Penn Gold - Pennsylvania Brewing Company

jdg204

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Second Penn Review as part of the 12 pack. I was honestly expecting this to be the weakest of the bunch, but was pleasantly surprised by the quality.

A: Crisp gold with a small white head that slowly dissapates. A little bit of expected lacing is left behind.

S: Nice light hoppy/ bready combo with a tinge of citrus.

T: A bit better than the aroma with some warm breadiness hidden in the taste of this malty brew.

M: Ok with some mild amounts of carbonation making for a half decent treat. There is a bit of a mettalic taste that I seem to detect that is less than desirable.

D: Another solid offering from Penn, definetly worth trying if you're nearby but not one to go out of your way for. Penn's definetly a solid brewery doing a good job providing affordable, classic style brews.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2008 02:40:03 | More by jdg204

letsgopens

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Looking forward to this weekend's Oktoberfest celebration at Penn, I see it only fitting to review one of their brews. The Munich Helles pours a slightly cloudy golden wheat color with a full, frothy, snow-white head that diminishes in a reasonable fashion. Some slippery thin rings on lace remain after each sip.

Bright, slightly sweet cereal malt and some really great spicy hop character. Pronounced and appetizing with crisp, clean spice and some lightly toasted white bread.

So nice, I've had this one a million times and it's such a great representation of the style. Mild and slightly sweet with a buttered bread note ad spicy, bitey hops that provide great balance and a mild lingering floral note. Such great balance with just a hint of clover honey toward the end among the smooth malty goodness. Just a hint of a metallic/soapy character (neither of which I mean in a bad way) but clean and tasty throughout. Well balanced and full flavored for the style.

Crisp and bright but still lush and smooth on the tongue. Bright, lively carbonation and a somewhat buttery, malty feel that dries up just a bit at the end. Very nice.

Drinkability is through the roof. One of the most neutral but still flavorful session brews around. It never gets old and it goes well with pretty much anything food-wise. One of my favorite renditions of the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2008 01:59:57 | More by letsgopens

saradad

Pennsylvania

4.83/5  rDev +26.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured into a glass from the 12oz bottle. Lovely, medium lasting head over a pale amber body. Smells of hops and malt in balance, neither overpowers the other and the taste is the same although the hops bitterness seems to linger at the back of the palate way after the malt taste. There's a good body, a little creaminess, perhaps with some light carbonation and a slightly dry finish. This is a good beer with or without food. An excellent drinkin' brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2008 22:00:18 | More by saradad

daliandragon

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acclaimed as the best American version of the style. Pours a classic golden with a wet, fuzzy head that lasts about seven minutes in my pilsner glass. Nose is grainy with malt and the advertised Hallertau hops.

The hops give this grainy, malty taste some needed balance, with notes of spice and medium bitterness. The texture is light and juicy and presumably quite refreshing. Overall, this is genuine, quality German style drinking beer and I would pick up a sixer if I saw one.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2008 01:50:32 | More by daliandragon

brewmudgeon

Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

light golden color, head short lived and the size of the bubbles (as with all Penn beers i've had) is disappointingly large.
delicate maltiness, fresh grain, just a fragile touch of noble hops. just about right. straightforward and honest yet flirtatious.
starting to get very hard to find in my area.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2008 14:49:25 | More by brewmudgeon

Redrover

Illinois

3.4/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap across the street from PNC Park, it was served in a standard pint, the beer is a hazy gold with a smallish bone white head. Nice lacing.

The nose is light grains and a whisper of floral hops. Its really hard to pick-up much of anything.

The taste is a mix of slightly sweet grains balanced with mild hoping.

The beer is crisp with good carbonation and a bit of residual oiliness.

Easy drinker, if they could up the aroma a bit it would be top notch!

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2008 03:45:16 | More by Redrover

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass. Clear light yellow with a bit of head that recedes to a fine layer of lace.

S. Euro noble hops, some malt.

T. This light lager has some crystal malt prescence accented by some earthy hops.

M. Light and refreshing. What an American light beer should be.

D. Not too many ways they could make this more drinkable, possibly a bit less carbonation and a little more malt. Thats really nitpicking.

Bottoms up!

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2008 02:19:42 | More by Stinkypuss

jkrich

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle with no freshness date.

Poured a clear, light gold with very little head and no lacing.

I detected very little aroma even immediately after opening the bottle. Perhaps some european hops.

