Pike Auld Acquaintance Hoppy Holiday Ale - Pike Pub & Brewery

Halcyondays

California

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bomber,

A: Pours a dark amber with a medium white head, fair head retention, very limited lace.

S: Nice Yuletide notes of nutmeg and cinnamon, Christmas cookie, sweet Munich style malt.

T: Similar to the nose, lots of spiced bread and fruitcake, nowhere near as heavy a flavour as I would have expected. Still certainly enjoyable.

M: Light to medium-bodied acutally, with a soft carbonation. Easy drinking in this style.

O: If one wants a lighter winter warmer akin to a Marzen in body, this would be a good pick up. Nice price as well.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 04:06:43 | More by Halcyondays

twelveinches

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

03-13-2013 05:53:41 | More by twelveinches

kojevergas

California

3.05/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Bottle acquired for under $2 at a local Total Wine. 650ml brown glass bottle with branded pressure cap served into a Uinta pilsner glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are below average. 5.50% ABV confirmed.

Served straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a two finger beige colour head of fair cream, decent thickness, and average (~2 minute) retention for the average ABV. Body colour is a transparent copper-amber. Floating yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Generally appealing. there's nothing unique or special here, but there are no overt flaws.

Sm: Cinnamon and nutmeg spice are the first thing I notice. Pumpkin. Biscuit malt. Generic floral hopping. A mild strength aroma. Maybe light bready yeast. No alcohol is detectable. Meh.

T: Pumpkin, light orange, and heavy cinnamon and nutmeg spice. Generic malted barley; biscuit malt. Caramel. It's a bit pedestrian, but enjoyable. Balanced decently. Not real complex or subtle, but there's flavour here. Depth of flavour is average. The spicing is a highlight. Clove. Biscuity yeast.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Adequately carbonated. Thickness is average. Generally suitable for the flavour profile, but it doesn't feel custom tailored to it.

Dr: Generally drinkable and enjoyable. Pedestrian. I definitely wouldn't get this again, but it's not bad - it's just mundane. Quite underwhelming. I'm glad to have tried it, but it's just not exceptional. It will satisfy winter warmer fans.

Low C+

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 05:01:17 | More by kojevergas

JohnBender

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

03-10-2013 22:05:49 | More by JohnBender

spycow

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

03-10-2013 19:41:05 | More by spycow

fishguyac

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

03-04-2013 00:24:42 | More by fishguyac

tfsimpkins

Florida

2.75/5  rDev -25.3%

02-13-2013 15:35:43 | More by tfsimpkins

powdersoldier

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +15.5%

01-27-2013 19:59:26 | More by powdersoldier

TheSixthRing

California

3.8/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Appearance - Pours a semi-hazy, deep amber color with an off-white, finger width head. Fair retention. Nice, thin layer of head remains floating on the surface, while lacing on the glass is streaky/spotty with fair stick.

Smell - Aroma is full of holiday wonder; notes of nutmeg, orange, cinnamon and gingerbread abound, rounded out by a pleasant floral hop presence.

Taste - Follows the nose. Strong, toasted bread notes with the spice of cinnamon and nutmeg creates a gingerbread-like flavor upfront, while the hops come through mid-taste and strengthen near the finish, with character that ranges from orange rind to floral and grassy bitterness in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Medium to full body, with moderate carbonation. Smooth. Finishes with a fair amount of dryness.

Overall - A good, solid Holiday brew. Nothing particularly original or noteworthy, but it's nice to drink on a cold, winter night.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 04:52:23 | More by TheSixthRing

Hopmodium

Washington

4/5  rDev +8.7%

01-14-2013 00:38:00 | More by Hopmodium

PackerBacker

4/5  rDev +8.7%

01-05-2013 07:54:08 | More by PackerBacker

silverking

Florida

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It pours a dark copper with a light tan head. The head has decent retention and moderate lacing. The aroma is spicy, but the holiday kind of spicy. Piney hops, Cinnamon and nutmeg with an ever so slight hint of orange zest. The taste is a bit sweet and the orange comes through more than in the aroma. The taste is slightly roasty with the aforementioned holiday spices. The finish seems a little woodsy to me, in a good way. The carbonation is moderate with a moderate/heavy mouthfeel. This is a very nice member of the seattle brewing co. repertoire.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 22:25:19 | More by silverking

