Penn Weizen - Pennsylvania Brewing Company

joeysmokedporter

Maryland

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

Served in a 12 oz bottle into a sam adams glass.

A: appears gold, somewhat clear until rousing the yeast, with a white one-finger creamy head that dissipates after a short time.

S: trademark clove spiciness with some banana and a hint of powdery yeast.

T: first impression is the clove spicy flavor, with a bit of a sharp twang before getting to the banana. subdued malt character with the clove and banana standing out. some citrus orange also noticeable later on, which makes this somewhat different than most others.

M: light, creamy, although a little syrupy and not as effervescent as some weissbiers.

D: definitely drinkable, a good representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2009 22:32:30 | More by joeysmokedporter

PatrickJR

North Carolina

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

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into weizen glass.

A - Murky brown/yellow with a finger of head that recedes quickly to nothing, leaving no lace.

S - Pleasant but somewhat restrained aromas of banana and clove. A bit of plastic-like phenolic smell comes through also. Little evidence of the wheat malt.

T - Moderate sweetness with a hint of banana flavor. Early to mid palate is mostly dominated by mild tartness from the wheat. Chalky and clovelike phenols are present late palate, and the brew finishes with a small bitterness and slight citrus character.

M - Light to medium bodied with high carbonation. Right on point.

D - One of, if not the best American-made hefeweizen I've ever had. It still lacks some of the depth and elegance of it's German ancestors, but remains a perfectly passable hefeweizen.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2009 08:42:04 | More by PatrickJR

danielharper

Michigan

4.18/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Well, shiver me timbers, it's a real-life American-made hefeweizen.

Appearance: Very cloudy yellow, slightly orange. Opaque even to direct light sources. Has a thick foamy head that sticks around and leaves significant lacing.

Smell: Yeah, it's a real hefe. Strong German yeastiness on the nose, hints of cloves and thick aromas of banana. Some citrus way down deep.

Taste: Sweet with a slight hint of orange rind up front, very dry and yeasty in the middle, with a bit of a tart finish. The citrus is complex and intriguing, and overall leaves me wanting more. Very good flavor.

Mouthfeel: Thick, slightly chewy. The way a German hefe should be.

Drinkability: It's not the equal of my favorite hefeweizen, but it's definitely in the same ball park. I opened this expecting a dumbed-down American Wheat, and simply on that basis I must say I'm really impressed. This is a truly effective technically-accomplished German hefeweizen, and any fan of the style should at least give it a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2009 03:46:20 | More by danielharper

Rudgers73

New York

4.15/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Tried this beer on tap at the brewery when I was in Pittsburgh. I was down again for new years so I decided to pick up a case to bring home.

This is an interesting pouring beer. This beer has the most contrast from clear to cloudy based on the pour than any other beer I've had. Pour it from the bottle into a glass and it is a crystal clear golden beer with active carbonation. Swirl the last little bit and splash it in and you just made yourself one of the cloudiest beers I've ever had. There is a small white head that quickly fades and leaves a murky window to the inside of the beer. The nose is thick with hefe yeast. Big and soft with clove, banana, and earth. All other flavor is put into a distant background with the intense yeast presence. The taste is good. Carbonation is lively and prickly up front then it slowly fades away to leave a sharp, crisp yeast taste. Slightly tart with a malty backbone there are spices that start to mingle as it warms. Cloves, pepper, orange peel, lemon zest. This beer is a great session hefeweizen.

note: The flavor can be very drastically changed through the metering of the settled yeast. If you lighten the cloud a bit you can make it taste pretty close to weinstephaner.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2009 00:19:54 | More by Rudgers73

beerthulhu

New Jersey

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

A: Poured a slightly hazy golden-orange with some noticeable yeast floaties suspended about. A fluffy dull white head sits atop, 1 finger in height, but doesn't stick around as long as hoped for leaving on a smidget of lacing as a reminder.

S: pleasant with a big helping of fresh banana bread, citrus and cloves. Very yeasty and aromatic.

T: The flavor opens with a nice helping of bananas and cloves with a smooth tartness. A big fresh wheaty backbone with a light helping of lemon grinds. Some tart oranges closes out a rather pleasant example per style.

M: T fizzy and active with an aggressive carbonation. The body was a little thinner then hoped for, but was very slick off the tongue with a dash of tart citrus.

D: good, with a low abv and nice flavor makes good for session material. Definitely one of their better beers and one worth taking a look at.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2008 00:10:06 | More by beerthulhu

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A 12 oz bottle.

