Pennsylvania Brewing Company - Penn Dark Lager

A gold medal winner at the 1999 Great American Beer Festival, the 2000 World Beer Cup, and the 2001 World Beer Championships, this fine microbrew is a beer lover's gem. Note an amber to dark brown hue and good head retention in this complex lager. 100% imported Hallertau hops contribute lightly to the aroma and stick around right to the finish in this beer, but the most prominent feature on the nose is this beer's sweet malty aroma. This full flavored lager blends a rich malty coffee, toasted espresso, and nut-like flavor into a breaddy finish that could easily double as both drink and meal. Look for a dry finish with overtones of hop bitterness and a bold flavor stemming from the Munich and black malts used to brew it. Overall, a delicately crafted lager that will compel you to quickly pop open another one! Excellent with roast beef on Pumpernickel, topped with provolone and a bit of Russian dressing.

Many Americans haven't really had the experience of tasting what beer was really intended to be (let's just say that Budweiser, Coors & Michelob are definitely NOT what the beer gods had in mind when they handed down the secrets of beer brewing!) Luckily, our Beer of the Month Clubs are here to serve and educate. If you know someone who might enjoy getting their hands on some true, real, definitely non-imitation, genuine, authentic, legitimate, actual, honest-to-goodness beer, consider giving them a gift that expands their cultural horizons-a subscription to one of our Beer of the Month Clubs! Visit our website at www.monthlyclubs.com to get a gift subscription started today and play your part in spreading one of the most enjoyable cultural mores to your fellow man (and woman). Note: if you don't agree that drinking beer and learning about the multitudes of styles and varieties of malty brew out there is an example of a cultural experience, then be warned that you should put this newsletter down before it grows hands and slaps you in your blasphemous mouth! Tom Pastorius, a Pittsburgh native of German descent, discovered beer while stationed in Germany, a country that considers its "bier" as much a staple as bread. Once his service days ended, Tom returned to the states and earned his masters of business administration degree at Penn State University. He later returned to Germany for some time, residing there during the 1970's and living as the locals do by incorporating beer as a regular part of his diet. But upon moving back to the states in 1981, he began longing for good German beer. "Beer tastes better over there," he said. "I just missed the beer." Dissatisfied with commercially available beverage choices, and in need of a job, Pastorius decided to start his own brewery. In 1986, he started a real estate venture to purchase a nearly 150-year-old abandoned brick and stone brewery for $225,000. A three-year, labor-intensive $4 million restoration followed, and thus, the first microbrewery in Pennsylvania was born. Talk about going to great lengths to get great beer! Tom's goal to brew authentic German beers quickly became a reality, and these days he is considered a pioneer in the microbrewery renaissance. This year marks their 20th anniversary! For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, or their attached restaurant, call (412) 237-9400, or visit their website at www.pennbrew.com.