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It is a black pour with a 2 finger head of tan foam and leaves some nice lacing.

It smells very roasty with a bitterness from both the roast and I believe a dark chocolate like bitterness. Nice if a bit mild.

Lots of roasted malt in the taste and it does have notes of dark chocolate, a bit of coffee, and some light sweet malt hidden pretty well, as it should be, considering the style.

It's been many years since I've had this brew(in 12oz bottles); I think it's very cool that XXXXX still hits the spot for me when I've tried soooo many Stouts before I got to try it again.

It's a smooth drop, mouthfeel wise....close to if not full bodied and a lightish amount of carbonation.

Yeah, I reckon Pike made and continues to make a fine Foreign Extra Stout. Good on them.

Price: $7.50 Served In: Pint Glass

22oz Bomber
$4.35
Liquid Solutions

Probably not the night to be drinking a stout with as hot as it's been but what the hell? Pike 5x Stout pours the blackest of holes into my snifter. Not one bit of light can sneak through. The body swallows every bit of light that comes into contact with this beer. A 1+ finger brown head forms and slowly fades to a thick cap. Leaves drink lines down the glass after each gulp.

Aroma is like nothing I've smelled in previous stouts. Theres a solid smokiness in there that reminds me of smoked bacon. May sound strange but it smells damn fine. Mild roasted malts with a solid hop presence on the backend. Mild hazelnut in there as well.

Wow! What a delicious unique stout. That smokey bacon (or is it just campfire and I'm hungry) scent is in the flavor as well. The smokiness blankets a mildly roasted malt and hazelnut nuttiness. A hint of milk on the finish with a combination of burnt malt and hop bitterness. Delicious!

Mouthfeel is just how I'd like it to be. Medium bodied. Not too heavy.Sluggish carbonation that lets the brew roll along the tongue. Nice bitterness on the swallow.

An incredibly drinkable stout, especially with the robust smokiness. The alcohol level helps the drinkability as well.

I'm actually blown away by this brew. Before I ordered the bottle I saw it had good reviews but I didn't expect this. A really wonderful unique stout.

Reviewed: 6/11/07

Price: $4.35 Served In: Pint Glass

A - Pour produces a half inch of cocoa colored head. In fact, it looks much like the head on hot cocoa, down to the varying sized bubbles on the top. Dense foam sticks to every surface it touches. Body is very dark brown, almost black and completely opaque. Not a ray of light getting through this glass.

S - Nice roastiness is the first thing that comes to my nose. Milk chocolate and burnt cocoa. Rich and pleasant.

T - Much like the smell, but more roasty. The flavors start off with sweet chocolate, a combination of bittersweet chocolate and cocoa. A touch of lactose enters and leaves quickly. As the chocolate subsides, the roasty flavors come out and take hold. Big, bitter roastiness that only has a very slight coffee flavor to it. Dark malts all over the place. Bitterness gets a bit more bite, before it fades into the aftertaste with just a hint of the bite left on the tip of your tongue.

M - On the heavy side of medium bodied, with carbonation that needs a swirl or two to calm down a slight bite on it.

Overall - Very enjoyable stout that is full flavored without being 8%+. Well worth checking out.

Served In: Tulip

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

Served In: Tulip