A: The ale is a golden orange color, tang with an alcoholic boost (why hasn't anyone marketed that one?). The darker autumnal colors (orange, brown, yellow) obscure the ale, too cloudy to see through. Not much head either, a thin band is all that there is.

S: The ale is wheaty, thick with the lightly tart grain. Not much in the way of esters, at least in the nose.

T: The weizen is thick, loaded with wheat and barley. The wheat is not the light and airy version of many hefes. This is thick and meaty, so thick that it brings a strong clove flavor to the table. Citric flavors, not hop-driven, cut into the dense clove. The wheat flavors are strong, bold and decisive, in this ale.

M: This much flavor in a 5% ale? Almost unheard of. While it sneaks in late, some wheat tartness is evident after a sip is swallowed. This is an aggressive wheat ale.

D: Again, the abv is ridiculously low, greatly upping the drinkability. The flavors aren't traditional hefe but they do factor in an American twist.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2008 03:58:55 | More by akorsak

blackie

Virginia

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

a: poured with the yeast into a weizen glass, the head is pretty weak and soon dies completely, the beer itself is a very hazy golden wheat color

s: highly bready wheat body with a big yeasty aroma...not particularly heavy on banana or clove but more of a clean weizen, pale barley, some mild lemon

m: light-medium carbonation, lighter body, not bad but a little dead on the palate

t: spicy wheat dominant with chalky yeast flavors, some banana with a mild clove spice, lightly hopped with some lemon after the swallow, clean finish

d: expected a little more from this based on my experience with Penn's fine lagers, but it's a solid hefe nonetheless...just needs more malt and yeast character imo

single from Whole Foods, Falls Church, VA

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2008 02:14:24 | More by blackie

bndck

Virginia

2.15/5  rDev -44.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Bought this at Vintage Cellar expecting a decent beer, but I was unimpressed, I'm normally a fan of hefes.

A - yellow-orange, pours with very little head, no lacing

S - not strong, small hint of orange, not great overall

T -tasted more of clove and orange than clove and banana, the clove seemed heavy, poor aftertaste

M - light body, heavy carb

D -wouldn't recommend, won't try again

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2008 02:56:47 | More by bndck

CoalCellar

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +26.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a tall glass.
A: Fantastic, pours nice and cloudy as the filmy layer of yeast sediment at the bottom is disturbed.
S: Bananas, cloves, candy, fills your nose with cloves and wheaty goodness.
T: FANTASTIC. This is my favorite hefe. Lots of banana, cloves, with a puckering sour wheat finish. This is the real deal folks.
M: Slick and crisp with good carbonation.
D: I could drink this stuff all night (and sometimes do). A delicious and authentic representation of the style from a local brewer. As I love this style, I also declare this to be my favorite beer of all time. Life is good...

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2008 02:35:19 | More by CoalCellar

Gavage

New Jersey

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

Appearance: yellowish orange in color with a short 1/2" head that breaks apart quickly. No lacing develops.

Smell: banana and clove are most prominant with some lighter grassy tones in the background.

Taste: banana, clove, hints of pepper, and bits of honey sweetness are built on a light grainy malt profile. Bitterness is soft and mild.

Mouthfeel: crisp from start to finish. Some dryness at the end too. Medium bodied. Definitely refreshing.

Drinkability: nice hefe that is very easy to drink and is nicely refreshing. Worth picking some of this up.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2008 13:57:53 | More by Gavage

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.6/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Another nice treat from the lands up north. I was surprised to see this one as an extra, but it is one of my favorite styles so needless to say I am always happy to try another good beer. Served cold, right out of the fridge and poured into a pilsner glass, this one was consumed on 10/18/2008.

The pour was very nice. Rich light golden yellow color with a ton of cloudiness and sediment built back into it. A nice head of white foam, perhaps two inches in height rose up from the bottom of the glass to cap the top of the beer. Nice retention let it hang around for what seemed like forever before finally settling on just a thin film across the top and a nice bit of side glass lace. Good carbonation could be seen through the glass.

The aroma was wonderful. Full of hints at banana and cloves. Nice touches of bready malts and hints of a nice, almost light peach like yeast aroma coming off of it, very full and complex to say the least. Nice flavor as well, well a bit more then nice I should say. Wonderful bready malt like flavor came crashing through on this one right away. Swiftly being overtaken by hints of banana, and light herbal like hops. Nice touches of biscuit like flavors, light grains and a well rounded light fruit all adding into the complexity of this one. Great feel, with a light, yet almost chewy consistency that really just popped with the loads of carbonation that came rifling through it. So session able it was scary. I wanted to conserve this, I really did, but it just was not going to happen and I ended up throwing it down way too fast.

