Space Needle Golden Anniversary 2012 Vintage IPA - Pike Pub & Brewery

UCLABrewN84

California

3.79/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to GRG1313 for sharing this one at his tasting.

Pours a clear orange with a foamy bone head that settles to a small cap on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, and citrus zest aromas. Taste is much the same with citrus zest flavors on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that smells a bit better than it tastes in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 01:24:34 | More by UCLABrewN84

hreb

Washington

3.66/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pike's 2012 Vintage IPA commemorates the Golden Anniversary of the Space Needle. But can it compare to Genesee's Golden Anniversary Ice?, or for that matter, the can GA Ice comes in? Only one way to find out!

22oz bottle into tapered pint glass. Beer pours a hazy golden yellow with moderate white head. Big C-hop aroma -- very West coast. Big C-hop flavor, too. Grapefruit and citrus peel through and through. Mouthfeel is pretty light, resulting in a pretty refreshing brew, despite serious IBUs.

The flavors here are really good but I prefer a bit more balance in an IPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 03:30:17 | More by hreb

Braz

Washington

3.64/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Purchased at Safeway.
Appearance: Amber color, cloudy but think it's from the chill haze. Thin white head that leaves light lace.
Smell: Zesty, with citrus notes. Pine or cedar like wood scents too, very nice.
Taste: Citrus notes and slight hop bitterness. Pretty balanced with the mild sweetness. Aftertaste is just a touch heavy with citrus rind to me.
Mouthfeel: Nice meaty mouthfeel. Smooth, decent carbonation.
Overall: Very decent, just didn't like the aftertaste too much.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 06:47:27 | More by Braz

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.95/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

22 ounce bottle - $6.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Heavily hazed, pale golden body with an initially lofty, but not very long-lived, off-white head.

Smell: Moist, juicy, pithy citrus rinds with a backing of white pine (and a bit of cracked pepper) over restrained malt notes really just giving a single note of biscuits sans biscuit tops.

Taste: Modest maltiness, just a bit of biscuit innards, really. Very low sweetness. Sharp, citric hops with orange oil and white grapefruit, but also some ribbons of fresh, resinous pine. Sprinkling of pepper, too. Maybe even a thin hint of peach as well. Displays a full bitterness which rolls along unopposed until the dry with a soft, sleekly textured finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Overall: A fine IPA, in that is was fine.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 00:43:04 | More by ChainGangGuy

DenverLogan

Colorado

3.15/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

From a bottle through Letspour. Poured in tulip glass.
Pours a golden copper with significant head and particulates/floaties from the first pour.
Pine aroma.
Significant carbonation...big mouthfeel....slightly mouth purkering bitterness.
Flavors of grapefruit rind, minerals, cream of tartar, citrus, bitter hops, chalk...quick dry finish.
After a quick look at others reviews nobody else that I saw mentioned particulates...I think this brew may have suffered some travel abuse...temperature changes and perhaps too much shaking. I wish I could leave this review and hit a button saying need another taste from another source. If I get another bottle I'll revise.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 04:48:48 | More by DenverLogan

oberon

North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

There is something about a classic Pacific NW IPA bursting with cascades,I just love em.Poured into an imperial nonic a deeply hazed burnt orange infused golden with a frothy sticky one finger white head that left a perfect ring of lace as it settled very slowly.Big grapefruit rind in the nose, it's fresh and really jumps out at ya,English malts provide some biscuit malt notes.Sharp grapefruit and grassy flavors over top of English malts wich are pretty big in their own right,just a well rounded resiny IPA.I may like this more than many but I just really like a big cascade hopped ipa,it's true to what I think an American IPA is,just my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 22:49:03 | More by oberon

