Pike XXXXX Stout

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

Dark as the cloudy moon-less desert sky, the head a velvety chocolate crown, the lace a shield against the light. Sweet toasted grains, bitter-sweet chocolate and a over cooked pot of coffee, what the hell else could you say to describe this nose, start is ambrosial, the top thick and chocolate like. Finish has a spiteful hop spicy bite, the acidity stinging, the aftertaste bitter chocolate dry and one damn fine stout in my humble opinion.

Pours very dark brown with a brown head. Pretty damn good looking. Sweet roasted malts - intense coffee and chocolate accented with yeast, caramel and dark chocolate. Burnt malt flavors and bitter dark chocolate took care of the mouth. Upon warm up a touch of smoke was noted as was little licorice. This is not an imperial, but it certainly has more character than many that I have tried. Excellent stout.

10/24/04. Poured out of 12 oz. bottle, bought at Stuffed Sandwich in San Gabriel, CA 10/24/04. Not sure of the year, but this is definitely an older bottle. Pitch black body with only the faintest trace of brown along the corners. Very dense, creamy dark tan-brown head that lingers wonderfully with some solid but slightly patchy lacing. Nose has strong dark raisins, mellow roastiness, a touch of cocoa and a hint of burnt caramel, some slight vinous character, and a blanket of oxidation that doesn’t detract. Very lovely and subtle. Deep coffee roast, huge dark purple raisin, a tinge of acrid and acidic burnt charcoal, juicy black licorice, and even some dried apricot flavors. Touch of sourness as well, which is where the beer is maybe showing some signs of wear. Very smooth finish with a fluffy mouthfeel and a lingering hum of a creamy carbonation texture. Finish is long and quite dry with a woody bourbony flavor entering the equation a little bit. Just a touch too much of that sourness lingering. Very, very good stuff.

2002-2003: Opaque dark brown - almost no light escapes from this beer - with a large frothy khaki head. Amazing aroma of roast, chocolate, espresso, molasses, berry and soy. Somewhat woody and musty. Medium slightly creamy body with soft carbonation. Intense roast flavor with vanilla, cocoa, smoke, and espresso with a small berry note in the finish. Excellent. Another big thanks to Slikwily for sending me this one!

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.

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.............

My beer man tells me that this stuff has returned to the original recipe after a short hiatus. Thanks to whomever made that call. Rich, black, citrus hops, toastiness, cream, and general jubilation...in that order. I’d bathe in this shit if I weren’t so broke. Outstanding stout.

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