Well If you follow me on Twitter then yesterday you probably saw a preview of this post. I was lucky enough to join some of South Florida’s “big guns” of the Blogging Community at Total Wine for a tasting of the Entire Pike Line that is newly available in South Florida.
Lets start with some general information about Pike Brewing Company. The Pike Brewing Company was found in 1989 and currently resides in Seattle, Washington (that’s the state). Pike Brewing has recently been brought to South Florida as an exclusive deal for Total Wine and More. Total Wine is now the exclusive distributor of the Pike line. Currently the beer is offered to our area in bombers only but I have heard of 12oz bottles available to select markets on the West Coast of the USA. Total Wine is currently selling all but one of the bottles for ONLY $3.99!!! The Pike’s Monks Uncle is the only bottle that is no $3.99 and it is ONLY $4.99! Honestly this is a great deal! BUT HOW DO THEY TASTE?! Well instead of boring you with an entire week of reviews I have compiled “baby reviews” of each beer below for your reading pleasure.
Pike Naughty Nellie - 4.70% ABV – Naughty Nellie was as naughty as I would have liked her to be. Honestly she was more like Prude Nellie. Poured a clear yellow, and had a light domestic lager like nose. The body followed suit with nose, it was almost like Pike’s version of any of the major American Beers (Bud, Miller, Coors). That said the beer wasn’t bad for what it was. Perfect entry level beer for someone that might not now they like craft beer yet! Score; 2.80
Pike Pale – 5.00% ABV – The pale poured a solid amber color and was very clear. The nose welcomed you with a subtle nutty odor, with hints of malt and light fruits. Unfortunately the taste focused on the malt, and left me wanting more bitter hops. I honestly think that Pike’s Pale might have an identity crisis. It should be called Pike Amber, since that is what it is, the name suggest that it is a Pale Ale (which it is not). Score; 2.59
Pike *I*P*A* – 6.30% ABV – Ok so we all know I am a Hop Head so this was one of my most anticipated tastes of the event. The beer poured a gorgeous dark golden color, and was pretty clear. OHH NO! Malt takes front stage in the nose leaving a subtle Hop presence in the end. Shit, this thing needs a Hop Kick! And wouldn’t you guess it followed through to the taste…roasted malt dominates the palate, and hops are just an after thought, similar to cleaning under your bed…seriously who does that anyway? The only thing that was comforting was that according to Pike’s tasting sheet, a malty IPA was their goal. I think it needs more hops! Score; 3.01
Pike Extra Stout - 7.00% ABV – As new lover of Stouts this along with the IPA were my suppose to be my “happy moments” of the tasting. SHIT! they did it again and added crap to a beer that I hate. Ohh well, lets see..If you like licorice in your stout, and that’s the black type not red (licorice), then this is the beer for you. I personally could not get past the flavor. Score; 2.30
Pike Kilt Lifter – 6.50% ABV – Ok well if we run out of water ever we can move to the the Kilt Lifter, cause honestly that’s what it taste like. This is probably the weakest Scotch Style Ale I have ever had, flavor wise. Maybe and I said MAYBE this would be a good introductory beer to the style but I still would not personally use it for that. Although I might use it to water my plants with? Score; 1.45
Pike Tandem – 7.00% ABV – Well nothing can be as bad as the last beer….right? RIGHT! Thank God for this beer! The Tandem is a Double Ale that is full of flavor, smooth medium body, and quite refreshing. The nose is a nice blend of sweet malt and dark fruit. This is a STEAL of a DEAL for only $3.99!!!! BUY THIS AND DRINK IT NOW! Score; 3.91
Pike Monks Uncle – 9.00% ABV – Last one of the day! This beer got some heat earlier from one of my buddies in South Florida. Rob from DailyBeerReview posted this review of it;
click here. The review lead to a nice “discussion” between Rob and Ed Roberts (the sexiest man in craft beer). Ed said he loved the beer, while rob sinked it. Well I will tell you this, Rob’s sink was pretty lucky. It is probably the best beer that will ever go down that drain. This Triple Ale is pretty damn good for an American version of a Belgium beer. That’s all I am going to say about that, for only $4.99 you can go buy this and tell me if you disagree with me.
Overall this was a fun event, as I love meeting with everyone that was in the room. Simply put there are a lot of characters in the group. I would like to thank Ed Roberts and Total Wine for hosting the event! It’s always a pleasure!
A Hooligan is on the Loose!
That’s right, a hooligan is causing a ruckus and its only about an hour away from the World Cup Finals!!!! Actually I just have a Hooligan causing chaos this week on the blog. That said if you see this man please call the authorities.
CFC Hooligan, is relatively new to the craft beer scene. He is a world traveler and just came back from Europe with a few tasty treats. I decided that I would challenge his palate and see what he is made of. Here is a little note from the Hooligan;
YO YO YO! What’s up people! CFC Hooligan here and things are about to get rowdy! I got into craft beer through the import scene as I travel to Europe quite often to catch some real Football games. I personally have a little place in my heart for a nice pint of Carlsberg Lager. I am on my quest to find an American Beer equivalent. I met the Ferm back in 2001 at Florida Atlantic University and have been Best Friends with him ever since. I really enjoyed trying some of the beers that the Ferm shared with me this past week and look forward to doing some more reviews in the future! CHELSEA CHELSEA CHELSEA!!!!!!
