I didn’t go downtown with the intention of going to a brewery, but there it was and I was hungry. It seemed like a good idea to check out The Pike Brewing Company. I had a bowl of crab chowder, which was excellent, and a salad with an amazing tomato vinaigrette. I recommend the food here probably more so than the beers.  It is a bit pricey– probably because of location– they are located just up the street from the famous Pike Market.

I did the sampler of their regular year-round beers.  I figure I will be back and can try some of the more unusual ones then.  A friend told me that some of their beers were occasionally available in Florida, but I had never had any of them so I also wanted to get a feel for their overall style. The beers here were good but nothing stood out as exceptional.

The first beer was Naught Nellie, a golden ale.  This beer didn’t have much nose and was very malty in taste with an underlying bitter flavor.  Although light, it had a bit more flavor than many other golden ales.

The Pike Pale was another weak beer with not much nose and not much flavor. Although touted as an amber, I didn’t get much toasted malt flavor.

The Pike IPA had a nose with a hint of citrus and grass but was way too bitter in taste. The beer was not well-balanced, giving it almost a sour flavor.

The Pike Kilt Lifter was probably the best of their beers.  It had a nice, sweet, malty flavor with just a hint of smoke. It was well-balanced and overall very good, even for someone who generally doesn’t like a Scotch Ale. I have to wonder if Four Peaks knows they are using the same name for this Scotch Ale though. Someone should have points deducted for lack of originality.

The Pike XXXXX had a good coffee nose and nice stout flavors with a bit of stale coffee that lingered at the end. This beer was overall a well done stout.

PIke Monk’s Uncle was a great Belgian style beer with herbal nose and flavors. A very good tripel that is very true to style.

I will definitely find myself back at Pike, as I will be working right up the street and the beers are good. The food is, however, exceptional and a reason to visit this brewery.