Pike Auld Acquaintance

Brewed by Pike Pub & Brewery
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Seattle, Washington USA

Reviewed 10/30/2009 (bottle): Pours a golden amber color body, with a small white head, diminishing. Sweet spicy aroma, some nuttiness. Some citrus, orange, and sweet spices. Strong coriander. Sweet spicy taste, hoppiness in the throat, a little rough, but good. Not sickly sweet, or too much coriander. Good balance of spices and malty sweetness.

Pours a slightly hazy burnt orange with thin white head. Nice aroma of spice and honey. Flavor is honey and a bit of malt. A light presence of some spicy hops is noted. But this is a but thin. The finish Peters out because it is so thin. Not hops or malt at the end. Too bad.

Partly cloudy dark orange color with a semi-fine off-white head and light, slow, steady carbonation. Aroma of orange and spices. Flavor more of orange peel. Body is light. Light spices present in the finish. Prevalent characteristic: orange peel! Decent.

On Tap at The Pike. Poured amber with no head. The aroma has cinamon notes in it, very nice. Malt is in the forefront, backed up by mild piney hops. There is a spiceyness that shows up in the finish. It is better as it warms a little as the maltiness comes through more. Smooth on the palate.

Bottle. Poured orange with a moderate white head. Aroma is fairly light and dominated by the spices, especially the nutmeg and coriander, with some brown sugar sweetness underlying it. Flavor is lightly sweet, with the orange peel and added spices comprising most of the flavor. Finishes a bit too watery. I felt like it needed more of a malty body to support the spices. This was too much like drinking cold holiday spice tea. Not unenjoyable, but not it could be improved a lot as a beer.

Bottle from Cavie. Orange pour with a thin white head. Aroma is nutmeg and orange peel, but really faint and it had to warm forever to get there. Taste is nutmeg, malts, oranges, and brown sugar.

Hazy reddish orange pour. Spices immediately fill the nose. Coriander, cinnamon and mint are the first off scents. Very spicy. Taste also has a strong sense of spice. Green plant spice, and Italian seasoning. The bittersweetness of nutmeg comes through at the very end. This has a lot going on in it, but the flavors are conflicting. Finishes with the dryness of a Christmas cookie.

Appearance: Pours a clear maple syrup brown with an 1/8 inch white ring around the top. Aroma: Bready malt and light spice. Nothing really pops out at me, as hard as I tried. Taste: A layer of dry bitterness featuring European hops, cloves, cinnamon, followed by spicy dry maltiness. The orange peel is present, and comes out in the finish and aftertaste. Mouthfeel: Crisp and fizzy. Overall: A spicy bitter take on a Christmas beer. I would think a bit more malt and alcohol level would take this beer from good to great in my book.