Pike XXXXX Stout

Brewed by Pike Pub & Brewery
Style: Stout
Seattle, Washington USA

Disappointing. Was looking forward to this one and it didn’t deliver. Poured an opaque black with a small tan hea. Nice aroma of dark roasted coffee, dark chocolate, roasted malts, a bit of hops, and dark cherries. Medium body and thin texture. The flavor was of a robust mocha cafe. It was good but not as good as expected.

This draft brew from the brewery poured a head of foamy fine to medium sized brown colored bubbles that were long lasting and left behind a opaque dark ruby red brown colored body and a good lacing. The mild aroma was brown malt and dark malt. The semi-thick mouth feel was tingly at the start with a mediumly tingly finish with a lingering malty aftertaste. The mild flavor contained notes of mild hops roasted malt and dark malt. A special thanks to Charles and Roseanne for sitting and talking with us on our vacation. It was a pleasure to meet the founders of the brewery and Merchant Du Vin.

22oz Bomber $4.35 Liquid Solutions Probably not the night to be drinking a stout with as hot as it’s been but what the hell? Pike 5x Stout pours the blackest of holes into my snifter. Not one bit of light can sneak through. The body swallows every bit of light that comes into contact with this beer. A 1+ finger brown head forms and slowly fades to a thick cap. Leaves drink lines down the glass after each gulp. Aroma is like nothing I’ve smelled in previous stouts. Theres a solid smokiness in there that reminds me of smoked bacon. May sound strange but it smells damn fine. Mild roasted malts with a solid hop presence on the backend. Mild hazelnut in there as well. Wow! What a delicious unique stout. That smokey bacon (or is it just campfire and I’m hungry) scent is in the flavor as well. The smokiness blankets a mildly roasted malt and hazelnut nuttiness. A hint of milk on the finish with a combination of burnt malt and hop bitterness. Delicious! Mouthfeel is just how I’d like it to be. Medium bodied. Not too heavy.Sluggish carbonation that lets the brew roll along the tongue. Nice bitterness on the swallow. An incredibly drinkable stout, especially with the robust smokiness. The alcohol level helps the drinkability as well. I’m actually blown away by this brew. Before I ordered the bottle I saw it had good reviews but I didn’t expect this. A really wonderful unique stout. 6/11/07

Draught sample. Great toasted grain aroma. Molasses and caramel. Coffee and hit of chocolate, with light fruity hops. Dark black clear with tan head. Heavy bodied with medium carbonation. Thick and rich with coffee and chocolate bitter tang. Light smoke. Sweet toasty grains with deep bitter finish and creamy smoky after. Nice stout.

Draft at Pike in Seattle on 7/11/07. This beer represents #600 for me, and is in thanks to the owner of Pike Pub and Brewery, Charles Finkel, who spent quite a while discussing beer with me, and taking me on a personal tour of the facility. See my Places rating for more on this. An essentially opaque brown/black pour with a substantial brown head introduces this well known offering. Beautiful sticky lace clings to the glass indefinitely. The chocolate and coffee aroma is accented by some woody or roasted notes. This is so smooth and creamy that the heavy body isn’t easily noticed. Beautiful flavor balance of rich dark malty sweetness and some bitterness from the roasted malts and understated hops. This is really a good beer.

bottle. thanks moonbeam! black with forthy tan head, chocolate, coffee, hoppy, mild sugar, mild dark fruit in aroma. medium body. coffee grinds, sweet chocolate, mildly bitter. solid balance. nicely done. impressive strength for a regular stout.

Undated bomber. Pours like a thick liquid. Aroma of smoke, roasted malt, yeast, coffee and chocolate. At least. Wholly opaque brown/black color with a tan head that sticks around. Thin to medium mouthfeel; so much for illusion. Moderate carbonation. Really toasted/burnt malts like the Guinness of old. Coffee; dark fruits; not getting chocolate. There is some malt sugar, but it is more dry than otherwise. Strong, near espresso, impression for the finish. Really whacks the mouth. Then a slight toffee sweetness came forth. Very slight. This is relatively humongous in terms of aroma and flavor. If it were an imperial stout, the overall combination might be fatal.

Blackish-brown color with a really nice looking tan head. Aroma is a creamy mix of coffee, well-roasted malts, a bit of chocolate, and smoke. Taste is a great mix of dark malts, peat, coffee, chocolate. Wonderful - I’ll put this up against any Dry or Regular Stout. If only this one was at my local Irish pub in place of Guinness.............