This was very straight forward with more hop bitterness than I anticipated with a helles style lager. Lacks the subtle flavors of other helles I have tried. There is very little sweet malt flavor normally found with this style; no hints of vanilla I normally detect in this style. The lager has a grainy flavor. It tastes more like a international pilsner style lager rather than a helles. It was very smooth and crisp.

Thin bodied with moderate carbonation.

Perhaps I am being overly critical of this beer as I have enjoyed the others I have reviewed from this brewery and expected the same with this one. This is a good beer, just not the quality I have come to expect from Penn brewing.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2008 22:41:51 | More by jkrich

therica

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A= very clean light-yellow, modest head that doesn't stay long.

S= nice bouquet of malts, hops, maybe corn?

T= refreshing, somewhat light, less bold than the smell in my opinion. Light hops-bitterness in the gulp and follow. Pleasant mix of malts and hops without being overly floral or hops-biting. Slightly less-bold than I would prefer.

M= fine, clean, some flavors to savor.

D= very drinkable, would make a great on-tap session.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2008 15:29:37 | More by therica

IronCitySteve

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: A bright yellow, very clear. A quickly dissipating foam head. No real lacing.

S: Lots of malt. Nuts, caramels, bread and a tad hint of citrus (I could be imaging that).

T: A smooth mix of bread, caramel and citrus. Seems like an odd combo, but it works, good balance.

M: A light body lager, very refreshing, clean on the palate.

D: An all-around great lager, very enjoyable in the spring and summer.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2008 19:23:36 | More by IronCitySteve

RobH

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz. bottle.

A: Poured a cristal clear, bright yellow that immediately reminded me of the German import pilsner-style beers my dad used to drink.

S: Smell was of that same German pilsner. This was my first Helles, so I didn't know what I was getting myself into.

T: Definitely that unique, German pils type of flavor, however it finishes with a very nice sweetness that follows and mellows out the initial bitterness.

Definitely a refreshing beer, all in all, and I could recommend it for sure. It's not really my style, though, so it may be a while before I purchase another one for myself.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2008 03:39:57 | More by RobH

splat215

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into Pint Glass

A - Slightly darker then straw yellow, bubbly and lively with lots of carbonation. Rapidly dissapating head.
S - Sweet, sugary, heavy barley smell which faded. Smelled like a cheap lager coming out of the bottle, mellowed a bit.
M - High carbonation matches the appearance, a bit too much in my opinion. Watery and thin, slides down the throat.
T - Barley, bit of corn, subtle, not a lot a flavor but well balanced
O - Maybe not my first pick, but I think this beer achieves the "clean, bright" flavor associated with the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2008 23:13:45 | More by splat215

Gavage

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: clear pale yellow in color with a one figner head that lingers around a while. Strong carbonation as the bubbles rise feverishly to the surface.

Smell: very little malt sweetness is all one can detect.

Taste: malt sweetness with a bit of grass, mild honey, and a touch of lemon zest.

Mouthfeel: lighter in body. Crisp and clean throughout.

Drinkability: another eay quaffing brew from PBC. Flavor profile is mellow but pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2008 17:41:08 | More by Gavage

JayQue

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear gold with a nicely carbonated small head. Surprisingly good ladder like lacing on the glass. Light malty aroma. Light taste, a little hops bitterness but mostly smooth malt.

Mouthfeel is good. Good Helles lagers have a pillowy, soft mouthfeel and a little crispness. This one fits the bill. Drinkability is excellent. This is an ideal summertime session beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2008 17:24:05 | More by JayQue

scooter231

New York

3.3/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clear golden color with some frothy white head that disappears pretty quickly, leaves a little residue on top and minimal lacing. Right for the style. Smells malty and slightly sweet but it's on the faint side. Simple.

Taste has a little bit more hop character to it, and some breadyness, but again, very light, not deep. It's refreshing and light, but really... weak. I expected more.

Mouthfeel is sudsy and light, a bit thin. Overall a very refreshing brew, but not as tasty as I thought it'd be.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2008 23:52:18 | More by scooter231

tankg

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had this years ago, and it seemed a little light-bodied, but my tastes must be changing, because I found this to be much better than I remembered when I got a 6 in a sampler case. Never have had a bad beer from this brewery, and their Oktoberfest event is always a lot of fun. I read that the owner is retiring, and a hearty Salud' to him, although he'd probably prefer a german toast.

