Preview: Penn Brewery Sampler
Posted by mike | Filed under Beer, Reviews
For the past few months, Penn Brewery has been slowly easing into the whole grand re-opening thing. First a kick-off event, then growler hours, and now some appetizers. At this point, we’re just a week away from from the return of the full restaurant (give or take). I already made it out to growler hours once before, but on Friday, I went out yet again—this time to sample a few appetizers from Chef Greg (the former restaurant’s chef).
Penn Brewery & Restaurant
www.pennbrew.com
800 Vinial St
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
(412) 237-9400
For those of you that need a little context, Penn Brewery lead a fairly stable local existence from 1989 to 2003. At that point, a private equity firm purchased a controlling stake, then 6 years later shut down all brewing operations and very nearly closed down the restaurant. At that point, all Penn brews were outsourced to the Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre. 6 months later, the restaurant closed. 6 months after that (this past December), the original owner (Tom Pastorious) and a small group of local investors bought back the brewery and immediately began preparations for a reopening. That pretty much takes us up to today.
Now get ready. The official re-opening is now scheduled for May 5. If you’re looking for an opportunity to go, the Pittsburgh Beer Meetup is planning to head over the following week: on May 11. I know I’ll be there (after all, I’m organizing the outing).
So how was growler hours? So far, growler hours have been fun. The vibe is a little different from the only other growler hours I know at East End (okay, enormously different)—mostly because you can grab a table and order a pint. It also takes place in a restaurant setting rather than Scott’s warehouse brewery. I made use of the former for both my visits: I ordered a pint and hung out for a bit (okay, I ordered two). I only filled up a growler after the second visit. I kind of like the setting, though the timing is a little rough. My only real complaint is that the WiFi doesn’t yet seem to be working. I get a signal but no actual gateway to the Internet.
Some old standards with a promise of something healthy. Like I said in my intro, Penn’s most recent growler hours offered a preview of a few appetizers from the menu. The partial menu came along with full table service and featured several of the heavy German appetizers that the brewery has traditionally been known for. Those are a little heartier that what I am typically up for, but sources within the brew crew tell me they will actually expand into some lighter options once the restaurant opens. I’m looking forward to that. When I do experience the full menu, I’m hoping I’ll have some quality veggie dishes to report on. In the mean time, I gave some old standards a try.
Sampler Menu during Growler Hours
Buffalo Chicken Pierogi (apologies for the lousy photo)
Buffalo Chicken Pierogi. I’ll admit, that falls way outside of my usual diet. But really, I’ll try anything in moderation (I only ended up eating one). The basic idea is pierogi filled with shredded (buffalo flavored?) chicken. The pierogi are served on a plate of three with caramelized onions–all doused with first buffalo wing sauce, then blue cheese dressing.
They taste better than they look. Really, they do. The blue cheese dressing feels a little excessive, and makes the whole plate look sloppy and less appetizing than it really was. If I were plating it, I’d opt for crumbled blue cheese. That said, they tasted far better than they look and seemed to succeed in being both a buffalo chicken dish and a pierogi dish. The major flavors were well balanced and the slightly chewy pierogi texture was definitely there. If you’re into that sort of thing (and not counting calories or keeping vegetarian), I’d say they’re worth a try. Just ask for the blue cheese on the side.
A pretty bad photo of Sauerkraut Soup
Sauerkraut Soup. Aiming to try more than a single option, and hoping to have something a little more restrained than the pierogi, I went for a cup of the sauerkraut soup as well. This option was was straight up traditional sauerkraut soup—really the standard recipe. My photo is horrible, but the basic theme is cubed sausage links, sauerkraut, and potato floating in clear broth. Classic German food all thrown in a bowl.
Could have been a little brighter. I’m by no means expert on sauerkraut soup, but this one seemed just a little flat. I could have used more of the acidity from the sauerkraut and maybe some fresh black pepper. I’ve even seen some recipes that throw in caraway seeds (which really bring some complexity). On the bright side, the major ingredients seemed to be well balanced. Not too thin, and about equal proportions on sausage and potato with a slightly lesser portion of sauerkraut.
Because it’s really all about the beer. At least, that’s where I stand. If you’ve ever followed Penn in the past, the beer options will look familiar—with the exception of the newly established Allegheny Pale Ale (their first American stylebeer). The traditional options all represent classic German styles: a Dunkel (Penn Dark), a Helles (Penn Gold), a Märzen (Pen Pilsner), and a German Pilsner (Kaiser Pils). If you’re looking for German beer and a beer hall that doesn’t feel like a frat party, then skip the Hofbräuhaus; the restaurant at Penn is where you need to go. Both the beer and the atmosphere is vastly superior. Plus, you’re earning some feel-good 3/50 points and supporting a locally owned operation.
A Full Growler of Penn Dark
Hopeful expectations. Now, you may have read my commentary on the food and thought I was disappointed. I wasn’t. Neither option was really something I’d normally order; neither was vegetarian or particularly healthy. It makes sense that I didn’t think either was perfect.
I’m actually quite hopeful for some of the upcoming veggie options and expect that a great many people will be thrilled with the more traditional items on the menu—just not me. Keep in mind: the restaurant hasn’t even opened; I’m certain it will continue to improve over time. Plus, it will always be a good place for beer. I’m just thrilled to see a great local business emerging from the ashes and looking forward to seeing the full new menu.