Overall I am seldom blown away by things in this style, but this one caught me off guard. Really wonderful with a full, flavorful approach and a true to form celebration of the style. I would have no issues with this one, in fact; send me some I would love to try it again.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2008 23:22:01 | More by mikesgroove

ViveLaChouffe

Georgia

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours hazy bright gold with a sizeable head that dissipates to a wisp within a couple minutes. Smells of lemons and strongly of clove, underpinned with a grainy wheat aroma.

Taste is very much like the smell, grainy, almost sour, wheat malt followed by some lemony flavors and finishes with a fresh cloves. Light bodied with a slightly sticky aftertaste. Smooth and tasty. Not a top notch hefe but it's pretty damn good. Grab one.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2008 02:10:13 | More by ViveLaChouffe

wagenvolks

Texas

3.68/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Single 12 oz. bottle from Whole Foods, Raleigh. Poured into a pilsener glass.

Penn Weizen tries to build a tall head, but the foam only climbs to a half-inch in height before slowly retreating to a patchy lid of white bubbles. The color is a gorgeous, lemon-pineapple hue, and cloudy as all get-out. The fervent carbonation level releases aromatic notes of wheat and lemon zest that give way to cracked white pepper, banana, and some clove.

The flavor is definitely enjoyable, but nothing remarkable--a bit heavy on the darker wheat grains & cracker-like malts, while the yeasty fruit esthers are a lighter afterthought. Body is thin, with a good carbonation level that engages the palate. Finishes dry, packing a well-placed spice to end each sip. This is about what I expected from Penn Weizen -- nothing dramatic, just an easy drinking, solid summer hefeweizen

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2008 22:46:56 | More by wagenvolks

jdg204

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

3rd of 4 from the Penn Brewery 12 Pack, pretty excited about this highly touted Hefe from Pa's own named brewery.

A: This beer pours a lightly hazy orange hued body with lots of big bubbles. There is a big dish soap head that fades to a film of big bubbles around the edges pretty quickly.

S: The light smooth clove note is followed by wheat bread dough notes and a tartness finishes the smell.

T: The tart sweetness of wheat bread has a honey flavor to it with a soft yeast note and a softer green noble hop hint. There is a carbonic acid bite that finishes the taste.

M: This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a dry crisp finish.

D: Another solid Penn offering and a decent Summertime brew. Once again, Penn submits a solid offering at a fair price.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2008 00:36:40 | More by jdg204

Pleepleus

New York

4.08/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle to a pilsner glass a murky yellow with a half inch of fluffy white head. It had an earthy bread-like aroma with the sweetness of bananas. Taste was bananarama, citrusy wheats and spicy cloves. Cloves were prominent in aftertaste. The carbonation makes this lively and it finishes crisp. This is a very drinkable. I am not big on the wheat beers but the bananas make this one quite palatable. I would recomend this one to all to at least try.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2008 21:07:51 | More by Pleepleus

brewmudgeon

Wisconsin

3.53/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

this is one of the first hefeweizens i tried, and didn't know what to expect.
(from notes--2007)
the first hefeweizen i tried, widmer, seemed simply to add a dose of vague bittering hops to a citrus wheat persona.
pours meekly enough, not too impressed with the big macrobrew-type bubbles (macrobubbles?) or rapidly disappearing head.
put off by the fragrance at first. metallic, sharply metallic. eww, is there something wrong with this.
taste... more metal. no wait, maybe more of a clove. maybe a little overripe banana in the background. by the end of the bottle, i was really enjoying the stuff.
mouthfeel nothing special, with those big bubbles and all. light-med. pretty similar deal with the other Penn's i've tried.
this one held my attention and introduced me to the world of banana bread in a bottle (although here with an emphasis on cloves).

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2008 00:42:59 | More by brewmudgeon

cvstrickland

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12-ounce bottle poured into a weizen glass yields a murky orange-golden body with huge chunks of suspended sediment and a thin, grainy white head that settles quickly to a skinny ring, leaving minimal lacing on the glass.

The smell of the drink is wheaty and spicy with a toasty grainy note and a predomination of clove-laden spice.

The taste is spicy with lots of clove nearly drowning out a tangy, mellow wheaty backbone graced with a juicy touch of fruity sweetness.

