William Penn Colonial Style Lager
Horny Goat Brewing Co.

William Penn Colonial Style LagerWilliam Penn Colonial Style Lager
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From:
Horny Goat Brewing Co.
 
Indiana, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Lager
ABV:
5.2%
Score:
78
Avg:
3.26 | pDev: 11.96%
Reviews:
29
Ratings:
33
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 23, 2018
Added:
May 26, 2008
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Ratings by BeerFMAndy:
Photo of BeerFMAndy
Reviewed by BeerFMAndy from Wisconsin

2.41/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
12 oz bottle poured into a pilsner glass. # on the bottle but no date or info about the beer.

A - Crisp and lightly cloudy redish-amber color. It poured with a tan-ivory thicker head but has since gone down to a ring and a thin layer. Spots of lacing are left on the glass.

S - The overly present hop aroma smells off. A bit like iced-tea powder mix. Somewhat astringent, it is also very grassy. The thin malt aroma in the background smells of caramel and Vienna malts.

T - The off aromas translate to the flavors producing a gross beer. The mouth-puckering astringency and grassy notes could be from simply over-hopping this beer. No real malt flavors. A residual cooked corn sweetness and caramel touch in the background. Spicy alcohol on the finish with a bit of citrus.

M - Watery and light-medium in body, the main feel in the mouth is the grassy astringency. No pleasant.

D - Not good. I don't think its pleasant in any regard. And after about half the beer, down the drain it went.
Jul 26, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.57 by brutalist from Pennsylvania

Apr 23, 2018
Photo of Foam
Reviewed by Foam from Pennsylvania

3.11/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A great price for the 30 pack of cans($14 here in Pittsburgh).
5.2% ABV
I usually describe this to people as a poor man's Fat Tire Amber.
Obviously not that good but almost as good for much less money.
One of my top 5 favorite cheap but drinkable beers.
Dec 29, 2017
 
Rated: 3.25 by DaveMiller from Minnesota

Mar 28, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by ejimhof from Pennsylvania

Sep 19, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by djrn2 from New Jersey

Aug 30, 2013
Photo of bfflo
Reviewed by bfflo from Michigan

4/5  rDev +22.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a nice transparent red amber color, with a white-ish head that retains decently and leaves some mild lacing. Smell is mild but sweet, with bready honey notes, malt, a little grass. Taste is very mellow-sweet, light caramel and honey notes, and just a hint of crisp twang in the finish. Slightly sour, but the overall impression is one of mellow, lightly sweetened smoothness. Not heavy-bodied, but heavier than your average adjunct lager. Mouthfeel is a little syrupy and slick.

I think the BA bros. are too hard on this one. This was better than I expected. Complexity isn't terribly high, but there is a winning marshmallowy softness to the body of this one, and those light, sweet honey notes, followed by the gentle lager twang, that all come together and make it a rather pleasant brew. Certainly better than your typical adjunct lager selection. B.
Jan 08, 2011
Photo of BeerAdvocate
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

3/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Review from BeerAdvocate magazine Vol. II Issue VII:

Colonial Style Lager? Back in those days, most beers were brewed with molasses and corn, and were ales to boot. Lagers were not really in full swing until later in the 1800s, but we'll stop splitting hairs and get to the beer.

Clear brassy amber color, lacing holds together well enough while quaffing. Faintly flowery with a hint of fruity esters, bubble gum and a layer of malt sweetness in the aroma. Smooth and slick medium body. Sweet toasted bread flavor from the malt. Ghost-like fruity twang with a hint of earthy and herbal hop. Bitterness from the hops is tame. Maltiness seems wet and perhaps a little watery--essentially it ends up being flat-toned. The dry finish is of faded toasted grain.

With the likes of a few readily available craft lagers, this isn't close or even comparable; one-dimensional. Still drinkable, but unremarkable.
Sep 10, 2010
Photo of happygnome
Reviewed by happygnome from Minnesota

3.27/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
a: pours an amber color with strong amber orange hues with about a quarter inch of head that disappears fast leaving a slim ring of lace around the edge of the glass and traces atop the beer very little carbonation rising to the top
s: caramel malt hints citrusy hops nice crisp aroma
t: sweet malts slight hop bitterness balances the sweet taste nicely
m: light to medium bodied beer with little carbonation

overall this is a nice brew i really enjoy it
Dec 09, 2009
Photo of JerzDevl2000
Reviewed by JerzDevl2000 from New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Picked this up recently because I've never seen it, never had it, and there's not much else out there that I feel like having during this "in-between" season. Sure, this was a crap shoot and although I didn't expect much from this, this fit the bill for a cheap beer.

This had a standard look and pour to it - medium brown, a bit of head, and no lacing. The taste and smell were pretty malty although I could feel a lot more alcohol than was actually in the beer. A bit of rye, caramel, and scotch-type malts could also be found in here but nothing too bold. As many others have said, this has a medium-bodied mouthfeel and body and goes down pretty easy.

