Pike Street XXXXX Stout - Pike Pub & Brewery

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Great drinkability for a hopped up stout, thanks to dnichols. Pours black with active character, above average mouthfeel. Hoppy without overbearing, and still balanced roast and chocolate that are lively and citrussy. King of hoppy stouts.Refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2008 03:36:48 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.13/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Burnt coffee bean brown--black in all but the brightest light--with minimal highlights. This beer is a veritable light-sucking black hole. The dark caramel-colored head is mega creamy and deposits thick chunks of brown lace that form a thick, fat ring above the opaque liquid. Pike Street Stout looks like it means business.

The nose is of concentrated, chocolate liqueur-laced, melted dark chocolate. Black coffee and hops add depth. On the palate, the beer possesses a heavily roasted maltiness that results in a sweet, medium-heavy, creamy mouthfeel. In addition, a definite citric hoppiness adds a certain zesty zing. The result is a point-counterpoint of competing flavors that is pure pleasure.

Something is keeping me from awarding a 4.5 for taste, but it's extremely close. The body becomes less full on the finish--never dropping below medium--and the bitter citrus rind lasts long after the beer has gone. Carbonation and alcohol are barely evident.

Pike Street 5X Stout is another excellent stout from a largely unheralded U.S. craft brewery. It's too bad that the vast majority of these fine beers are unavailable to those of us in fly-over country. This one would be in my regular winter rotation if it was readily available in Iowa. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2004 18:26:22 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The pour was nice. Rich dark brown in color with a huge head of tan that came up and over the top of the glass, reaching a height of close to two inches and staying there for quite some time. Very impressive side lacing as well let me know this was not one to be taken terribly lightly in any means! Big aroma of chocolate and roasted malts. Lots' going on in here with hints of molasses and smooth, brown sugar notes peaking up through a haze of peat. As I take the first sip, subtle chocolate notes override a definite hoppy presence here. Nice full body with smooth, cascading carbonation that really lets it float across the palate. Nice finish of strong hop notes and a smooth, almost light tobacco like aftertaste mixed in.

Overall this was a very drinkable and very smooth stout

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 00:23:44 | More by mikesgroove

UCLABrewN84

California

3.58/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a thick pitch black with a nice 2 inch beige head that fades to a small cap. Nice foamy lacing all around the glass on the drink down. Smells of roasted malt, coffee beans, cocoa powder, and faint whiffs of alcohol. Tastes of bittersweet chocolate, strong espresso, and an earthy grain taste. There is a strong bitter astringency after each sip. Good carbonation with a medium body. Creamy and smooth in the mouth. Overall, this is a pretty good stout but the bitterness is pronounced and detracts from the beer in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2011 03:03:40 | More by UCLABrewN84

brentk56

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a pitch black color with a frothy mocha head that leaves so many dots on the glass it has a pointillist effect

Smell: Roasty coffee and dark chocolate notes, with just a hint of citrus

Taste: Roasty, up front, with developing citrus and chocolate flavors that build by mid-palate with just a touch of sourness; after the swallow, the flavors blend together with a definite charcoal aspect on the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: An all around good example of the style, though a bit hoppy in a west coast way - nothing screams out at you but this is one well-brewed beer

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2009 22:39:06 | More by brentk56

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.53/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours an opaque black body with a medium-sized, beige head.

Smell: Aroma of rich, roasted dark malts with plenty of dark chocolate and licorice. Faint hint of soy.

Taste: Dark maltiness with an airy sweetness to it. Some licorice. Full roasted grain flavor. Super soft touch of floral hops near the roasty, dry finish. The taste, overall, has a little sourness to it.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Moderate carbonation.

Drinkability: Best beer in history? No, but it's a tasty, nicely drinkable stout.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2007 17:56:40 | More by ChainGangGuy

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle courtesy of Tpaliga: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a medium brown foamy head with low retention but good lacing. Aroma of roasted malt is pretty dominant with some light coffee notes also noticeable. Taste is quite dry with limited chocolate and coffee note and a medium bitter finish. This is like an imperial take on a dry stout, which is probably not something that I’ve really been looking for. Interesting but still way too dry for my taste buds.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2006 20:42:36 | More by Phyl21ca

oberon

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I have sampled this stout a few times in the past but now I can get it here it my area and at a pretty good price!Poured jet black into an imperial pint glass with a sticky lighter mocha colored one finger white head that stuck like glue to the glass as it settled into a frothy mass.Dark fruit,bitter chocolate,and heavy roast in the nose,quite earthy as well,this a definition of American style stout here,heavy roast and earth.Dryer flavors on the palate,big bitter chocolate and French roast coffee flavors, with subdued dark fruit, and molasses,its earthy and somewhat woody in the finish.If you like heavy roast and earth in your stout this is it for you.Very nice.

