Piece Anniversary Ale

Brewed by Piece Brewery & Pizzeria
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Chicago, Illinois USA

Draft at the brewpub. The chalk board said 4.5% ABV. Poured a clear dark brown-orange color. Amber, really. The head was thick, fluffy, and off white with good retention and lacing. The arom was of citrus, caramel, and vanilla. Medium bodied with hefty hop bitterness of about 7-8 out of 10. I tasted toasted bread, dark toffee, citrus fruit, and pine resin. Delicious.

On tap @ the Brew pub: Pours a dark brown with an off white head. Aroma, citrus, caramel, light fruits, some grapefruit. Flavor, pine citrus, caramel, some brown sugar in the background as well. Good brew.

Semi-murky copper in color with a galaxy wisped head. Smells nice and hoppy, with spruce, lilacs, honey, pine and grass. Flavor leads in with pine needles that have been soaking in honey overnight. Smooth, citric accents and a perfume finish. Hoppy anniversary, Piece!

Caramel colored body with a thick, fluffy tan head. Piney, hoppy nose with light caramel, grapefruit, nuts, toffee and grape nuts. The body is of moderate thickness, but smooth and very drinkable. A more malt-dominated flavor profile than expected from the aroma. The toffee, nuts and toasted grains all play well together and make for easy drinking. The hoppiness is mild and low on bitterness. It has more of an effect of balancing the rather malty body and keeping things interesting. A very drinkable beer. The menu said this was a dry-hopped ESB, but it looks like last years may have been an IPA (booyatribe), so maybe we need seperate entries?

Draught (2005 version): darkish, mahogany colored body with a generous off-tan head. Nutty aroma, laced with copious amounts of piney hops, and citrus zest. Sticky palate that delivers caramel and toffee and smooth malts in front of the bitter finish. Tasty and very drinkable, one of the better session ales I have had at Piece…

Red-brown in color with a small, light brown head. Roasted nuts (macadamia) and caramel aroma. Malty, crisp flavor, reminds me of bagels, with caramel and a light roast. Low bitterness, and easily quaffable.

This was the sixth anniversary version, 2007. Very nice beer, but I think it is more of an American Strong Ale, as it had a nice chewy consistency and a fair amount of alcohol. Loads of hops and character. Very nice.

This seems a little different than earlier entries (7th Anniversary). On tap @ Piece. Pours a brown/dark red with an off white head. Nice aroma of citrus, caramel, and some grapefruit. Good flavor, with some very nice lingering bitterness. This beer packed some serious flavor for a beer that was only 4.5%. Very enjoyable, wish it was on the rotation more.