If there's an "average" beer out there, this is probably it. While it's not light like the macro's are, this may be a disappointment for the craft beer enthusiast. For me, it was a welcome change of pace and something easygoing at the end of my day. For what I paid for it, it was worth it.
Nov 09, 2009
Photo of armock
Reviewed by armock from New York

3.7/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A - Poured an amber color with a tan head that leaves some lacing behind

S - Is mostly of sweet malt

T - Follows the nose sweet malt with caramel and a touch of apple

M - This beer has a medium body with high carbonation to it

D - I was pretty impressed with this beer and brewery that I've never heard of before this worth trying if you can get it
Nov 02, 2009
Photo of Scrapss
Reviewed by Scrapss from Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
I got a case of this for $11.00 from Duffy's in Pittsburgh PA. I was thinking "what the heck, an 11 dollar case?" To be honest, the color is fantastic, head a little lacking. The color and smell is a nice and malty, reminds me of Sam Adams Octoberfest (from 2007) a little. The taste is a pleasant malt but without a lot of hops. The mouthfeel, to me, is pleasant enough. The drinkability suffers due to lack of depth. To be perfectly honest, this is pretty much Sam Adams Boston Ale (not lager) without hops. I like it for 11 bucks.

Re review:. Lower smell, increase taste based on revisit of this brew.
Oct 21, 2009
Photo of Tone
Reviewed by Tone from Missouri

3.56/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a clear, amber color. 1/4 inch head of an off-white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of yeast, pale malt, sweet malt, hops, and toffee. Fits the style of an American Amber / Red Lager. Mouth feel is smooth and crisp with an average carbonation level. Tastes of sweet malt, yeast, hops, and pale malt. Overall, looked really good and had a better than average tastes as well. More complex than I was anticipating.
Sep 08, 2009
Photo of Stinkypuss
Reviewed by Stinkypuss from Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottles into a glass mug. Light brown with a slightly off white head.

Smells malty and sweet.

Tastes of toffee,; malty and bready on the forefront. Mellow and unoffensive. One dimensional, but decent for what it is.

Full bodied and smooth.

Drinks pretty easily. A solid, malty lager. Good for the price.
May 22, 2009
Photo of krukster
Reviewed by krukster from Pennsylvania

3.46/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A- A dark amber color with medium lacing after the pour

S- Aroma is fairly strong with a smell of sweet caramel. Very pleasant aroma

T- A slight fruitiness with a hint of caramel. Slight hoppiness, intially good, but after taste left something to be desired

M- Slightly heavy, definately not light.

D- Not bad. Could probably drink 3-4 in a session. A half decent showing for a lager style. Definately have had better, but also had a lot worse.
May 15, 2009
Photo of sarahspat
Reviewed by sarahspat from Illinois

3.27/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Clear dark amber/brown. Off white head which settles quickly. No lacing.

Smells very malty: caramel and biscuit aromas come through srongest.

The taste is as malty as the nose suggests, but it also has a very nice hoppy edge to it. The tastes of Granny Smith apples, banana, caramel and biscuity malt are most prevalent and they complement each other well. However, there's a metallic character to the finish that's a little off-putting, and seems to become more abrasive as it warms.

The mouthfeel is medium, nothing particularly special to report. Good carbonation. Goes down easy enough, but the weird metallic taste does hurt drinkability a litle.
Apr 17, 2009
Photo of nghab
Reviewed by nghab from Wisconsin

3.18/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Colonial LAGER? That doesn't quite work historically, eh? :-) Obviously positioning itself for the Sam Adams market, and is a reasonably worthy alternative. Not bad, flavourful, but the malt is a bit heavy-handed....

Aroma: Sweet caramel malty aroma, some faint fruity notes, not much hop

Appearance: medium copper colour, great clarity, small but lasting creamy head

Flavour: Very malty, a bit much on the caramel character. Bitterness is medium-low, needs more hop to balance. Sweetness lingers into the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation, some creaminess.

Overall drinkability: It's not a bad beer, but the overwhelming sweetness makes it doubtful that I'd want more than one at a sitting.
Apr 06, 2009
Photo of ETM
Reviewed by ETM from Iowa

2.93/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
The beer looked a lot darker and a bit thicker than what I expected, not bad. A balding head. Noticeable lacing on glass. The taste was about what I would expect from an affordable beer from lacrosse. The pros: it felt like I was drinking beer that wasn't off-putting or watery. The cons: the malts were over-powering and the hop flavor was disappointing- weak and boring.

I would go with something else, but I didn't feel bad about dropping $6 on a sixer. The label is cool.
Apr 01, 2009
Photo of Fatduck
Reviewed by Fatduck from Minnesota

3.02/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Pours a nice bright copper color, with a decent head, bubbly and loose, fades fast.

Smell is malty, very sweet, smells like it would be sticky if you got it on your fingers.

Taste is too sweet, butterscotch, thick malts, this one isn't very good.

Very thick in the mouth, way too much so, which defiantly harms the drinkablity. I wouldn't buy this again, or recommend it to anyone.
Mar 25, 2009
Photo of BierFan
Reviewed by BierFan from Michigan

3.42/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
No freshness date to be found on the bottle. The label says it's brewed for "Commonwealth Brewing Company" which is located in Lacrosse Wisconsin. Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: I was expecting this to be a pale lager so I was really surprised when I saw the dark orange/brown body. The head was only about an inch high and it didn't stick around for long.

Smell: Super sweet caramel candy and toffee with a ripe banana fruitiness.

Taste: The taste is kind of a letdown after experiencing the nice sweet smell of this beer. I've never had a lager from a brown bottle that was skunked but I think it might actually be a little bit skunked.
Feb 19, 2009
William Penn Colonial Style Lager from Horny Goat Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 78 out of 100 with 33 ratings