Try?
I was so glad to see Penn Pilsner here in Georgia. I can’t tell you how many times I would make the trek to first New Jersey and later Philadelphia back in the nineties to visit my father. Whenever I did, the return trip always meant a heavier load than the one down, since my trunk was always packed with cases of Yuengling, Victory, and Penn Pilsner.
Penn Pilsner was brewed by the Pennsylvania Brewing Company in Pittsburgh. It was contract brewed from 1986 to 1989, when founder Tom Pastorius opened his own pub and brewery. For some reason, the beer has always been hard for me to get my hands on. It wasn’t sold in Rhode island, and until now I have never seen it in Georgia. Even at that, when I did spy it at Total Wine a few weeks ago, there were but a few singles of the Pilsner and Dark left; all the six-packs had been sold.
I wrote the following about Penn Pilsner back in September of 1996:
Penn
Pilsner is an excellent beer, probably
the best American pilsner I have enjoyed in the German style. Crisp and
dry with a light malt character it makes a great summer brew, and I only
wish it were still
available here in RI.
Now, of course, I want it to be in Georgia. Apparently it is.
My latest bottle of Penn Pilsner pours to a bright golden orange color with a thick creamy head formation and an appetizing soft malty nose. Taking a sip, I get crisp biscuity malt with a touch of caramel and an aggressive herbal grassy hop aroma and bitterness. Penn Pilsner is everything I want in a pilsner, it’s wonderfully malty, has just the right hop presence, and is eminently drinkable.
Penn Pilsner is a great cookout beer, and I especially enjoy it when I’m grilling up bratwursts and weisswursts. It’s as good as it ever was, and still one of my favorite American pilsners.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
