Pike Street XXXXX Stout - Pike Pub & Brewery

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.63/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Inky black. Medium hefted chocolate milk foam sits for length before settling to a hairline skim and crumbly edging. Lacing is thick and all over the place making a mess of blobby sheeting across the glass. In a word for appearance - pinnacle!

Aroma is tarry and roasted with heavy black malt dryness with some dark chocolate scuffing.

Taste is bold, rich, and gradually building across a wonderful, medium to heavy roastyness of black malt. Chocolate intercedes into the middle areas, then the fun begins with one fantastic drying length and character. Slight molasses tang sweetens the pot for a stint, notes of burnt/charred edges creep in there while the chocolate gets supurbly darkened, heavy, and dry with a solid smack of bitterness thrown in. A very solid smack! That's some of the most bitter dark chocolate I've ever encountered in a stout. It's awesome!

The body of this beer is quite nice. Full, round, roasted and textured as so with a substantial girth of roasty malt all the while maintaining a heavenly smoothness. Its just sweet enough on the underside for most of its length, gliding the roasted stuff along the path to the finish where the dark bitter chcoalte takes over and does its thing.

An excellent drinker as well as being damn tasty. What more could you ask except for more. And at 6% this blows the sessionable competition away as far as other big stouts that taste like this are concerned. Not that I don't miss a little kick like those found in most Impy's or Dbl's, these Foreign/Export stouts are just too damn tasty and drinkable not to be in the same league as some of those big boys. Most are loaded in the ABV dept. This on the other hand says drink up and enjoy! And enjoy, and enjoy...

One very nice stout!! Yum! Thanks C!

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2006 03:21:18 | More by tavernjef

mattmaples

Oregon

4.65/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

It is that time of year again!!! The Pike XXXXX stout hit town and man is it good!!! Blacker than night, thick chewy mouth feel, coffee, smokey, roasty flavors work together and finish with a light hop flavor and bitterness.

With this level of malt and alcohol it definately has aging potential. I just wish more of it was brought down.

The head could have been better, specially with the thicker body but the flavor was right on the mark.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2002 14:45:04 | More by mattmaples

icetrauma

Texas

4.65/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3 | overall: 5

Had this last night. And what a wonderful stout it was. Poured the typical black and left a 1.5 finger dark tan head. Smelled awesome. Big malt roasty scents of smoke with a touch of molasses. Taste was beautiful. Smokey roasted malt bordering on the taste of burnt malt. With hints of coffee and molasses. Finishing of with a smooooth finish of a touch of hops that lingered on the palate along with the coffee. Mouthfeel was a little thin for a stout. At 7% the alcohol was not noticed but it made its presence known on an empty stomach.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2010 13:38:38 | More by icetrauma

CBFanWish

New York

4.85/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

The darkest of the dark beers. As black as the darkest night in the depths of hell. The head is moderate, but fades away quickly. The aroma is very strong of dark chocolate and espresso.
The taste is very big on the chocolate with espresso and just a hint of a hoppy bite to it.
I love this beer. I've had this saved for St. Patty's day for some time and I'm glad I saved it. It is a true soul warmer. Screw Campbell's soup. Give this to the kids. It will warm them up just fine.
I wish I was back in Seattle.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2005 00:59:21 | More by CBFanWish

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.9/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Comes out of the bottle a rich, oily, opaque sable with a thick and fairly persistent fine-bubbled tan mead. Aroma is rich and smoky with firm tones of quality coffee and brown sugar - most inviting. Flavor is even better than the aroma - richly of roast fine coffee, unsweet chocolate and molasses, the flavors I like best in a stout. It is only slightly sweet and has a touch of bitterness. Texture is thick, smooth, oily and tingly. This is one lip-smacking stout, worth seeking!

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2010 20:59:33 | More by Cyberkedi