NIL Brew Review: Youngstown State's Penguin City Beer Light

Penguin City Brewing Company is giving back to YSU athletes through their Penguin City Beer Light, which not only looks cool but tastes great

Youngstown State NIL Brew Review / Noah Henderson

Across the nation, NIL collectives have partnered with local craft breweries to create unique beers to support athletes. Pledging a portion of every sale back to the collective, these collaborations incentivize fans to drink with promises of increased athlete retention and recruitment. Often found in the concession stands of home games, on tap in campus towns, and for sale in local liquor stores, these special-edition products have proven effective as NIL fundraising tools– but not all beer is created equal. 

Over the next few months, I will be ranking and reviewing NIL beers from across the nation. Our third installment comes from what I believe to be Ohio’s flagship university, Youngstown State. 

YSU’s penguin mascot is iconic and perhaps the greatest mascot within collegiate sports. The only product of an Ohio college that could challenge Pete and Penny Penguin is Xavier’s David West and his timeless midrange game. Still, I lean towards giving the nod to the YSU penguins. 

The beer, Penguin City Beer Light, immediately harkens back to the iconography of YSU and their legendary penguin mascot ­­–– which from the 1930s to the 1960s was often a live Humboldt Penguin mascot that split time between YSU campus and the Pittsburgh Zoo. Neat. 

Penguin City Light Beer 2024 Collectors Edition / Penguin City Brewing Company

I am unsure if I have seen a penguin on a beer can before, but let me tell you, it works. The can is flat-out cool, the coolest I have ever seen, not just for NIL beer, but for any beer. 

But there is a problem. I was informed by the fine folks at Penguin City Brewing Company that the collector’s edition cans they sent me are only one version of a long lineage of Penguin City Light designs, and in my opinion, the one I so heavily praised is not even the coolest one (yes, Penguin City Brewing Company makes Penguin City Beer Light to support the Penguin Collective, which pays YSU Penguin athletes… it’s a lot of penguins). Does the 2024 collectors edition look a lot like a character from Angry Birds? Yes. Is it still cool? Absolutely. 

Penguin City Beer Light can design history / Penguin City Brewing Company

Beer Specs: 

Style: Lager (Light)

ABV: 4.1%

Aroma: A standard malt aroma. It’s a bit sweet but nothing unusual/notable.  

Bitterness: Not bitter, it’s a light lager, very mellow.

Mouthfeel: Light, crisp and carbonated. Very easy to drink, it will make you want to burp, but that’s the fun part about beer. Or one of them, at least. 

Taste: More flavorful than (insert your preferred generic light beer) and has a traditional malt flavor that hits the spot. A bit of a lingering aftertaste, but nothing that would draw me away from the beer.

My video companion piece to the written review is embedded below:

Let me be clear: this is a light beer. If you are a handlebar moustache-having, hop-loving hipster, this beer may not be for you. I, for one, am not that. For those who have grown too old to consistently drink (insert your preferred generic light beer) and want something cooler, more adult, and more refined, Penguin City Light Beer is for you. Also, it comes in 16 oz. cans; a major bonus!

Penguin City Brewing is new on the scene. The brewery opened in 2018 and, after rave reviews during its inception, reached over 300 accounts before its first birthday. It’s not just me who likes this beer; the Rust Belt backs it, too. 

In 2019, before NIL, the company inked the most obvious partnership in the world with the YSU athletic department, interlocking Penguin City Brewing Company with Penguin Athletics. Both owners of the brewery attended YSU, making the partnership an even more authentic connection.

The company produces a new can design for beer sold inside YSU’s Stambaugh Stadium every season. Once NIL came onto the scene, Penguin City Brewing wasted no time ensuring that Penguin City Beer Light supported the schools and their athletes. Now, a portion of every Penguin City Beer Light sale goes to the Penguin Collective, which facilitates NIL opportunities for YSU athletes. The beer keeps fans happy and helps YSU remain competitive in the Horizon League and Missouri Valley Conference. 

Overall Rating: 8.2

This is an excellent beer. Not many schools at the “low-major” level, like YSU, have been this innovative in driving NIL funding to their student-athletes. I commend the athletic department and Penguin City Brewing Company for establishing this initiative that often seems reserved for schools with the biggest spotlight. 

When it comes to NIL beer, conference affiliation does not matter. Smaller schools like YSU have shown that their breweries can perform as well as anyone else. 

I love this beer. It started superficially with the can and perhaps my idealization of penguins, but after drinking it, I knew I loved this beer for what was both on the inside and the outside. I have been told that type of love is the type of love that lasts the test of time.