Penn Dark - Pennsylvania Brewing Company

Jason

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12 oz brown long-neck bottle with a blurb about the beer on the back ... freshness date notched on the back label.

Appearance: Dark brown with burnt amber hues ... well staying light tan lace.

Smell: Caramel in the nose with hints of grain and dark bread.

Taste: Very smooth with a medium body. Moderate hopping and a sweet caramel and carob malt flavour in the front. Layered with a bready, grainy and carob finish.

Notes: Straight up, a great dark lager ... spot on for style.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2002 21:06:21 | More by Jason

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%

05-15-2013 11:17:56 | More by Slatetank

HattedClassic

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%

05-11-2013 21:56:43 | More by HattedClassic

BenderRodriguez

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +16.6%

04-29-2013 22:11:06 | More by BenderRodriguez

pathman

Ohio

4/5  rDev +3.6%

04-24-2013 23:27:25 | More by pathman

orangesol

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%

04-11-2013 03:39:17 | More by orangesol

wvsabbath

West Virginia

4.16/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Serving Type -Bottle

Appearance - Dark ruby tan/brown, 1/8 inch head with some lacing.

Smell - Dark fruits, malts, sugars, a little cocoa/chocolate note along with some pale lager malts and yeasts.

Taste - Dark fruits mixed with lager malts, yeasts and chococlate at first sip. Nice combo of roasty, sweet and bitter. Hops add a nice bitter/piney flavor, not at all overpowering though. Pale malts really shine at the finish.

Mouthfeel - Malts and chocolate really coat tounge first, with yeasts and hops coming in on the palate. The aftertaste is malty, chocolate and yeasty sweet.

Overall - Great beer, balanced well, low alcohol and easy to drink. Combine that with a very affordible price , and year round avaiblity, this is a local winner for sure. One of the better dunkels out there.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 23:06:27 | More by wvsabbath

randylangford

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.6%

02-14-2013 01:49:00 | More by randylangford

Sweepz189

Pennsylvania

4.21/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

Small back story: I've lived near Pittsburgh for almost 20 years now. A friend of mine recently said she was moving and it is near the Penn Brewery. I laughed, thinking they probably made Stoney's Beer or something horrible or cheap. I was horribly wrong, and I apologize. So today I figured I'd try my first ever Penn Brewing Co. beer. The distributor had a few variants, all priced differently (not sure why). I asked the guy working if he ever had anything they made and he said the Weizen is good, but I was in the mood for something darker. So I shelled out 30 bucks for some Penn Dark. They had the Porter, which I almost got, but it was a few dollars more and let's just say money is tight right now.

A: I will say this almost every time I write a review, but I prefer to drink from bottles and I almost exclusively buy/drink beer in 24-bottle (12oz. bottle) cases from the distributor. No more bars for me. So my point is, I'm judging appearance by looking through a brown bottle. You know what I think? It's dark. Hence the name. Not a lot of foam, though.

S: I do smell new beers before tasting, so I can judge without bias from my taste buds. First impression was a little unsure; it's very strong-smelling, lot of chocolate, and a bit of alcohol. I was afraid I had got something that was good, but not easily drinkable. One of those "once in a while" beers.

T: Fortunately, I was wrong. It has a light, crispy chocolate and bitter flavor. Very easily drinkable. Not an overpowering alcoholic taste, it's hidden quite well behind the mild burnt-cherry flavor. The after taste is very bitter, like after eating a bar of dark chocolate.

M: The carbonation is about medium; not too heavy that you're feeling full after a sip, but not too light that it feels like bubbly water in your mouth. It also has a nice sting on the tip of the tongue as it washes over the rest of your mouth, coating it with the numbing sensation of alcohol!

O: I would certainly buy this beer again, and it indeed breaks my heart that it barely exceeds what I prefer to spend on a case of beer. Otherwise, I'd have a new regular to replace my standard Yeungling Black and Tan or Porter. This would be on the lines of Black and Tan, but it's just a way better craft in every facet. It's easy to drink, ABV is reasonable for a session beer (a bit high, but where's the fun in 3%?), and of course it tastes amazing. Not a new favorite, but very close. I know now what I'm getting in a week or so when I go to buy more beer: Penn Porter.

EDIT: Re-worded the part about how I buy beer by the case. I previously said "24.oz cases" which doesn't make sense. Proofread your reviews before submitting lol.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 04:07:29 | More by Sweepz189

scottbrew4u

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.6%

01-20-2013 01:42:25 | More by scottbrew4u

mkh895

Arizona

2.75/5  rDev -28.8%

01-19-2013 02:18:53 | More by mkh895

Blueribbon666

Ohio

3/5  rDev -22.3%

01-13-2013 17:02:54 | More by Blueribbon666

rab53

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%

01-11-2013 02:51:21 | More by rab53

JohnK17

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%

12-27-2012 18:37:43 | More by JohnK17

brewsadedotcom

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.6%

12-24-2012 23:20:29 | More by brewsadedotcom

cliff1066

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%

12-23-2012 03:25:06 | More by cliff1066

Weeds21

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%

11-27-2012 01:12:15 | More by Weeds21

hollywood_15063

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%

11-22-2012 01:58:30 | More by hollywood_15063

Freggs

New York

4.5/5  rDev +16.6%

11-03-2012 01:22:33 | More by Freggs

HazardousBrewer

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +3.6%

10-31-2012 18:59:06 | More by HazardousBrewer

jbaker67

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%

10-21-2012 11:35:21 | More by jbaker67

daliandragon

North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Anything with a valkerie is usually a good bet anyway, plus its a good time of year for German style lager in general. Pours darker brown than I expected, nearly black, with a creamy cap but not much else visible. Nose surprises as well with heaps of roasted malts and caramel, chocolate, and bread tones.

Smooth in texture and medium in body, with a silky finish. Not swimming in flavor, but enough flavor to justify the style. I get mostly dry, dark chocolate and
a satisfying nuttiness. Noble malts make a late appearance as this beer warms that adds solid balance and complexity. A lot to like here if you like the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 00:30:51 | More by daliandragon

jibjib513

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%

10-16-2012 17:45:15 | More by jibjib513

Prestonlegal

4/5  rDev +3.6%

10-03-2012 18:56:25 | More by Prestonlegal

Illos

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -15.8%

09-23-2012 05:56:20 | More by Illos