden yellow beer with a sticky half inch of creamy head.

S - Smells of slight yest, bubble gum, and banana with a good wheat base.

T - The wheat transitions into the flavor nicely in the finish but it starts with flavors of sweet banana then fruity yeasts.

M - From start to finish it's light and crisp delivering a good flavor.

Overall personally not some style I grab often but next to German counterparts this is a very good Hefeweizen

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 05:52:38 | More by DrDemento456

hustlesworth

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- standard cloudy yellow-orange amber with a poofy white head that could stand to be just a bit poofier. minimal lace. foam holds a thick dish throughout the glass.

S- well water and fragrant yeast aromas of banana and clove. white bread and a floral sweetness also.

T- bready flavor with some banana sweetness and bubblegum notes. flavor is good, but lacks the depth found in exceptional german examples. finishes yeasty and slightly dry with an aftertaste of sweet red bell pepper.

MF- soft creamy body with tight, lazily rolling carbonation. slight powdery feel on the cheeks.

D- refreshing and thirst quenching. another true-to-style offering from penn brewing.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 03:06:54 | More by hustlesworth

horshack7

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: A very hazy golden yellow with a foamy head that is around an inch tall.

Aroma: Bananas, clove, fruity esters, hops let out sharp spice aroma. A decent amount of breadiness and buttery texture from the malts. A little bit of alcohol underlying that are phenols straight from the yeast.

Taste: Breadiness is up front along side the hops which release fruity esters with a nice bit of dryness. Malts are buttery and biscuity the mouthfeel is pleasantly smooth.

Notes: A well rounded Hefeweizen a tasty beer overall. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2011 00:34:04 | More by horshack7

alpinebryant

Connecticut

3.8/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Hazy golden straw with a one finger head

S: Clove, belgian spices, coriander , pale malts

T: Banana , Clove, belgian yeast and coriander mixing with a mild pale malt presence.

M: Thin to medium body with a light carbonation.

O: this was a nice beer. It slightly surprised me and I may have had lower expectations out of it only because I had never heard of the Penn Brewing Company. I learned a little bit about it and it turns out they have been around a long while which is most likely why the 'Hype' has died out on its beers.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2011 23:48:32 | More by alpinebryant

Tschnab

New York

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- pours a hazy straw yellow with a creamy head and thin lace.

S- very delicate notes of banana and clove, yeasty bread.

T- really soft flavors, creamy mouthfeel, incredibly drinkable. The light carbonation pairs well with the delicate banana sweetness.

O- This is the definition of a session beer. So refreshing, drinkable, and at only 4% ABV, you can easily put back 3 or 4 of these during the game.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 13:39:17 | More by Tschnab

ActonBrewer

Massachusetts

3.08/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A- nice head from the pour. lingered nicely. slightly cloudy gold.

S- yeasty and spicey. A little stanky smelling.

T- A little over filtered tasting. Left a metallic taste on my palate. Spiceyness and breadiness throughout.

M- A little lighter than expected.

O-Not horrible, but not that great. It's a shame that people say this brewery has gone down hill. From what others have noted these beers were incredible examples of traditional German styles.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2011 03:43:48 | More by ActonBrewer

THECPJ

Delaware

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes:

appearance: hazy golden yellow with a 1 finger white head

smell: banana, citrus, clove, coriander, wheat

taste: banana, wheat, clove,

mouthfeel: mild carbonation, thin to medium body,

overall: a nice refreshing summer time brew.

Cheers,l
The CPJ

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 21:07:34 | More by THECPJ

StBoisterous

Pennsylvania

4.85/5  rDev +25.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A - Pours a cloudy golden color, slightly orange.

S - Very pleasant aroma, slight citrus smell, hint of banana. One of the best smelling Hefeweizen ales I have enjoyed.

T - Hints of citrus with a pleasant bananna bread & clove flavor. Has a well balanced taste.

M - Goes down quick, fairly light, leaves some carbonation behind for a tingly feeling.

D - Light, smooth, very drinkable. A very well balanced ale, with an exceptional flavor and aroma. This has got to be one of my all time favorite ales. One of the best I have ever tasted!

Serving type: bottle (poured into glass)

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 14:42:25 | More by StBoisterous

UGADawgGuy

Georgia

4.83/5  rDev +24.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Thanks to Paulys55, I finally get to try a bunch of traditional German-style beers brewed in Pennsylvania. This was the second one of them I cracked open (after Stoudt's Heifer-in-Wheat).

