The Pike Brewing Co.
Seattle, WA
Available: CA, CT, AK, MT, ID, OR, UT, TX, CA, CT
Pike Place Brewery was first opened in the Seattle landmark Pike Place Market in 1989 by Charles and Rose Ann Finkel, already well known for founding Merchant Du Vin beer importing company. Auld Acquaintance winter warmer is spiced with orange peel, coriander, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
ABV: 5
ABW: 3.98
Color: amber
Bitterness: 32
Original gravity: 1052
Thanks to the label, I know this 5% copper-colored beer has orange peel, coriander, cinnamon and nutmeg alongside malt and hops. Nutmeg is the most obvious characteristic on the nose but the other fruits and spices also kick in and the beer just gets fruitier by the minute as it warms in the glass. It will also warm the proverbial cockles of your heart as coriander and cinnamon take pole position on the tongue with a rich contribution from hop resins and chewy malt. A rich and ripe finish has a good tangy bitterness but the spices are still there. Throw another log on the fire!
Hazy burnt orange in color and raising a thin tan head, the beer sends up an aroma of sweet spice. The palate is surprisingly light and dry, showing bright orange, bready malt, a hint of nutmeg, a drop of sherry. The finish is austere; it has an almost tonic-like character. Neither an overblown potpourri nor a winter powerhouse, it’s hard to know where to place this in the pantheon of holiday beers. If you’re looking for something lighter and brighter, try it with a rich duck dish, preferably with a orange sauce.
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.
