A few weeks ago, my dad and sister made a trip out to Pittsburgh, PA. My sister plays professional women’s tackle football for the St. Louis Slam, and she was out there for the league’s all-star game. She and my dad stopped at Penn Brewing for dinner and decided to buy me a mixed 6-pack of beers to review here on my blog. They struck up a conversation with the waiter and told him about this, and he sent them home with four more beers for me to try! Thanks to my dad, sister, and the waiter at Penn Brewing for this one (and the others, which I’ll review soon)!
Location: Poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass from the bottle at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 6% ABV, 70 IBUs, 14 OG/Plato, 3.5 FG/Plato, 180 Calories
Ingredients: Malt: Two-row, Caramel, Biscuit, Mild Ale, Vienna; Hops: Zeus
Appearance & Aroma: It’s slightly hazy and golden yellow in color. There appears to be a good amount of carbonation in it, contributing to a finger-thick, creamy-white, foamy head. It’s also got a grassy-pine like hop aroma.
Taste & Feel: It’s got a light-medium body and crisp mouthfeel. There’s a bready, slightly honey-like flavor up front, before the bitterness quickly kicks in, with a bit of a sharp citrusy-piney hop bitterness. The finish is fairly bitter with a slightly harsh earthy-piney bitterness, and the aftertaste is bitter with a spicy earthy bitterness that sticks around for a bit.
Food Pairing: Given the wide mix of bitter hop flavors, I’d pair this with something like a big, thick juicy burger or steak. A hearty meal like this could stand up to the bitterness in this beer and could bring out a bit of the breadiness that’s up front and in the background.
Overall Impression: It had a nice little dose of maltiness up front, but the hop bitterness kicked in awfully quickly. I thought it was a good beer, but the hops had a bit harsh bitterness, as if it had a lot of early-boil hops. Maybe the hop flavors (and less harsh bitterness) could be softened and more enjoyable with later addition hops. Overall, it was a good IPA that I’m glad I was able to try.
My Rating: 
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