Slightly cloudy appearance in a pint glass, with a very faint aroma and a very clean finish - a much better summer beer than a lot of what is out there and not so robust, so that you might be able to convince some of the light beer guzzlers to give it a try.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2008 19:43:42 | More by tankg

tastybeer

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Color is golden straw and very clear. The small head is white with a fine texture and leaves a few spots of lace. Aroma is a refreshing mix of bright spicy floral 'happy' hops and toasty/musky malts. Taste mimics the smell with spicy flowers and toasty malts. Nice balance of light flavors and a solid representation of the style. Good carbonation and nice slick, semi creamy texture. Body is right and drinkability is high. Also, this happens to go excellent with salmon.

I have a feeling this beer will see many springs and summers with me.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2008 00:41:42 | More by tastybeer

brentk56

North Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a clear golden color with a modest head; more of a film than any aspect of lace

Smell: Bready and grainy; fresh mown grass

Taste: Bready, at first, with a rising grainy bitterness (with a hint of lemon) by mid-palate; after the swallow, the sweeter bready elements return and maintain the predominant element of flavor, although the lemon and grain aspects persist into the finish

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with crisp carbonation

Drinkability: A fine example of the style; goes down great on a hot day

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2008 17:56:39 | More by brentk56

stewart124

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a pale yellow with a thin white head and decent lacing.

Grainy/earthy smells and a pleasing aroma of floral noble hops.

Taste is of straw and 2-row barley. Sharp and lots of bite. Finishes very dry. The hallertau hops add a nice earthy note and hop bite. Smooth and tasty.

Floral notes are present throughout this beer. Very easy to drink and I can imagine myself in the Biergartens that the back of the bottle speas of.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2008 02:22:58 | More by stewart124

wedge

North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Clear pale yellow under a pure white head. Lacing all the way down the glass. Clean pilsner malt sweetness in the aroma balanced with a mild noble hoppiness. Soft pale malt flavor with a touch of grassy hops. Light, clean, and simple. I could drink many on a toasty day in the sun...or any time I suppose.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2008 00:54:12 | More by wedge

mobyfann

Ohio

3.23/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Paid around $1.79 for a single...

The beer pours like an American macro lager, clear, golden, not much of a head, very minimal retention and lacing effects. Minimal hops and malt flavor comes from the scent.

The taste is clean, medium carbonated, and a crisp yet sharp hoppy aftertaste. It was a bit stingy in the mouth from the carbonation and is fairly drinkable but I'd rather pay this price for a German import than try another one of these.

Final Thought: This was definitely a suspect/skunked bottle and the beer will be reviewed at a later time. I've had a case of this before and don't recall this backlash from the brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2008 01:55:58 | More by mobyfann

number1bum

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a crystal clear, pale straw yellow with lots of bubbles rising up to meet a beautiful 2 inches of soft, fluffy white head. Retains a nice, full lace and leaves lots of stick.

Smells of grain and husk, grassy noble hops, and overall a wee bit skunky.

Taste is very clean and smooth. Grain, light malt sweetness, grassy hops, bit of hop bitterness through the finish. Nice flavor, very clean and crisp. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, crisp carbonation.

This is a very tasty, drinkable brew. I don't often reach for a lager, but if I wanted a good one this would definitely hit the mark.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2008 19:32:13 | More by number1bum

dreadnatty08

District of Columbia

3.28/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy golden straw color with no head formation whatsoever even with aggressive swirling (dirty glass?). In the nose I first get hints of Hallertau hops, a little bit of cooked corn, slight butter, but overall quite clean. On the palate, it's light pils malt all the way, with a nice grainy flavor finishing with a floral note from the hops. A medium low body without a strong carbonation level make this an easy quaffer. However, I'd have to say there isn't a strong enough supporting role for the hops to make this one I'd pick up again.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2008 22:03:19 | More by dreadnatty08

Shaw

Florida

4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A bright, gold beer indeed. It's a light gold in color with a nice white head that reduces to a ring of foam in my glass.

It smells grainy and grassy, thanks to the noble hops. There are also light, sweet fruity notes.

The flavor is spicy and hoppy, with plenty of flavor but light enough to be really easy to drink.

The body is crisp and light, but not watery.

This is a very drinkable lager. As the first I've had from this brewery, it's a good sign.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2008 06:18:34 | More by Shaw

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a slightly foggy straw gold. Nice crème head. Nose is uneventful. Can't seem to pull anything off of it. Flavor is pretty grain toned. Seems to be a steady and consistent with nice thick malt character to it. Feel is good on the liquid and the same on the carbonation. Overall very drinkable. Well made and goes down fairly easy, though the body is a bit thicker than the standard boring old lager. I can't say I would go for it again (not my style...), but it is definitely well made.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2007 20:12:37 | More by RblWthACoz