7.0% abv. per bottle label.65 IBU's.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2010 20:19:19 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Beautiful dark appearance. The body is a completely opaque black and the head is a creamy orange-brown. It drops quickly to just a collar and thin surface covering, but it leaves some very nice lace as well. The aroma expresses a sharp fruitiness, but it's not exactly the "burnt currant" aroma that's so common to the style. I expected it might lead into a tart flavor, but there's nothing like that here. With further investigation and a few swirls of the glass, some smokiness and even light caramel become apparent. It's not a really complex or rich aroma, but it's quite intriguing! The body is full with a mild and exceptionally fine carbonation that's silky smooth across the palate. Quite velvety! The flavor delivers the fruitiness promised by the nose, but it's awash in rich bittersweet chocolate and espresso-like roastiness. A bold bitterness balances and dries things out in the long finish where a distinctly smoky and acrid roastiness lingers. An exceptional stout that stands out for its unique character. Well worth seeking out!

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2003 18:33:56 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in my trusty Devil's Backbone willibecher.

Apparently Total Wine down here is carrying these exclusively (in the area). Right on. This guy pours an opaque black-brown topped by a nice finger of tan foam. The nose comprises roasted malts, smoky coffee, cocoa powder, and some light raisins. The taste is pretty similar, with notes of figs, coffee, chocolate, roasted malts, light molasses, and a slight touch of leather. The body is a solid medium, with a light carbonation and very smooth feel. Overall, a very nice and easy-drinking little stout; a nice change of pace from the overly heavy and chunky ones.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2010 22:23:46 | More by TMoney2591

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.38/5  rDev +9%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours ebony/black with a finger of mocha head. Sheets & sheets of lacing cling to my imp pint glass both vertically & horizontally; plus superior head retention

S: Cocoa, some leafy hops

T: Cocoa, dryness, iron & roasty malt up front. Much roasty malt, a bit of dark chocolate, coffee & a touch of herbal hops as this warms. Finishes roasty, slightlty chocolatey, w with slight astringency & leafy hops, that works for the style

MF: Rich, Fairly chewy with moderate carbonation

Drinks fairly easy, the complexity & dryness would make me want to move on after 2 or 3. Good take on the style, brings back memories of drinking this at the beach during those "frigid" (well some times the trade winds would kick up..)winter evenings on Oahu

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2008 04:16:52 | More by russpowell

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A solid pour produces a cresting, almost four-finger thick, rich, creamed chocolate brown colored head in my 25cl tulip glass. The head leaves lots of sticky lacing as it slowly recedes. The beer is just about perfectly black and doesn't pass any light no matter how close I hold it up to my desk lamp. Sharply acidic roast notes mix with a rich cocoa aroma up front. Other aromatic notes of salty smoked peat, burnt toffee, a rich toasted grain base, a concentrated cocoa note and an almost meaty rich malt driven note that I can't quite pinpoint (lots of Maillard browning and an umami effect), but it really boosts the richness of the aroma and provides a substantial foil to the up front burnt acidity.

Lightly sweet, but significantly rich, towards the middle the roast malt provides an acidity and dry burnt flavor that almost drowns out the malt sweetness, but in the finish the malt sweetness makes a comeback. Ultimately this beer finishes dry as a sharp, softly acid, burnt bitter roast character is what ends up lingering on the palate. Burnt, dark chocolate notes envelope the tongue for a time as the malt sweetness lingers and this beer has a certain velvet-like texture that helps boost the chocolate notes as well. This really is pretty thick and rich (especially for a beer of 6.6% abv), it is quite chewy, though the burnt, acidic, slightly acrid, roast malt definitely cuts through the richness a fair amount. Lingering in the finish is also a significant hop bitterness that couples with the roast bitterness. As the beer warms I begin to notice an almost salty, smoky character to this beer.

