Penn Weizen

Brewed by Pennsylvania Brewing Company
Style: German Hefeweizen
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA

12 oz bottle. Cloudy yellow-gold pour with big foamy white head. Aroma of bubble gum, lemon and bananas. Taste of lemon, yeast and a sweet finish. Great for warm weather.

The flavor tries to come through but really nosedives on the finish with watery slipperiness instead of continued flavor and heft. Aroma is respectable for the style with the banana clove combo. A slight astringency that disrupts the experience. If you want a great style example, go with a Weihenstephaner Hefe.

Pour is a cloudy orange with a tall white head. Aroma is typical, a nice mix of banana and clove with some wheat. Flavor is about the same but a little watery. Some banana and clove with a bit of tartness in the end. An ok hefe to have around the house.

Beer club selection. Cloudy reddish-orange with a small head. Strong but not too intense, clove aroma with some banana. Clove also dominates the flavor, which includes a pretty intense maltiness and a strong taste of bread. Crisper than most wheat beers, as opposed to the creaminess I would have expected. Again, a good example of the style, just not my style.

12oz. bottle from a beer club. Hazy tan in color, with a really active head that drops quickly with no lacing. Typical banana/clove flavor is a bit thin on the palate, and almost overwhelmed by a citrus tartness. Nothing notable on the back end--flavor just kind of drops off. Drinkable, but nothing special.

12oz and pretty difficult to get through. Cloudy color and hazy body seem to fit the bill. Mild spice in the nose does likewise. But this is an incredibly weak, thin-bodied beer that could almost pass for BMC with a bunch of clove loaded in at some point.

Definitely not one of my favorites. First German hef I’ve ever had, so this does not make a good precedent. Pours a beautiful golden color, with a well formed head that leaves a nice lacing. Aroma is a bit fruity, but is nothing compared to the flavor (which I can only describe as wheat that’s been soaked in a bowl of Fruity Pebbles). I’ll try this one again when I want a wine cooler but can’t find one (which is never).

Pours a hazy golden color with a fruity wheat flavor. Hints of orange and clover in the after taste. Really enjoyed the one, look forward to trying more Penn brews.