Blue Collar
Al's of Hampden / Pizza Boy Brewing

3.8/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
by DrDemento456 from Pennsylvania

Can't really say anything bad it has all the good points of a lager mild grains good sweetness moderate hops and a slight skunk twang. Good beer for a couple of bucks

Jul 20, 2020

4.08/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

At long last, I am finally getting around to an extensive brewery horizontal to clear out a massive backlog in support of The CANQuest (tm). I knew that I had a number of their beers in abeyance, but it was not until I beCAN assembling them that I realized just how extensive my inventory actually was. 2/16.

From the CAN: "Blue Collar Lager"; "Proudly Brewed In Pennsylvainia"; "PIzza. Beer. Happy."; "Please Enjoy Fresh, Preferably With Pizza. Do Not Age."

Age? This one? Heck, no! In fact, this one was the impetus for me to get things in gear & start the horizontal. Speaking of starting, I started with a Crack! of the vent, followed by a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. It was wonderfully carbonated and formed just over a finger of dense, foamy, rocky, bone-white head that seemed to regenerate itself throughout. Color was a gorgeous Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 - 5) with NE-quality clarity, CANvincing The Gelt Gang of Midas, Mammon & Croesus to join me for a taste. Nose was clean and adjunct-free, biscuity with a slight lemony citrusiness. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium, slightly better than average for a Lager. The taste was liquefied lemon biscotti, especially from Enrico's in Pixburgh's Strip District. Mmm. I used to make routine runs dahn air when I was attending Pitt & especially when I was interning at Arsenal Middle School. Mmm. I really liked its lemoniness, which also CANtributed to a pleasantly dry finish. This merits CANsideration as a CANdidate to fill the beach-bound cooler this Summer, IMHO. YMMV.

Jun 25, 2020

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by orangesol from Pennsylvania

First and foremost, this is for the new blue collar lager, not the old version.

A - Pours clear golden yellow with a small half finger tall white head, dissipating down to a light film, leaving spotty streaks of lace down parts of the glass.

S - Smells of lightly sweet grain, bready pils malt, spicy and citric hops and not much else. A little slow at the beginning it starts to come out once it warms up. Smells really fresh and inviting.

T - Starts off with some of the sweetness from the malt and some of the spicy hops quickly giving way to some dulled fruitiness and the chewy pils malt. Quite balanced throughout with nothing standing above anything else. Finish is pretty clean with only a bit of lingering chewiness. Like the nose it just tastes like a nice, refreshing lager.

M - Light body with moderate carbonation. Smooth, mildly hoppy feel throughout. This stuff is way too easy to drink, my glass disappeared super fast on this hot day.

O - I liked the original version but this is even better. It is just as easy drinking but the lighter body just works better. No one flavor dominates making it disappear quite quickly. Another lighter option in a sea of big Pizza Boy beers.

May 31, 2013

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by stakem from Pennsylvania

Draft offering at Pizza Boy served in a tulip shaped pint glass. The brew appears a pale golden yellow color with a thin white film for a head. Spotty lace sticks to the glass and a swirl revives a white cap.

The aroma is fresh with a scent of cereal grains almost like wheat mixed with a lemony hop aspect that is somewhat reminescent of zythos. As it warms up, it gets a mild fruity tinge. Overall, clean and unique smelling for a lager but without fault.

The taste is also fruity and grainy like the aroma suggests. There is a bit of sweetness with a contrasting hop bite that is like lemon zest and a bit grassy to herbal in character towards the finish. This finishes clean and crisp.

This is a light bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. The overall drinkability is downright crushable. I dont think I have ever had a lager that was so well balanced but has a very distinct freshness about it's underlying grain profile. This "maintenance beer" fills the void perfectly as something you can throw a few back and not feel guilty about. People visiting Pizza Boy who are not all that into craft beer and big flavors will have no problems consuming a few pints of this. I enjoyed it enough that I would get a growler or so to have for doing yard work in the summer. Nicely done.

May 07, 2013