Despite being so roast dominated (and by this I mean the sharper, harsher notes), I am really enjoying this beer, there is enough other rich, offsetting / balancing flavors that this beer is just quite enjoyable. Just a fantastic, rich, stout that isn't too strong; in fact it is much richer than its alcohol might suggest and this is actually quite nice.

Purchased: Liquid Solutions

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2008 02:29:55 | More by Gueuzedude

Halcyondays

California

4.18/5  rDev +4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz. bomber,

A: Pours black with a perfect two finger tan head. Thick lace, great head retention. My first 5 in a while, but just an exemplary looking stout.

S: Heavy on the dark chocolate with some nuttiness and charcoal.

T: Dark bitter chocolate initially which comes back to earth mid-palate with creamed coffee. Stays sweet with some molasses notes and a lot of licorice. Dark chocolate finish all the way though.

M: Medium-bodied, creamy, smooth, bitter aftertaste but no roughness, fairly soft at the end.

D: In the new realm of bomber pricing being able to get a beer at this ABV and quality for under $4 is a steal. It looks like Pike may be coming into CA into a big way, and if they offer deals like this I'll be buying. It reminds me a ton of Deschutes Obsidian, if you like that beer you'll be a fan of this one for sure.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2011 03:02:52 | More by Halcyondays

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a totally opaque motor oil black, with a copious amount of foamy light tan head, that leaves lacing around the glass as it recedes. It smells of roasted chocolate malt and cafe au lait. The taste is floral and citrus hops, roasted malt, coffee grounds - a nice dry bitterness - and mild warming alcohol. The carbonation is quite muted, and the body is rich and velvety, with a medium weight. It finishes dry and smooth, with a note of mocha lingering. I quite enjoyed this - big flavors, but not too heavy in body or ABV to slow down my rapidly increasing pace.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2009 05:43:21 | More by biboergosum

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The stout is a deep black color with brown highlights near the rim of the glass. The head is a mocha color with about a finger's worth of height.

S: The stout is has a chocolatey roasted malt aroma. A deeper probe gives a malty depth that is similar to an Impy Stout.

T: The stout has a hop body that doesn't really betray itself in the nose. The malt body is roasted with chocolatey and very heavy, giving up bits of sweetness. The malts are complimented by that hop body. The hops are bold, adding a big dose of bitterness that matches nicely against the sweeter maltiness.

M: The mouthfeel is a good mixture of hops and roasted malts, having a kick without the ramped up abv of an Impy.

D: Very drinkable, although the roasted malts do leave a very dry finish on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2006 01:32:08 | More by akorsak

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to DHGranstrand for this bottle in a recent trade. Pours like midnight with a decent sized tan head. Nose is like molasses and tar, but really there isn't a whole lot of it there. Flavor is thick with molasses tones. Noticeable roasted aspect to it is there. Nice thick flavor profile that stays consistent. Just a slightly biting carbonation to it. Liquid is slick. Pretty nice to drink on this one. A very robust and well made stout. A nice sipper and a pleasure to drink.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2008 03:43:54 | More by RblWthACoz

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.78/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This was my first experience with Pike. Many love this brew and probably one of their better brews. Poured a pitch-black color stout with a medium brown foamy head with low retention but good lacing. Aroma of roasted malt is pretty dominant with some light coffee notes also noticeable. Taste is quite dry with limited chocolate and coffee note and a medium bitter finish.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2007 05:31:22 | More by barleywinefiend

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Monster sized head. Superior lace; chunky rings after every sip. Dark brown; so dark, no light passes through.

Creamy, chocolate milk aroma; great mild hop in the background. Attractive, balanced and rich.

Deep, dark cocoa--beyond semi-sweet--very bitter. Thinnish body, the only real negative. Long-lasting aftertaste of coffee grounds. Simply a delightful, heavy stout.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2009 02:40:35 | More by smcolw

Wasatch

Utah

4.33/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Corsendonk Christmas Ale glass a very nice black color, nice carbonation, nice one-finger fizzy tan head, which left some small islands and sticky lacing. The nose is big and malty, lots of dark chocolate, toffee, and caramel, with some figs, raisins, plums. The taste is sweet at first, big malts, dark chocolate/fruits, slightly bitter, with a dry finish. Full-Medium body. Very drinkable, this is a awesome tasting brew, surprised the shit out of me, never really cared for the Pike brew's, but this is an exception, highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2008 19:28:11 | More by Wasatch

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewpub.

