Penn Dark

Munich and various roasted malts give it a very malty, rich flavor with a hint of burnt flavor. 100% imported Hallertau hops, moderate bitterness and aroma.

3.1

294 reviews

Pittsburgh, United States

Community reviews

3.2 Dark brown body, thin off-white head upon pouring, quickly crashes, leaving minimal lacing. Rich caramel, toffee, florals, and bread in the nose. Flavor profile is more subdued and muddled. Medium to light bodied, thinness in the middle drowns out some of the flavors, soft finish.

3.7 Poured from a 12 OZ bottle into a pint glass. Aroma- Has a nice sweet malt aroma. Appearance- This is a very dark brown beer with a small brownish colored head. Taste- The flavor is a little empty to me. A great aroma and look but the flavor was a little to one-dimensional with the malt. Not bad but I was expecting more. Palate- A medium bodied beer with mild carbonation. this beer has a slightly oily texture. Overall- It is OK to me, i noticed many others rated it a lot higher.

3.2 12 ounce bottle. Mahogany hue with a small creamy beige head. Toasted malt nose has a metallic twinge. Sweet roasted malt upfront. Soft nutty palate. Creamy mouthfeel with a mild cocoa finish. Some dryness as well. Less bold than a Bavarian Dunkel, but still tasty.

3.1 4 oz pour on draft at Brew’d Pub. Clear amber brown with off-white head. Aromas of caramel, sweet malt. Tastes of caramel, malt, wheat, grains. Medium-light body with a dry finish.

3.2 Draft at Bred. Dark clear amber briwn, tan head. Aroma of light cocoa. Taste is biscuits, coffee, cocoa.

3.2 Clear dark brown pour, small off white head. Nose is medium roasted malt. Bittersweet. Middle is hint of coco, vanilla, and malt. Finish ids lightly bittersweet.

3.3 dark brown color; light caramel malt aroma; medium bodied with a subtle roasted malt flavor and mild caramel notes

3.0 Twelve ounce bottle from the Beer Of The (Every Other) Month Club. Dark ruby/amber color, roasted malt aroma crossed with a chemical odor, light to moderate sweet malt/chocolate flavor but with a slight artificial character.

3.1 Refrigerated 12 oz. brown bottle poured into a glass. Clear chestnut brown with small off-white head. Aroma is light nuts, medium/light body, low carbonation, and some little-bubble lacing. Taste is dark malt, some nuts, and hints of chocolate. A little plain, but good.

3.0 Draft at Bierstube. Clear medium-dark brown pour with copper highlights. Head was bright white for me (despite most other reviews hint ing it should be darker). Mild dark wheat flavors. Rye bread. Buckwheat honey. Has a slightly artificial ascetic tinge to it. Generally balanced but feels unextraordinary - especially compared to unfiltered darks. Did improve as it warmed.

3.2 Bottle. Pours black tan white head. Nose/taste of burnt cocoa, burnt chocolate, pine and bread. Medium body.

3.7 Transfer from BA review on 10-23-13- Poured from bottle into a pint glass Appearance – The beer pours a medium brown color with a small tan colored head. The head fades rather fast leaving a very light level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass. Smell – The aroma is heaviest of caramel and roasted brown bread smells with a bit of toast and some cola like aromas. Along with these, is a decent level of nuttiness as well as some cocoa smells. Taste – The taste begins a little sweet with some caramel and a molasses. Right from the start there is a good level of roasted malt flavor as well as some toast and cocoa, giving the brew a rather roasty flavor right from the start. The sweeter flavors fade more as the taste advances and a coffee and nutty flavor join the profile. The loss of some of the sweet and the arrival of the actually, rather strong coffee flavor really increase the roastiness of the brew toward the end, which in conjunction with a light earthy and herbal hop flavor, leaves a nice roasty and crisp taste to linger on the tongue. Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the thinner side with a carbonation level that is on the higher side. While normally for a darker brew I enjoy a thicker body and lower carbonation, which likely would have been nice for this brew too, I actually found the combination of flavors nicely matched with the thinner body and higher carbonation, making this a rather refreshing style darker lager. Overall – A nice, rather crisp, dark lager with a good level of roast, coffee and nice transitions of sweet to slightly drier flavors. A rather enjoyable brew.

3.3 On tap. Dark brown with red tint and beige head. Sweet malt aroma, slight coffee. Taste is slight coffee, thin but smooth. Solid.

3.1 Thin but lots of flavor. It’s sweet and savory. Like a hearty meal! Aroma is metallic, yeast, malt, bread, toffee. Taste is caramel, malt, nuts and dark fruits. Balanced dunkel.

