Pyramid Rain City Nitro Stout

On draft at Walnut Creek brewpub. I have no idea if I’m entering this under the right beer because the bartender had no idea what the name was; all she could offer was that it looked as strong as Guinness. Murky dark brown pour with a head that looks like a float of chocolate milk. Chocolate malt aroma. Thick chocolate milk flavors with a bit of bitter cfooffee. Dry finish.

On draught tap at MacTarnahan’s Taproom in Portland, OR--Poured a cascading deep black with hints of amber and cherry red. Notes of coffee, chocolate and vanilla. Slightly sweet and mildly medicinal. Crispy burnt finish. Complex and one of the best Pyramid beers to date.

Sampled at the brewpub on October 18, 2007. Foamy caramel coloured head with a deep near opaque body. Very coffee flavour with a mild nose. Texture is thin. Average.

On tap on the Seattle location as "Brewer’s Reserve Nitro Stout." Pours cloudy blackish brown with a persistent tan head. Dry coffee and roasted malt aroma. Medium body and nearly still by the time the nitrogen departs. Lightly sweet taste with a tarry finish.

On tap at Pyramid Alehouse, Seattle, billed simply as Nitro Stout
I’m not entirely certain of the background of this brew - I thought it was a standard product but apparently it hasn’t been sighted in years. Dark brown colour with fake head. Slightly toasty aroma. Acrid burnt character, thin body, some toastiness. Any hint of hop bitterness and malt sweetness either isn’t there or is obliterated by the nitrogen. Gak.

on tap at pyramid alehouse. vanilla and cocoa powder aroma. i wasn’t expecting any fruity flavours but there was some nice strawberry jam and quite a dry finish. probably the best of their beers

Pitch black with a long-lasting creamy brown nitro-powered head. Nice roasted malt flavour, with some chocolate and a decent bitterness. Some faint fruit (cherry/strawberry) also comes into play along with a lactic sourness. Some alcohol sneaks in here, but still a nicely crafted brew.

Tap@Pyramid Alehouse. Surprising given that their other beers were a bit below par, but it may have been because i had it after their awful tripel. Surprisingly dry, some nice toasty/roasty malt, not bad, decent length i suppose, drinkable, if a little uninteresting.