Taste: Penn Brewing's Oktoberfest
When you start to feel the slight chill in the air of a Pittsburgh evening, you know that summer is starting to slip from your grip. Thankfully with the beginning of the seasonal change comes the great beer style Oktoberfest. Before you even think “Hey, it’s not even close to October yet!”, I’d like to inform you that Oktoberfest is traditionally held in September (slightly confusing, I know). When it comes to craft lagers there’s a long standing craft brewery that automatically comes to mind. Penn Brewing Co. has been perfecting craft lagers in Pittsburgh, PA since 1986.
They have been brewing batches of their Great American Beer Festival (GABF) bronze medal winning, Munich style Oktoberfest since 1989. Brewed to style using the traditional decoction mashing and proper lagering, they create about one thousand barrels (BBL) of this beer in a given season. In true fest style, around 65 barrels are drank just during Penn Brewing’s annual Oktoberfest celebration weekends. A pure copper color sets the scene for the slightly roasted character that this crisp, medium body lager provides. Because of the popularity of the beer and packaging format, they decided to offer it in 16 ounce cans for the first time. That way you'll be able to grab one at PNC Park during one of these late season games or anywhere else that sells Penn Brewing’s beer for around the campfire. So crack a few open and soak in the transition of the seasons!