Bitter_Echo

Michigan

3.73/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours like them all, and dark, and unfiltered, and hazy and tannic orange. Smells roasted grains and malt and some hops....thinking Centennial is obvious here, even if the other aren't. Tastes sweetish malt and toasted grains, then hops, mostly that rigorous resinous side, less citrus and fruit (not a bad or good thing, just is!). Mouthfeel is competently IPA-ish, and fizzy and refreshing and not full of syrup. Overall a solid IPA, if but a bit too malt-forward for me. Still, super happy to try something I couldn't get around here.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 22:22:15 | More by Bitter_Echo

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a murky orange with a moderate head. Lovely aromas of delicate citrus and honeyed malt. The taste is a bit harsher, with quite bitter tea-like hops as a backbone to the other flavors of citrus and malt. I think the beer has faded a bit, and the original flavors described have coarsened and been muted. I wouldn't wait any longer to drink this if you have a bottle- down the hatch!

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 21:47:44 | More by Georgiabeer

kemoarps

Washington

3.83/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Beautiful pour. Golden amber, with a nice little creamy head. Laces the glass nicely.

I'm getting the sweet bready malt background, with piney/citrusy hops. Nice, but not outstanding.

This one tastes better than it smells (not that it smells bad). Well balanced IPA, with a smoothe sweetness underlying the citrusy hops.

I like it, I'm glad I got it, and I would certainly drink it again, but I'm not going to go out of my way to find it. If you happen to come across it and it piques your interest, give it a try, but don't looking for it.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2012 22:17:11 | More by kemoarps

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.58/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a nice glowing golden orange color with some cloudiness, small dirty white cap and minimal lacing

S: Fresh pineapple, grapefruit and orange zest and some light floral notes

T: Immediate bitterness and caramel with a orange zest, grapefruit burst that lingers a bit, th bittering continues start to finish. Speaking of finish, it is rather clean and dry surprisingly.

M: Medium bodied, well carbonated, bittering hops remain on the palate, a slight astringency on the back

O: Not a bad job by Pike. Usually not a fan of anything they do but this was alright.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 02:19:33 | More by barleywinefiend

beertunes

Washington

3.8/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Ah, another from my nemesis, the 22oz bottle. Poured into 10oz goblet. Poured a a clean, lightly hazy orange-gold color with about 1/4 inch of white head that quickly dissipated into a ring which ended up holding on fairly well, but left very light lacing.

The aroma was a bold dose of pine and floral hops, with a bit of grapefruit playing a support role, and had a good grainy malt base for a foundation. The grapefruit hops were more prominent on the tongue, and the malt base held them up well. There was also some lemon and pine notes floating around the back.

The body was good, just a bit fuller than average, and while the the beer wasn't sticky, the flavors did linger at the back of the tongue for a bit. Drinkability was surprisingly good. IPA's tend to bore me quickly and this one held my interest all the way through the hated 22. I'd have multiples of this brew. Overall, a very good brew that's a must try if you see it and is probably worth setting up a trade for if you live outside of Pike's distro area.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 18:08:40 | More by beertunes

flagmantho

Washington

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz bomber into a pint glass.

Appearance: murky orange hue with a finger of frothy ivory foam atop. A good looking IPA.

Smell: nice blend of citrusy and earthy hops atop a relatively sweet malt backbone. A solid IPA recipe.

Taste: nice sweet malt right up front with citrusy, fruity and somewhat floral hops. These then transform into a bigger bitterness at the end and the citrus takes over most of the heavy lifting, flavor-wise. Pretty damn good.

Mouthfeel: medium to medium-thick body with a good level of carbonation and a nice creaminess. Quite good for an IPA.

Overall: a solidly good IPA; easy drinking and quite satisfying. I'd definitely have this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 03:48:17 | More by flagmantho

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a 22oz bottle and enjoyed on 5.9.12.

A - Pours a cloudy orange with a one finger light tan head. Good retention and nice lacing.

S - Pine, grass, grapefruit.

T - Bitter pine and grass, slight carmel, lemons.

D - Good carbonation and body.

O - A nice bitter IPA. I wish the citrus was a bit more forward, but enjoyed it all the same.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 04:18:42 | More by HuskyinPDX

Mora2000

Texas

3.68/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to 5000 for sending me this bottle.