Medium-bodied, crisp and refreshing with good drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2008 22:00:30 | More by cvstrickland

saradad

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a 12 oz glass. about a 1" head or so with little retention. Color is a nice "bread-crusty" tan and very cloudy. Very little hops evident in the nose but has that nice banana aroma and faint bread scent. The scents are the same in the taste though it seems to lose something in the mouthfeel, which is a bit thin. The finish is clean and doesn't linger long though it's quite pleasant. This is a great summertime "grassmowing" brew that really cuts the heat and tastes terrific. For what it' worth I got this as part of Penn Brewery's Gourmet Selection case and considered giving it away as my last encounter with a wheat beer was a very forgettable Michelob product.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2008 02:39:00 | More by saradad

mullenite

Florida

2.78/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured a very hazy orange with almost no head and zero lacing.

Smelled initially a little sour but after letting it sit for a minute that turned in to a very strong citrus smell.

Taste is very citrusy with light carbonation and a little skunk to it (not that the beer is skunky, but I can't think of a better term to describe it.) Not dissimilar to Harpoon UFO.

Very light carbonation, if you like the taste this is a very drinkable beer but I have to force my way through the flavors.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2008 16:03:12 | More by mullenite

thaichile

New Jersey

3.38/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy golden yellow with a nice foamy head. Nose is citrus and light banana sweetness. Flavor is sweet and sour lemon, with the continuation of the banana backdrop. Very nice brew, a bit thin in the mouthfeel. Thanks to JohnTravolta21 for this bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2008 10:52:24 | More by thaichile

riversider76

New York

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

I picked this up on a visit to Cranberry Township PA.I don't think It's avaliable around here.Pours a cloudy gold with an orange tint. Thin white head, not much retention and just a bit of laceing. Smell is of clove and bananna. Body is medium with some carbonation. Taste is clove and bananna up front with a yeasty spicy finish. I wish this beer was available in Western NY!

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2008 00:36:50 | More by riversider76

Lexluthor33

New York

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

Pours hazy orange and cloudy with a large head. The aroma is of cloves,wheat and banana notes. The taste is cloves,yeast and wheat. The cloves are first and upfront. The sweetness is trailed by a slight tangy note. The overall feel is high carbonation with a crispy and yeasty finish. Some pepper/spicy tingles as it goes down.

Notes: I purchased this beer from a local market and I did not go through any unusual traveling. It was in the fridge for one week before i opened it and as I attempted to pour it I could see that the bottle was all foamed up. My proper pour was total foam and I did it right,yet all I could see was foam and then some. I did reach out to the Beer Buddha and some insight was provided.
In the end the beer was not so bad.

End note: Tried it for second time and yes there was something wrong with the beer I reviewed. What I do not know,but I made the revisions on the review. Not that the first beer was bad as I noted,but this second one was much more flavorful and crisp.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2008 15:03:40 | More by Lexluthor33

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

For the first 90%, the beer poured fairly clear. Then came the settled yeast and we were looking at the classic Hefeweizen look in my glass. Orange/gold in color with an obvious cloudy look. No head to speak of at all, with some visible carbonation if you chose to search through the cloudiness.

Aroma was of ripe bananas and the classic wheat aroma...

Taste started with some clove then went right to banana notes finishing fairly crisply. Nice mild sweetness with the wheat notes. Does not leave you with too much of the sour ending that I really don't appreciate. The more I drink it, the more I notice the bread like tones near the end of the flavor profile.

I have to say that Hefeweizens are growing on me a bit.

Very light, crisp, refreshing and drinkable.

Glad I had the chance to try this one.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2008 18:23:09 | More by Reagan1984

splat215

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - An appropriately cloudy wheat color, with good foam and great carbonation
S - Fresh wheat, faint banana-hints
T - Well balanced what tones, slightly bitter metallic like aftertaste
M - Medium bodied, well carbonated
D - A slight offness on the flavors aftertaste/backbite ruins this a bit, but this is really a surprisingly good Hefeweizen from an unlikely source. Thumbs up.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2008 01:55:11 | More by splat215

argock

Virginia

3.43/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz brown bottle into a clear pint glass. No freshness date that is decipherable.

A: Hazy orange-tinged golden color with tall initial head that dissipates quickly and leaves barely any lacing.

S: Pleasant aromas of pear, banana, and clove.

T: Good but not great with a fruity start and middle with lots of esters. The end is very bready and a little overly yeasty, which is unique but leaves a very odd aftertaste.

M: A little thin but plenty of peppery crispness in the finish. A tad drying.

D: A decent hefe but nothing spectacular.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2008 04:15:11 | More by argock