3.4 This isn’t a bad dunkel but like a lot of US examples might be more of a schwartzbier, not that that ruins my day or anything. It pours a nice, dark brown which is transparent around the edges. Its head is small but long lasting and made of fine bubbles. The nose is nice and malt with a bit of toffee and raisin. The reason I call it more of a schwartzbier is it’s rather roasty, along the lines of maybe a porter, which I think of being more of a characteristic of that style than a dunkel. That is just fine by me as it compliments the light sweetness quite nicely. Carbonation is on the prickly side but this beer still manages a somewhat creamy texture regardless, while remaining drinkable as it should be. This one actually dissapointed me when Ii first tasted it but really grew on me as I drank it. It might not be the best dark lager in the universe but it will certainly scratch the itch for those who are fans of that kind of beer.

3.2 Bottle - dark pour with khaki head. Nutty malt aroma. Light malt flavor and a thin mouthfeel.

2.5 Bottle. Pours a dark brown glass with almost no head. Smooth flavor, easy drinking, but with a pleasant bitterness, noticeable hop aroma although the hop presence is light to moderate. Grainy aroma, with a hint of roast that emerges and then vanishes. Metallic aftertaste, much like many German beers. Has a controlled quality that I rarely encounter in American microbreweries. Compare to Beck’s dark. I initially liked this more but upon drinking more of it I found the sweetness in the flavor to be increasingly unpleasant.

3.3 Snifter. Bottle with bmillsy. Malt and nut, aroma. Chocolate is barely there but nice in flavor. Never had a lager with that kind of chocolate flavor before. Love to have this on draft at a bar after a long Autumn days work.

3.2 Side by side with some other Penn stuff. Pours a dark amber brown color with small off white to light khaki head. Aroma is nice, with some sweet dark fruits, light toffee, chocolate notes. Flavor is a lightly spicy chocolate, clean finish, and medium sweetness. Medium bodied with low plus carbonation. A really nice brew that could pass as a winter warmer or a fall cookout beer. I'd have this again.

2.6 pours dark with average to light carbonation. taste of smoky malt. nothing special going on here. i suspect a budgest dark brew since not too familiar with Pennsylvania brewing company.

2.9 Pretty lifeless, in spite of a vigorous pour. A nearing opaque, very dark, honey amber colored liquid, just sits there in the glass. A more lively roasted malt aroma is noted. A surprisingly filling texture, given the style. Some mild carbonation scrubbing occurs along the surface and sides of the tongue. Nice flavor. Roasted malt with some corn and dark fruit sweetness.

3.3 Solid medium brown with ruby highlights, off-white head and very nice lace. Aromas of caramel and toasted malt, grassy hops, hay and brown sugar. Malt sweetness up front in the flavor profile with gentle offsetting grassy hop bitterness creating wonderful balance. Medium body, lively carbonation, prickly mouthfeel and a lingering sweetness in the finish. A richer, more caramelly version of the pilsner.

3.1 12 ounce bottle. Pours a darker brown with a decent tan head. Aroma of malt and chocolate. Taste is roasted malt, chocolate, caramel, and some dark fruit. OK.

3.1 Beer of month club. Pours dark brown. Nose of roasted malt - and that carries through to the taste. Malt, plus some brown sugar sweetness. Solid lager, easy to drink, but nothing to remember.

3.3 Pours a dark ruby brown into pint glass. Aromas of brown sugar and toffee. Flavor is roasty and nutty. Has a chocolate powdered finish. Crisp and easy drinking lager.

3.3 Pours brown with a tan head. Aroma is caramel, toffee and earthy. Taste is sweet with trace bitters. Medium bodied with a smooth mouth feel.

3.0 Pours brown with a smallish head. Roasted malt aroma with chocolate notes. Typical dark dark, not bad.

3.4 Good German malt flavor. Light lager body. Sweet with so e roasted flavors.

2.9 12oz bottle from ABC on Apalachee. Red-brown pour with thin off-white head. Aroma is malt, caramel, dark fruit. Tastes are toffee, grain, burnt vibe, faint chocolate. Doesn’t taste bad by any means - just light and watery.

2.9 12 ounce bottle poured into a brandy snifter. Pours a dark brown to black with a greyish head of foam that dissipates quickly down to a ring around the perimeter of the glass. The aroma is roasty and sweet with a bit of a flintstone vitamin going on. The beer is on the sweeter, roasty aide of things. Still, that flintstone vitamin aroma and taste are fairly distracting and seem to be keeping me from enjoying this beer to its fullest.