The beer pours a hazy yellow-orange color with a white head. The aroma has a lot of floral notes, as well as some pine, orange and biscuit notes. The flavor is similar, with a lot of orange and resin notes from the hops, which are complimented by the biscuit malt. There is a low amount of bitterness. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 04:47:47 | More by Mora2000

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.33/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Black Raven pint glass. Pours a slightly cloudy medium orange amber with a nice one finger fine white head with good retention and lacing. Nice aroma of pineapple, sweet malt and herbal and piney hops. The great aroma is followed by taste, with a nice sweet malt body overlayed with aromatic herbal and piney hops, grapefruit citrus. Good bitter finish of herbal hops. A good medium body with pleasant creaminess. Very well done and one of the best non-imperial IPAs I've had. A nice surprise for a commemorative beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 03:24:56 | More by LiquidAmber

draheim

Washington

4.13/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle into a tulip. Pours a slightly hazy, glowing golden orange w/ a sudsy white head, moderate carb, good retention and plenty of lacing. Looks great.

Aroma is pungent tropical citrusy hops w/ some pine. Smells really clean and fresh, enticing.

Taste is pale dry biscuity malt and lots of NW hops. Orange, grapefruit, pine. Sharp bitter finish.

Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, refreshing, clean.

Overall I'm very impressed. This is a classic West Coast IPA through and through, a beer worthy of the Space Needle's 50th anniversary. Well done Pike.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 03:26:12 | More by draheim

mdaschaf

Washington

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Had on tap at Pike. Review from notes.

A: Pours a very nice orange color with a one finger white head on top with great retention, lasting the majority of the time it took to drink the beer. Sudsy lacing formed down the sides.

S: Very nice hop aroma up front, lots of grass and tropical fruits, some grapefruit, pineapple, and lemon. Just a bit of bready malt in the middle, but the hops dominate the aroma.

T: Rather earthy, lots of grass and citrus fruit flavors including lemon and orange zest, as wells as some grapefruit. Just a touch of light caramel.

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Slightly dry with a bit of a bitter finish.

O: Probably the best beer I have had from Pike thus far. Much bolder and fresher tasting, maybe it will come back at some point.

Serving type: on-tap

02-12-2013 05:42:58 | More by mdaschaf

Monkeypaws

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

In a word, yum!

Served twice at the brew pub. This is a great IPA where the hops freshness and the bitterness trump the alcohol rating. You could almost session this beer, which has the chops of many a DIPA.

You just can't beat brewery fresh beer.

BTW, the waitress told me this is the one all the brewers drink, nudge nudge wink wink.

Serving type: on-tap

01-25-2013 02:54:27 | More by Monkeypaws

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Draft at the brewpub in Seattle.

Pours a dark golden orange color with dark straw colored edges and a 1.5 finger white head that slowly settles into a lasting cap.  The glass is left coated with soapy lacing.

Earthy hop aroma with lots of grassy pine countered by citrus and tropical fruit notes.  Hints of pineapple, grapefruit and lemon peel counter the earthiness nicely along with subtle biscuity pale malts.

 Medium bodied with a blast of bitter, sticky hops that linger over the sweeter notes into a bitter dry finish.   Really dank and earthy with lots of grassy, earthy pine and soil.  This is countered by tropical fruit and citrus sweetness as well as some biscuit and caramel malt. Lingering bone dry finish.

Serving type: on-tap

08-06-2012 03:04:46 | More by corby112

PicoPapa

Connecticut

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap straight from the source. Pours a translucent golden color with a thin layer of head. Some lacing. Aromas of very citrusy hops. Floral as well. Taste is a nice amount of bitter citrus and floral hops. Extremely drinkable IPA. The floral hops come out more at the end. Nice bitter, floral finish. Mouthfeel is a bit thin, but helps with the drinkability. Too bad this is a one time brew. Overall, well crafted IPA. Worth having again if the chance should ever arise again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2012 02:58:06 | More by PicoPapa