Penn Overlook IPA - Pennsylvania Brewing Company

jifigz

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +40.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A bottle poured into a pint glass.

The appearance of this beer is a little lighter than a lot of other American IPA's I have had. It is a pale golden yellow. The head is beautiful and clean white and lingers for a very long time and left great lacing around my glass. The aroma of the beer is solid citrus and floral hop aroma with just hints of malt sweetness shining through. There is a slight tinge of alcohol blended in there, but overall it is a delightful hop aroma. Not overpowering and ridiculous hop aroma (if that can even happen) but a very good smelling beer. Wow, the flavor on this ale is wonderful. It isn't extremely hoppy and in your face, but it is there and it is extremely well balanced for an IPA. The initial flavor is malt sweetness and then a beautiful hop takeover but then, and in perfect timing, the hops and the malt mingle and a beautiful candy hop sweetness ensues. When this flavor fades the beer finishes slightly bitter. The MF is of medium body and maybe a slightly higher carbonation rate than other IPA's, but not too high to be uncomfortable.

I think this is an excellent beer. I find it to be a beautiful marriage between the malt taste and the hop flavor. It is well done, not trying to be extreme, and has excellent drink-ability. I could quaff these all night no problem. The ABV is in a good range and this beer is fantastic. I used to drink Penn Dark all the time in college for 50 cent draft night. I wasn't too familiar with them then and I am not too familiar now, but I am glad I decided to buy their sample case this time.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 19:39:36 | More by jifigz

Antonius08

Florida

4.23/5  rDev +24%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Very sad to be drinking my last one--it is such an excellent beer!

Appearance: Very thick, gold color. Cannot see through it. Leaves a decent sized head that retains for a while, but simmers off after a time, leaving a pretty thick lacing.

Smell: Definitely a strong punch of grapefruit. It's a pretty strong scent it's hard to catch much else. This is not a bad thing at all.

Taste: You notice a very strong grapefruit taste. An interesting thing about this beer is the bitterness you feel on your tongue after eating a grapefruit is present in this beer. It lingers quite a time. It has a very earthy taste to it. It is quite a bitter beer but refreshing at the same time.

Mouthfeel--A lot more watery than I was expecting. Very smooth compared to other IPA's I have had.

Overall: It is a really good beer. If I knew where to find more, I would definitely buy this again. It's a very refreshing IPA with a unique taste.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 22:13:34 | More by Antonius08

WoodBrew

Illinois

4/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a light golden orange color, some off white soapy head and lacing. Smells like fresh hops, herbal, cat pee, grassy. In the taste, earthy hops all day, herbal, slightly spicy hop, with some citrus rind flavor as well. Good bite, solid bitterness. There's a light malty body to support the hops. Carbonation is very low, almost nothing. Could be considered almost a hop tea, even for a cask ale its somewhat thin. Overall, this was a pretty good beer in the bottle, and on-tap I think it would be even better.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 16:39:45 | More by WoodBrew

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Organic shapes of suspended yeast haze in a light amber beer. Amazing richness to the head. It perked up about two inches. Lacing is excellent.

Bright floral hops with some supporting citrus notes. Grapefruit and bitter orange and hop leaf. Very zesty and very fresh. Ideal hoppiness in the nose. Biscuity pale malts with a hint of sweetness. Nice nose.

Deliciously dry and hoppy. Malts create some grainy balance, but floral hops shine. Notes of lemon, grapefruit, and hop cone leafiness are right there. Such a clean and short finish. Leaves the palate refreshed. There is a very mild note of tropical citrus in the flavor, too. Carbonation is a little spicy. Feel is above-average because of the high drinkability.

Such a surprisingly good IPA from the unlikeliest of breweries.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 20:20:25 | More by thecheapies

greybeardloon

Rhode Island

3.85/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

No date

A: good retention and lacing.

S: Herbal hops and, as it gets warm, a touch of cat pee.

T: Herbal, floral hops with good bitterness. Tasty biscuity malt. Not too much malt sweetness, but the malt is still fairly substantial for an IPA.

M: fine

O: A solid IPA

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 01:18:10 | More by greybeardloon

DanU

Pennsylvania

3.81/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into Sierra Nevada Hop Tulip Imperial Pint Glass

Appearance: Light golden/orange. About a 1 finger white head that recedes a little bit but there was a slight cap that remained for the duration.

Smell: A little bit of earthy hops, but not as much as a typical IPA. I was a bit worried that this would be fairly bland for an IPA and I would not like it.

Taste: Pleasant surprise. Good earthy hop bite, not quite as hoppy as a typical American IPA, but it was not as weak as the smell indicated to me. I didn't notice any off flavors. It reminded me of a slightly less hoppy DFH 60 minute.

Mouth feel: smooth, Medium bodied. It seemed to get a bit frothy as it warmed.

Overall: A pleasant experience. I would drink this again and am looking forward to trying some other offerings from the Pennsylvania Brewing Company.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 19:41:08 | More by DanU

nukem5

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: pours a great looking straw color with a thin foamy cap.

