Penn Brewery's Latest Seasonal Beers Chase Away The Winter Blues

25 Jan 2013 --- Penn Brewery is pleased to announce the release of its late winter beers, Penn Chocolate Meltdown Stout and Penn Marzen. Both varieties have shipped and are making their way to shelf and bar. Two additional brews, Penn Weizenbock and Penn Dunkelweizen, are slated to follow, in limited distribution.

Nothing tastes sweeter to a beer lover on Valentine's Day than Chocolate Meltdown Stout (PHOTO), one of Penn's Brewer's Choice series of beers. Real Betsy Ann brand chocolate and a healthy dose of lactose sugar give this dark, full-bodied brew a rich milk chocolate flavor. Chocolate Meltdown is made with Perle hops and a wonderful blend of several malts – black, caramel, and chocolate, along with roasted barley and flaked barley. With 5.5% ABV and 35 IBUs, this silky beer "tastes incredible paired with whipped cream-flavored vodka," according to Sandy Cindrich, Penn's CEO. It's now available in 12-oz. and 22-oz. bottles, as well as on draft.

On the heels of Valentine's Day comes Mardi Gras, and Penn is ready with its Marzen (PHOTO) fest-style beer. This malty, full-bodied, beautiful amber-colored beer has 5.5% ABV and 20 IBUs, and is brewed with caramel, Munich, and black malts, as well as Perle hops. The late beer critic Michael Jackson proclaimed Penn Marzen "one of my top 24 favorite American beers." Marzen is available in 12-oz. bottles and on draft.

In addition to brewing Chocolate and Marzen, Penn Brewery continues to explore and innovate in the wheat beer segment. Penn's flagship wheat beer, Penn Weizen, has won three Great American Beer Festival medals and one World Beer Cup medal, and head brewer Andy Rich and his team are building on this success with Penn Weizenbock (PHOTO) and brand-new Dunkelweizen (PHOTO), which will be available with limited distribution in western Pennsylvania from February through spring. Winner of a 2008 World Beer Cup silver medal, Penn Weizenbock is a big-bodied, stronger, maltier version of Penn Weizen. This dark-ruby brew has 8.5% ABV and will be offered in 22-oz. bottles and on draft. Penn Dunkelweizen, with 4.5% ABV and 16 IBUs, has a roasty, malty, essence and flavor with a slightly fruity characteristic. This new brew will be offered on draft only.

Penn Brewery, opened in 1986, is Pittsburgh's oldest and largest brewery. It specializes in award-winning German-style craft beers sold in Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, and Florida.  The Brewery is located in Deutschtown on Pittsburgh's North Side, in the mid nineteenth-century landmark E&O Brewery Building.