Pike XXXXX Stout

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

Bomber. Pours black with just slight ruby glints in the light. The head is sparse and spotty, though really nice lacing is left on the goblet after a swirl. I get baking chocolate, nutshells, hickory smoke, and coffee in the aroma. It seems to be bittersweet and borderline tannic. Yeah, this is rather bitter in the flavor and dry all the way to the finish, though it is clean. The bitterness comes across with lots of wooden flavors and suggestions of cacao and espresso. Very little sweetness is present. . .maybe some licorice in the finish. This is one dry stout and remarkably balanced and drinkable at that. Pretty well put together, if I do say so myself.

Bottle. Another local beer I have been wanting to try since I heard of it! Pours a very dark black color with a nice velvety dark tan head. Looks quite delicious! Aroma is quite pleasant too. Hints of coffee, chocolate, roasted malt, and nuts hit the nose. Flavor is mostly coffee and roasted malts. Hints of sweet chocolate come in as well. Flavor is dry as well and leaves the mouth in that state for a long while, asking to be replenished with another sip. Another delicious local beer I am proud of.

NorCal tasting Jan 07 - Pours out a beautiful jet black color with a nice beige head. Aroma is sweet molasses, roasted coffee beans, cocoa, and black licorice. Mouthfeel was thick and viscuous with a coating feeling. Flavors were roasted malts, coffee beans, dark chocolate and burnt sugar. My only complaint was that burnt coffee/black patent was a bit too strong here. It lingered so damn long I tasted it the next morning. Nice brew.

very nice - black pour, chocolate roasted malt flavors with a hint of smokiness and cream. Had this on tap at the brewery today, wanted to try more but only had a few minutes.

Bottle: Pours an immensely dark brown with a large brown head. Thick lacing. Nose is strong of coffee, heavy roast, and chocolate. Hints of bitters. Taste rich of heavy roast, cocoa, coffee, and finishes dry with a lingering coffee/bitters kick. Good, but a little drier than I prefer in a stout takes a bit off the overall rating. Still very good.

22 oz bottle. Near black with a spongy tan head. Nose is cocoa, molasses, espresso and raisin. Mmmm. Body a bit thin but develops some richness. Faint carb. Taste is dark roast and chocolate caramel. Coffee bean finish with grapefruit.

Bottle, dark aroma of tobacco, leather and raisins, pours very dark opaque bblack with a small tan head. Nice light carbonation, some sweetness, balanced against a nice roast and hops combination. Slightly slick on the tonge. Its quite nice, very drinkable a tsty stout.

Courtesy of tpd975. Pours deep darkness with nice mocha head. The aroma is licorice, mild burnt molasses, hints of coffee, chocolate, burnt malts and just a bit of toffee. The taste starts roasty and chocolate and then becomes a bit astringent with roasted malts drying things out. A modest level of sweet dark fruity esters persists in the background. It ends roasty with a hint of chocolate. Very nice.