Appearance: Poured from a 12-ounce bottle into my half-liter generic weissbier glass, Penn Weizen honestly doesn't look perfect. Hefeweizens can range in color from a muddy, almost green-tinged yellow to a bright, effervescent orange, and this one leans slightly toward the green-tinged end of the spectrum. Still, the old "weizen pour" produces a typically impressive three- to four-finger head, with moderate retention throughout drinking.

Smell: Very nice overall, if not absolutely flawless. The first thing that hits me is a sour-ish wheaty twang, which initially is a bit off-putting. Shortly thereafter, I get the usual complement of hefeweizen aromas: sweet banana, clove, yeasty bread, and a vague whiff of vanilla.

Taste: I'm very pleasantly shocked -- flavor-wise, this stuff is up there with the finest hefeweizens I've ever had, from both sides of the pond! Penn Weizen delivers everything presaged by its nose, but that wheaty "funk" is way in the background, while the vanilla is almost as prominent as the cloves. Oh, man, this is good stuff!

Mouthfeel: Plays perfectly with the flavor -- copious effervescence helps to fill the mouth and elevate the beer's inherent wholesome sweetness. That, combined with a typical-for-weizens low serving temperature, makes this a short-lived glass of beer -- it invites you to guzzle it down.

Overall: Although the appearance isn't stellar, and the nose highlights the beer's least pleasant flavor component, everything else about Penn Weizen absolutely sings. While not QUITE as flawless as Live Oak Hefeweizen, I wouldn't hesitate to pit those two beers against one another, particularly if both were served fresh and on tap. Penn Weizen is highly recommended to all fans of wheat beer...and, really, to anybody who "gets" hefeweizens in general!

Note: Before trying this beer, I had heard from a number of people that Penn's quality had drastically declined since they changed ownership sometime fairly recently. To tell you the truth, I had no idea such a change had taken place...this is the first time I've ever had a Penn beer.

With that in mind, if this is a noticeable step DOWN from what the beer used to be, then it must have been one of the greatest hefeweizens in the world prior to that widely perceived decline in quality. If anybody out there reads this and can speak to that objectively (i.e., is this beer truly any worse than it was a couple of years ago?), please drop me a Beer Mail!

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2011 03:59:30 | More by UGADawgGuy

bamadog

Kentucky

4.43/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Review is from notes taken on 6/4/2011 and had on tap at the brewery, poured into a hefeweizen glass.

Appearance: Pour comes out a creamy/milky/dull banana yellow and it starts with a 1 and 1/2 finger white head with decent retention; body is very murky/cloudy with sediment floating around; head fades to a thin, full and even cap and some patches of lacing are left behind on the sides of the glass.

Smell: Fantastic smell -- smooth, creamy banana -- I mean, so creamy and "thick" smelling that it reminds me of banana pudding; touch of clove-like spiciness to it and a bit of a grainy wheatiness as well.

Taste: Fantastic as well -- big, smooth and sweet banana (again I'm reminded of banana pudding); touch of clove spiciness and a bit of the grainy wheatiness as well; at the end, there is just a touch of an herbal hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with spot-on carbonation that keeps it lively, yet it stays smooth and creamy; a thin, moist coating lingers for a moment and it really holds the yeasty banana flavors as well.

Overall: I would dare say that this is a world class beer and that I could drink it all day long during any season of the year. Excellent scents and flavors with an easy drinking, smooth body... Awesome.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2011 20:09:49 | More by bamadog

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a fizzy almost 1 finger head that fades quickly over super hazy peach orange wheat colored beer.

Nose is plenty of hefe, tons of wheat, light toasty, banana, clove, spices, citrus, little yeast, not bad.

Taste brings citrus to start, again plenty of hefe, little banana, clove, coriander, spices, little creamy wheat, toasty, finishes fairly dry with lingering wheat, spices, and citrus, and a toasty pilsner like malt flavor way on the back end of the finish.

Mouth is a bit lighter bodied, grainy, with decent carbonation but lower than I expected for the style.

Overall not bad, good nose, flavors a good, would have liked a bit more carbonation, but otherwise good and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 20:11:26 | More by jlindros