S: aroma is of spices and floral very pleasant.

T: taste is a great plunge into the world of hop not the usual Penn offering,not that they brew bad beer,refreshing....mmmm

M: mouthfeel is nice smooth medium bodied with great carbonation

O: overall a very good drinkable beer

Serving type: on-tap

04-21-2012 01:27:48 | More by nukem5

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Penn Overlook IPA

On cask. Pours a light golden orange color, some off white soapy head and lacing. Smells like fresh hops, herbal, cat pee, grassy. In the taste, earthy hops all day, herbal, slightly spicy hop, with some citrus rind flavor as well. Good bite, solid bitterness. There's a light malty body to support the hops. Carbonation is very low, almost nothing. Could be considered almost a hop tea, even for a cask ale its somewhat thin. Overall, this was a pretty good beer in this format, and on-tap I think it would be even better.

Serving type: cask

02-12-2012 07:12:49 | More by Stinkypuss

Segelstrom

Pennsylvania

3.61/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

appearance - poured into tumbler w/a hazy light copper/orange. not much head nor was it well maintained.

smell - light hoppy/skunky in a nice way

Taste - nice mellow hoppy taste with a slight after bite. somewhat nondescript fruity flavor in the background

Mouthfeel - not harsh or bitter. carbonation level felt about right except for the lack of head retension.

Overall - would buy again but long way from favorite.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 21:51:04 | More by Segelstrom

Gavage

New Jersey

3.6/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: pours a clear light orange color with a big 3" head that lasts a while. Moderate lace paints the glass.

Smell: caramel and an earthy aroma is all you can detect by the nose.

Taste: caramel, some big earthiness, and a little bit of spiciness arrives at the end. Bitterness is bold but not offensive.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer. Very crisp at the start, less crisp and a bit dry at the finish. Long lasting earthy aftertaste.

Overall: if you are looking for a big grapefruit and pine bitterness this beer will not fit the needs. The earthy qualities are a nice change up.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 00:57:26 | More by Gavage

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.49/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

This is a very earthy toned ipa. It does strike me as more of an English ipa as the hop influence is not so severe, or even firm. Strong herbal tones with some mint on the edge as well. Feel is quite smooth, which I like. Almost seems like a cask presentation. A pleasant drinker. I don't know why, but I just might go for this again. Especially if it were on cask.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 21:20:27 | More by RblWthACoz

Alkey

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into my glass a yellow golden color with two finger head that leaves some sticky lace. Lots of slow rising bubbles.

Smell is mostly floral with some sweet grapefruit.

Taste starts with some malt and watery feel but quickly turns to a very dry floral earth like hop bitterness.

Overall a smooth easy to drink IPA but a bit to much towards the grassy dry hop bitterness for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 23:23:01 | More by Alkey

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into a snifter. Thanks go to my boy Eric for hooking me up with a couple Penn brews that I havent had yet. This brew appears a hazed golden orange color with a finger of yellowish stained froth about a finger strong. The cap retains fairly well and slowly recedes leaving a wall of lacing effect sticking to the glass. A light swirl revives just shy of a finger back to the surface.

The aromatics are decent considering I have no idea how fresh this offering is and it spent a couple weeks in my fridge. The hops present themselves with mostly an herbal feel that flirts with being rindy, pulp-like and with some citrus zest. There is a touch of lemon essence here that is quite intriguing along with almost a candy-like sweetness to the nose. A swirl releases a tinge of sulfur quality.

It takes a few sips for the palate to become accustomed to what is going on here. At first it seems a bit malty and sweet but a few more sips bring on a solid focus of herbal to pine hop character that is modestly bitter. Some sulfur and grass is evident with a pretty solid focus on more catty to herbal hop quality. Just like the aroma indicated, there is a bit of lemon zest to bitter pulp and rind flavoring.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. The alcohol is well integrated here and overall it is a decent brew. I would love to have fresh to see what it's real potential is. By all means, this isn't a stand out brew, but I would have it again regardless of a few flaws being worked out or not.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 02:37:35 | More by stakem

AtrumAnimus

Texas

2.25/5  rDev -34%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours a blonde golden color that is slightly opaque and has some cloudiness to it. I prefer a little cloudiness as opposed to an overly filtered beer. The head is effervescent and short lived. White with almost no lacing down the glass.

The nose is weak with some sweet malt, pine and bread notes.

The beer is almost all hops in the flavor. Taste like it was made more to show how much hops someone could fit in a beer without making it a good beer.

I am a hop head and I am disappointed. This is like a lot of other typical American IPA’s in that it is hopped for the sake of hopping as opposed for the sake of balancing complex flavors. I can get a sense of what is likely a very good beer recipe that has been drowned out by excessive hopping. The balance is completely blown and the finish is extremely bitter and lingering.

The hops don’t match the malt with has some fruitiness if you really focus and think about it. But the hops just drown out every other flavor.

Overall this is not a good beer and it is seriously lacking in craftsmanship. I will pass on this in the future and try to pass the rest on to other people.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 01:54:03 | More by AtrumAnimus