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By Richard Rabassa & Ale Clayson

October 1, 2001 -- Pennsylvania

The HBA Gang is always looking to develop interesting beer recipes, some unique and different. So we all hassled Ale and he came thru with a knockout recipe based on a historic style called a Pennsylvania Swankey.

This style had a heck of a reputation in the region in and around Pennsylvania and, according to our research, quite popular in the pre-prohibition days of brewing.

So what's this brew like? It's unlike anything you've probably ever had. It's closest cousin would have to be the English mild ale– but lower on the alcohol meter. It's a session beer which may have been refered to as a "temperance beverage" in the early days.

But what makes this brew unique is the spice used: Anise seed! For those of you unfamiliar with Anise, it's a strong licorice flavored seed used in candy and in the liquor Sambuca.

Where did that name come from? The term "Swankey" is a corruption of the German "schankbier" or "schwenke", meaning a beer of lower than usual alcohol.

So after Ale did some research and banged away at Promash, he handed over a recipe sheet and we brewed up a pilot batch...

The only thing we didn't get a good feel for was the amount of Anise Seed to use. Our research never uncovered the historical amount. For our pilot batch we used 1/4 ounce...

Our beta tasters were split: 50% felt it was too much, 50% felt it was not enough. So our recommendation to you is to adjust the amount somewhere between 1/4 ounce and 1/8 ounce according to your own taste.

As always, when we create a new recipe, we always want to give it a name to commemorate the style appropriately such as our recent addition, the french country ale named after Bridget Bardot.

So we decided on a true American Icon, Rocky Balboa, the Philadelphia Southpaw! Try it out and let us know what you think! Hey, there may even be a sequel or two...

Here are some other knockout favorites:


Bridget's Love Potion Saison: Saison beers are distinctive specialty beers from the Belgian province of Hainuat. These beers were originally brewed in the early spring for summer consumption, though contemporary Belgian saisons are brewed all year round with pale malts and well dosed with Belgian hop varieties. Lively carbonation ensues from a secondary fermentation in the bottle. The color is classically golden orange and the flavors are refreshing with citrus and fruity hop notes. (Starting Gravity: 1.066-1.070) (Finishing Gravity: 1.014-1.018) (Approximate Alcohol content: 6.5-7.2%)
Aniline Ale: Example of an English Old Ale. It has a high hopping rate that doesn't come across as bitter due to its high strength and smooth maltiness. Amber in color, medium to full bodied, this is a strong ale that lends itself as a good nightcap beer.
Sweet Oatmeal Porter:: Dark and rich with a chewy oatmeal flavor. The use of one pound of oatmeal gives this brew a heavy body and everlasting head. Truly outstanding!
Rocky's South Paw Swankey:: Pennsylvania Swankey was a common style in this state before being lost due to Prohibition. The term "Swankey" comes from the German "schankbier", meaning a beer of lower than usual gravity. This historic and very American style was brewed to be a session beer (a tasty, low gravity, low alcohol beer that one could sip for an entire evening of socializing without becoming too inebriated or too full). In terms of body and color it's similar to an English Mild Ale. It's hopped just enough to balance the malt sweetness with American varieties and flavored with aniseed. Our recipe suggests 1/8 oz. (approximately 1.25 tsp.) of aniseed as a starting point. This will give your beer a very subtle licorice character. You can pump it up if you like but be forewarned, a little bit goes a long way and the licorice flavor is not for all tastes. (Starting Gravity: 1.026 - 1.030) (Finishing Gravity: 1.006 - 1.010) (24 IBU's)
Ludwig's German Pilsner:: Not as alcoholic as its Czech neighbor. Golden in color with a light to medium body and floral nose. The perfect beer for the dog days of summer.
St. Nick's Holiday Ale:: St. Nick's Holiday Ale is a delightfully spiced ale with accents of cinnamon and vanilla. Mildy hopped with nice honey flavors balanced by the nutmeg and clove. This Amber colored malty ale will really warm up your winter nights. Brew early to make the Holidays! (Starting Gravity 1.070- 1.075) (Finishing Gravity 1.011 - 1.016) (Approximate Alcohol Content: 7.0-7.5%) (25 IBU)
Who is Rich Rabassa?

e-mail: Rich
  • New Media Developer/Designer
  • Homebrewer of 7+ years
  • One of the Owners of HBA