NickThePyro

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

12-24-2012 04:44:15 | More by NickThePyro

HKUSPC40

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%

12-04-2012 07:32:59 | More by HKUSPC40

irishgreensoda

Washington

4/5  rDev +8.7%

12-01-2012 18:23:04 | More by irishgreensoda

Braz

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +15.5%

11-23-2012 16:04:55 | More by Braz

SBoyar1

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +15.5%

11-22-2012 04:43:02 | More by SBoyar1

adkieffer

Washington

4/5  rDev +8.7%

10-05-2012 22:57:20 | More by adkieffer

cortez

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%

09-12-2012 05:17:39 | More by cortez

chinchill

South Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle -- 2011 vintage.

Pours clear; iced tea color with a large,frothy, durable tan head. Moderate amounts of sticky lacing get left behind.

S: nice mix of 'winter spices' and medium malt.

T: spicing is a bit excessive for my tastes, and certainly not subtle. Some bitterness seems to come from the spicing rather than the hops, which are hard to detect over the spices.

M: near medium body; perhaps a bit light for style. Good, medium carbonation.

O: This winter ale is not alone in being over-spiced. Unfortunate, because the underlying beer may be quite good.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 21:39:15 | More by chinchill

TJMcScmeebs

4.5/5  rDev +22.3%

05-21-2012 13:50:48 | More by TJMcScmeebs

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a clear copper, with a ½ finger of foamy off-white head. This maintains some robust edges, leaving back a fizzy looking cascade of spotty lacing. The aroma smells, as advertised, of coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange. It’s coming on pretty strong here in the nose. A light grass feel and some sweet maltiness sit along the back.

The taste is pretty much the same mix of spicy and zesty flavors, with the orange in particular standing out to me in a positive way and seems to be brought out a bit more by the sweetness of the malts. A green citric bitterness runs through the middle of this, leaving some firm bitter pith in the finish which lingers with some leftover spices. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and crisp on the tongue but then more smooth and creamy as this spreads out into the mouth. This is a nice feel that keeps an easy presence in the mouth.

I thought this was interesting mix of hops, malt, and holiday flavors but came on a little too strong for me with the spices. I did appreciate the lower ABV and easy feel here though, making this more drinkable than it should have been for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 14:13:48 | More by Kegatron

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.08/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

poured a golden-amber with about a half inch of head which quickly diminished. a little light in color for a winter warmer. smells of caramel, nuts, raisins, cloves. tastes mildly fruity but very sweet.. actually reminds me of my mom's homemade tomato preserves. nutty and caramel flavors with a lightly boozey overtone. honestly a very good blend of flavors and ends up surprisingly mellow. medium bodied and slightly carbonated - feels heavy going down.

overall: a great and very cheap winter warmer. i'm going to look for another bottle next time i'm at the store. for $3 a bomber, you can't go wrong.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 08:29:03 | More by facundoCNB

jktedder12

North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a 650ml bottle into a chilled pint glass. Poured a hazy coppery color with a half inch foamy head. Lingering top foam with some nice lacing. Smell is scant, maybe some citrus & clove. Nice medium body mouthfeel, semi-dry. Definite taste of spices, cloves, citrus. Bit of orange peel bitterness along with the hops. Overall nice holiday beer. Very enjoyable and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 01:12:25 | More by jktedder12

Durge

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This holiday brew poured chilled into a pint glass shows a hazy iced tea amber color with a decent layer of off-white/golden froth on top. Lacing consists of some modest streaking. The aroma is a little more subtle than I've come to expect from most specialty brews like this, but it brings a complexity as you give it a chance (probably should have let it warm more). But I do get initially a mild swampy hop blended with tasteful spruce/pine sweetness and even further into it there's more wheat/graininess and a touch of toffee. Nice but I would like it to be a bit more bold. The flavors include herbal hops and mild spruce over mellow malt and swampy grains, nearly a peat quality at times. It really improves as it reaches room temperature and ultimately is no disappointment. It's a medium body brew with ample carbonation that provides a smooth, very drinkable holiday libation...or any time really. Another solid effort from Pike!

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 19:31:43 | More by Durge