Pike XXXXX Stout

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

Bottle from The Bottle Shop in Eugene, OR. This brew was an excellent stout with full flavor and palate. Roasted malt/chocolate with a little woodiness and a touch of coffee.

22oz. Bottle (at 7%ABV): Aroma of chocolate, slight roasted malts, and a hint of cream. Poured pitch black in color with a small, rocky, dense, solid brown head that lasted throughout. Opaque. Average lacing. Not sparkling. Flavor is lightly sweet and medium bitter. Tasted of chocolate, bitter coffee, roasted malts, slight piney hops, and a slight hint of vanilla. Medium body. Lightly dry texture. Average carbonation. Roasted, chocolate, coffee finish is lightly dry.

Pitch black appearance. Tall brown head. Nice caramel aroma. Big notes of brown sugar with roasted notes. Tasty dark malts are heavy upfront. Toasted flavors with a touch of alcohol. Pretty solid through and through.

Bottle... Poured black with a thick, light brown head. Roasted, wood and oak flavors with a dark chocolate presence. This was surprisingly better than I’d hope. Resinous and chalky with a nice, creamy palate. Very noticeable oak and wood flavors. A little hoppy and chocolaty. Coffee, and smoked malted finish.

2009 Bottle - Pours almost black with a medium light tan head...aroma is oily and dark, dry malt, charred wood and some faint cocoa...flavour is oddly acidic, toast, burnt coffee bitterness, lightly astringent, creme...why is this sour?

From the 650 ml bottle with no obvious lot code or expiration date. Everything about this suggests it is something solid and firm. It pours from the heavy weight bottle an opaque brown with creamy brown head and decent lacing. The aroma is alive with smoky chocolate malt with the strength of an Imperial Stout. The mouthfeel is creamy and bold. The taste tingles with coffee, chocolate and hops and settles fine on the palate. This was a topnotch stout.

Pours mahogany-tinged black into an English pint. Mocha micro head with excellent retention recedes leaving slight spiders. Cocoa and smoke aromas. Thin to medium bodied with upfront dark chocolate turning to a lasting charred chocolate syrup and espresso finish.

Pours a khaki head with legs and a dark brown body. Smells of smoke, roast, and caramel. Flavor is the same. Little thin. Finish is a little sour, some bitterness, and smoke.