Our first brewery: The Pike Brewing Co.

Aug. 6th, 2009

Although we'd both been there before, this was the first time we'd been to the Pike Place Pub and Brewery with a focus on their beers. We wanted to taste as many as our stomachs would allow while saving room for dinner.

Here's what we ordered:
The Sampler (six 4oz. pre-selected samples ranging from dark to light)
Monk's Uncle (8oz.)
Weisse (8oz.)
Si's dinner: Cheddar Bacon Burger
Ericka's dinner: Bavarian Style Bratwurst Jumbo Dog

The Verdicts:
Pike Naughty Nellie - "Golden Organic Artisan Ale. Named for the madam at LaSalle where Pike was founded. Light and curvey with plenty of sex appeal." ABV 4.7%; IBU 34; OG 1.048
Si: Light, chemical flavor
Ericka: Don't like, tastes chemically, great name though

Pike Pale Ale - "Heirloom Amber. Classic full-bodied ale with copernicus and nutty malt flavor. The first Pike beer brewed in 1989." ABV 5.0%; IBU 32; OG 1.052
Si: Great stuff
Ericka: Boring, not my thing

Pike IPA - "India Pale Ale. Deep golden amber color with an assertive hop character and a delicate floral bouquet. One of '300 Beers to Try Before You Die,' by Roger Protz." ABV 6.3%; IBU 62; OG 1.062
Si: Good, hoppy
Ericka: Very perfumed, not my thing

Pike Kilt Lifter - "Scotch Ale. Ruby-amber color; medium hops; sweet malt character. Brewed with a small amount of peated Scotch whisky malt." ABV 6.5%; IBU 32; OG 1.064
Si: Very sweet, tolerable
Ericka: This is already a favorite of mine. This is a great beer to take to a party or drink with a hot dog.

Pike Tandem - "Double Ale. Dark brown ale brewed with barley, 10% wheat, hops, plus coriander and candy sugar for a complex rich flavor and a finish of tobacco and molasses." ABV 7.0%; IBU 25; OG 1.070
Si: Sweet, good stuff
Ericka: New favorite, with a hint of honey flavor; also good to bring to a party or BBQ or just any random day of the week with dinner.

Pike XXXXX - "Extra Stout. Sensuous and X rated with a gorgeous reddish-black color, great head, a deep dark-roasted flavor with tones of chocolate and coffee with a satisfying aftertaste." ABV 7.0% IBU 65; OG 1.073
Si: Chocolate, coffee
Ericka: Not at all sweet, more coffee than chocolate. Tasty.

Pike Monk's Uncle - "Belgian Ale. Big, full bodied and complex with yeasty nose, fruity esters and malty dryness." ABV 9.0%; IBU 34; OG 1.075
Si: Good, intense flavor
Ericka: Wow, that's good. Do notice the high alcohol content, though. Could get you in trouble.

Pike Weisse
Si: Ok, but bland
Ericka: Boring

We both really liked the food. In particular, the Pike Place Pub happily leaves the peals on their fries and has excellent in-house made mustard. It was so good, I went back later to get some to go ($5). Also, it's a very wheelchair accessible place. Lots of gentle wide ramps.