Brick Biergarten IPA
Pennsylvania Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the best IPAs I've had. Love the falconers flight hops.

 

Appearance: Pours a hazed copper color.

Overall: The aroma is dry, floral, and grassy. Starts moderately sweet with a slight grapefruit character. Big hop flavor and bitterness throughout. This beer has a solid balance and is a fairly good IPA.

Picked up a barely expired case for $9.99 - Penn is decent so it was worth the try.

Poured into a standard pint/shaker - color is hazy copper, a little dense - noticeable sediment in the bottle so its expected, as noted with some dry hopping; head is off white to light tan, blend of bubble sizes from fine to medium, great lacing and texture on the glass, head remains present for some time.

Smell is balance of malt and hops: malt is noticeably caramely, not detracting but noticeable; hops are across the board from fruity to piney, but not overpowering - just a solid blend.

Taste leans more malt forward, caramel malt notes and some toast/biscuit; hops are neutral with some grass/pine/grapefruit noticeable.

Mouthfeel is a bit dry on the tongue, somewhat likely with the extended age of the brew. Otherwise lingering qualities lean to the sweeter side on the sides of the mouth.

Overall, a solid IPA that blurs the lines of american and british styles. I'll look for it a bit more fresh to see if there is a difference in taste.

 

 

 

 

 

Pennsylvania Brewing Co. "Penn Brewery Brick Biergarten IPA"
12 oz. brown glass bottle, no apparent freshness dating

Although I don't find much Penn Brewing available in my area (which is odd given that Philadelphia is not far from Pittsburgh), they're a brewery that can always be relied upon.

Their "Brick Biergarten" pours a slightly hazy deep-amber and copper colored body beneath a full-sized head of creamy antique-white that holds for seemingly forever, and leaves walls of almost solid lacing behind. Given that the haze is probably coming from dry-hopping, you could hardly ask for a better looking glass of beer.

In the nose it's hoppy, and somewhat fruity. It's bright with hops, but at the same time non-distinct, probably because they're using seven different varieties. It's fruity (which may be the yeast as well), gently citrusy (mild grapefruit), lightly spicy, piney, herbal, and even a touch earthy. Some caramelish and grainy malt comes through, and although it's not bombastic like many IPAs these days, it's solid and welcoming.

The flavor displays the hops much more fully, opening up more notes of tropical and citrus fruit (melon, papaya, and lemon), and an herbal, grassy, and spicy side. As usual for Penn, it's nicely balanced against the malt so that neither component over-rides the other; and it's backed by a solid bitterness that never becomes too bold. The malt is fairly rich in character, yet it's not sweet, and it still finishes dry with a little bit of residual caramel, some spiciness, a pineapple/apple/citrus like fruitiness, and some dusty earthiness.

In the mouth it's medium bodied with a dextrinous edge, and a very fine-bubbled median carbonation that leaves it smooth yet crisp at the same time.

The use of Hopunion's Falconer's Flight 7 C's would seem to imply that they were going for an "American" IPA, but that's certainly not the case here: the malt is too rich and caramelish, and the hops are not forward enough. Neither is it British, really in any way, other than that it utilizes 'crystal' malts. No, this one is unique. Try it without any preconceived notions, hedonistically, and I think you'll find it quite charming.