The Six Pack Project: Western Pennsylvania

About a month or two ago, I noticed Justin of his cleverly-named Brew Review Blog participating in a beer blog collaboration project called the Six Pack Project. The idea is the brainchild of Bryan of This is Why I'm Drunk. The objective is to get beer bloggers across America and maybe even the world to help spread word about some of the local beers that seem to best represent our unique beer cultures.

Here are the rules, according to Bryan.

1. Pick a six-pack of beers that best represents your state and/or state’s beer culture.
2. Beer must be made in your state, but “gypsy” brewers are acceptable, so long as that beer is brewed with an in-state brewery and sold in your state.
3. Any size bottle or can is acceptable to include.
4. Current seasonal offerings are fine, but try to keep selections to year-round brews as much as possible. No out-of-season brews preferred.

Now, four of the six I narrowed down are either pretty close to Pittsburgh or definitely on the western side of Pennsylvania. Of the two remaining, one hails from the central sector of the state while the other is much farther east. I felt it important to have the concentration of my selections favoring the Pittsburgh area since the aforementioned Justin has already done some of Pennsylvania for this project. Also, these beers are in no particular order or ranking.

White Lightning by Full Pint Brewing Company - North Versailles, Pa.

If you paid any attention to last year's Great American Beer Festival you might have noticed that this beer earned a silver medal. It's tart and citrusy. It has a lovely aroma of coriander and spice, which both contribute to a spicy finish. Hops are easy, but provide a kiss of bitterness to compliment the tart and fruity aspects of the brew. It has a vivid straw color and creamy white head. The 5.5 percent ABV doesn't interfere at all. Tastes quite sessionable even though some might not consider it as such.This is quite an easy get when you get a chance to cruise through a couple bottle shops here in Pittsburgh. The brewers at Full Pint pretty much threw everything they had into starting this brewery. They sort of represent the hard-working people around Pittsburgh. This is arguably the brewery's best offering, in my opinion.

Monkey Boy Hefeweizen by East End Brewing Company - Pittsburgh, Pa.

Of the brews that hail from Pittsburgh, this is the one that's closest to my heart. This is quite lighter on the ABV scale at 4.8 percent. The remarkable thing about this beer is that it's a nice foggy hefeweizen that tastes like a banana, but there isn't any actual banana used in the brewing process. Some creativity with the yeast strain unlocks such a flavor in this beer. This beer also seems special in terms of how craft beer has grown over the years. Some time ago, beer tasting like this might have been considered spoiled and tossed out. Now it's considered great beer! East End can only be found on taps around town, from growlers at the brewery and in a growler shop downtown.

Sunshine Pils by Troegs Brewing Company - Hershey, Pa.

Moving away from Pittsburgh for a second we have a nice German Pilsner that's crisp and hoppy. If you've had this before you already know those two facets because it says it on the case and bottle! Not only does it have a nice dosing of tasty hop flavor that plays well with the rest of the beer, it features a few citrusy undertones you don't come across in many pilsners. It's light in ABV at 4.5 percent, always well-carbonated to add some nice texture and represents the many German/Dutch communities that dot the central part of the state. This is a seasonal offering, but is still available at certain locations. Especially bottle shops. The brewery in Hershey has some in the tasting room the last time I checked.

Wynona's Big Brown Ale by Voodoo Brewing Company - Meadville, Pa.

This is the booziest of the bunch that I selected with an ABV of 7.4 percent, but you can trust me in saying that it's not a bad thing at all. I was on a real brown ale kick a few weeks ago and found a bottle of this in a cooler at a nearby shop. I was pleased with my choice. There's a lot of cocoa in this to the point where you feel like you're eating spoonfuls of Nestle Quik mix like you did as a kid. Some darker flavors like toffee and roasted malt take over on the finish. This is one creative beer. Meadville is quite north of Pittsburgh and is a much more spacial place than the city is. Voodoo is known for concocting some adventurous beer. Just as adventurous as it is when driving the back roads of northwest Pennsylvania.

RT Lager by Rivertowne Brewing - Murrysville, Pa.

I sometimes thing that lager gets a bad wrap nowadays and are though of as being boring. This beer is far from boring. This is a beautiful red lager that comes in at 5.4 percent ABV. Not only do the Cascade hops used in the brewing process provide some bite, but so does the malt bill that's used. It's crisp and has a nice bubbly texture. That's if you like carbonation. I tend to enjoy it. Just as Pittsburgh is a classic town, this beer is also classic. It's not flashy, but tastes great. Just like the Super Bowl champion Steelers teams of the 1970's, this beer tastes gritty and still comes through. (If you don't get the reference, the 1970's Steelers ran the ball and grinded it out. Lager is considered boring, but this is a fantastic beer) Rivertowne just recently started canning it's beer. This is now becoming readily available. I purchased a case for myself not too long ago.

Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce by Yards Brewing - Philadelphia, Pa.

Weighing in at an even five percent ABV is one third of the infamous Ales of the Revolution series by Yards.  This beer is based on Benjamin Franklin's personal spruce ale recipe. After all, what better Pennsylvania historical figure to have a beer after than Franklin? He's one of only two non-presidents that are on American currency! This beer has an attractive beige head in contrast to the deep brown body. The sweet profile and tang of the molasses used in the brewing process play very well off of each other. The booze is slightly present in this beer, but only in a warming sensation that warms your throat as it goes down.

The other Six Packs for this month:

• Ed from Dogs of Beer for Delaware
• Jeremy from SubBeerbia for Illinois
• Heather from HeatherVandy.com and the Honest Pint did Massachusetts
• Mark via Bryan's blog did Michigan
• Chris from I Think About Beer did Belgium

You can also read other Six Pack's at the Six Pack Project Archives.