Pours a deep and opaque black, no light gets through, oily looking, thin big bubbled brown head forms, few spots stick to the glass as it settles to a thin layer. Smell is intense, lots of chocolate and caramel, licorice, brown sugar, lightly roasty, quite sweet, biscuits, dark fruit, figs, lots of depth. Taste is similar, big licorice character, chocolate, light roast, caramel and brown sugar sweetness, fruit middle, sweet in the finish, maybe a touch of vanilla. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, slick, with low to medium carbonation. Definitely a good stout, I dig this stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2009 19:49:57 | More by Viggo

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours with viscosity noticeable. Appearance is black. That's what I like for my XXXStouts. A medium sized creamy compact brown head is erected upon the pour. Lacing comes in sheets. The aroma is burnt malts and smoke predominantly. Almost seems to be a barrel aged quality on the nose. Decent nose. The taste is of roasted malt and beechwood smoke. Not sure if they use smoked malt or not, but it's sure got a smoky characteristic. The bitterness of this beer lingers. Hop attributed as well as burnt malt. This one's got a little of that char and tobacco thing going on. For an XXXStout though, I was looking for this one to be a little more intrusive. It tastes just fine, but I was looking for more. Body is a little better than medium and the mouthfeel is somewhat creamy. Good beer overall. Not much more though.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2003 03:42:21 | More by Bighuge

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.96/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thick black stout. Beige head.

Aroma of licorice and coffee. No choco smell.

Taste, licorice is more restrained, coffee dominates. Sweet. Hoppy. Bitter. Chocolate more on the palate than in the nose. Dry. Good mouthfeel, everything sticks. Drinkable, but a little pricey.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2010 18:23:01 | More by Beerandraiderfan

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours pitch black with a two finger dark chocolate/coffee-colored head with excellent retention, only slowly fading into a lasting cap that coats the glass with chunky rings of soapy lacing.

Roasty, smokey malt aroma with lots of roasted coffee bean, bitter sweet dark chocolate, burnt toast, oatmeal, toffee and subtle earthy hops.

Silky chewy viscous mouthfeel with a lot of roasted malt, bitter dark chocolate, oatmeal, toffee, biscuit, roasted coffee bean and a huge bitter earthy hop flavor with some citrus notes. This is way hoppier than expected and kind of takes away from the silky maltiness that I liked so much. The finish is long and dry with some citrus notes but mostly earthy bitter hops dominate. Well masked ABV and smooth maltiness makes it pretty drinkable but the strong hop presence kind of hurts it in this area.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2009 18:37:01 | More by corby112

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.1/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the brewery in Seattle.

Pours a deep black hue, with a crema-like head of thick, frothy brown. Fine, spidery, crackling lace like smashed creme-brûlée toffee. Body is a little thin, but otherwise, it looks great.

Nose is toasty, burnt and crisp and unapologetically so. There's no faux-stout sweetness to this one: it's like high-carbon roasted coffee. At least it makes its point with confidence.

Taste is again low on sweetness, but for this, it manages to stay smooth, rich and full. The darkness and the roast has a paradoxical brightness to it, as though the biting dark is the highlight of the palate. It's acrid, toasty and solid. Good stuff. Feel is light, but with some smoothness.

This is a stout-lover's stout: none of this "stout as dessert" nonsense here. It's not exceptionally heavy, it's not sweet at all, but it manages to pull everything together in a coherent if forthright whole. Great stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

07-17-2012 05:08:22 | More by lacqueredmouse

DoubleJ

California

4.08/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Finally getting around this one after sitting in my fridge for a few months. On to the beer:

Black as night as it sits in the Lucifer branded snifter. There's a thick tanned head that's a finger's thick, and it leaves plenty of lacing around the glass. The nose shows excitment, led by some chocolate liqueur, then followed by a kick of piney hops and cocoa powder. It's a fun nose.

The taste turnns out to be more fun than the nose, which is saying something. Score-wise, it's right between the 4 and 4.5. Subtle hickory smoke hides beneath this yo-yo of hops and chocolate. The hops seem to be more "juicy" than piney though. Some burnt and unsweetened choclolate linger in the aftertaste. Its rich and smooth body are appreciated, which gives the impression that that it may be an imperial stout, but its listed 7% ABV would make it closer to export stout territory.

However you view it, this is a delicious stout that would make a great treat for dessert, or even to make custom chocolate sauce.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2011 16:42:28 | More by DoubleJ