Pike XXXXX Stout

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

Black colour with a tan head. Roasted malty aroma with coffee and chocolate sweet notes and hints of some hops. Coffee bitter flavor with a light earthy note and hints of hops.

(2003-04 bottle in mid-2005):

The Lure:
Approchable citrusy hops and malt roastiness. Intriguing milky beads amongst the pleasant chocolatey sweetness.

The Festivities:
A below-average body, perhaps a sign of its age, presents mostly roastiness. Not much sweetness to back it all up, burnt bread bitterness and dryness take most of the room. Some citrusy hops manage to participate, but all in all, this is not quite what the commercial description suggested.

Transcendence:
Another suit and tie in the building.

Portland Holiday Ale Festival 2004. Jet black with a thick dark brown head. Sweet blackstrap molasses aroma, caramel and chocolate with light toastiness and roastiness. Long roasty finish with a creamy mouthfeel. Some hoppiness in the nose and mouth as well.

2002-2003 release. Black. Caramel/copper head. Strong caramel, licorice, and amaretto nose. Motor oil consistency. Mellow but incredibly robust smoked firewood flavor: licorice, chocolate, cafe mocha flavors. I simply can not find anything wrong with this beer. Milky and creamy finish. What an incredible stout.

Very dark brown color with a full tight bubbled dark tan head. Head lasts and lasts, with a thick web of lacing. Dark caramel and a herbal hops twist. Lightly roasted grains in the background. Grassy to wintergreen hop scents. Somewhat light in the nose, a mild stout to strong brown aroma. Smooth and with a mild silkiness. A touch biting in the finish distracts slightly. Light dark chocolate in the start. Light grapefruit and lemon zest come in as the sweetness in brought into check with a touch of acidity that leads to a moderate dark chocolate bitterness. Linger is long and day with a chocolate nibby bar and mild coffee bitterness. A stout’s stout. It’s all in there somewhere. Nothing amiss, nothing extravagant; just a solid stout.

Tap@Brewpub, Apr 09, 3.6: Strong sweet coffee aroma. Black colour, brown head, good lace. Sweet, bitter, roasted, coffee finish. Medium body, nasty bitter finish. Well brewed but not exceptional. Bottle@chris o, Aug 07, 3.4: Black berries and black currant aroma. Black color, brown head, good lace. Sweet, bitter, roasted coffee, black currant. Roasted dry mouthfeel.

Semi-sweet aroma with strong hints of coffee and smoke. A solid appearance of a well rounded stout. Flavor is delicious with this beer, it's subtle and creamy like an oatmeal stout but has a little bite like an imperial stout, the best of both worlds! Very dry on the palate, overall a solid drinking stout, I could have 10 more of these!

Bottle, at London Shindig, August 2007. Now this is more like it. Good dark colour with a big beige head. Lots of roast malt. Enough coffee and chocolate to add interest without dominating. Plenty of bitter hops to enhance the drinkability. Beautifully balanced and just a really nice stout all round. The beer of the day.