Rating: 5/5

Pike XXXXX Stout by Pike Brewing is a 7% ABV Foreign/Export Stout.

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
A full-bodied beer with deep chocolate color, velvety malt texture, and a dark-roasted flavor, with hints of smokiness and coffee. It combines the dryness of traditional Dublin-style stout with the strength and character of Imperial Stout.
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Thanks to Aaron at www.beermetaldude.com for hooking me up with this beer. Pike brewing comes from Seattle,Washington. There aren’t that many Pike brewing beers that we see in California and this is actually the first time I try this beer. Foreign/Export stouts are typically the ones that are similar to Guinness with the dryness and chocolatey taste but in many cases better than Guinness. Either way, this one seems intriguing and if it was recommended by Aaron, I will definitely try it. Cheers!

Aromas:
Dark fruit prunes, raisins, molasses, licorice and anise hints, roasted coffee, tobacco, dark cherry, dark chocolate, mocha, caramel, vanilla hints, soy sauce, pecan, hazelnut, plum sauce and brown sugar.

Flavors:
dark fruit prunes, raisins, figs, smokey notes, roasted coffee, mocha, dark chocolate, tobacco, dark cherry, dark chocolate, hints of pecan, hazelnut, earthy bitterness, caramel, vanilla, soy sauce, molasses, plum sauce, brown sugar, and campfire hints.

Aftertaste:
Dark chocolate, coffee, prune hints, dry earthy notes and caramel. No alcohol in the taste, easy to moderate drinkability, pitch black body and medium and somewhat syrupy mouthfeel.

Overall:
If Guinness was something like this, I’d drink it all the time. This is one of the best foreign/export extra stouts out there. It wasn’t as dry in the finish as I though and it really had some good complex flavors to it. I really think that if Guinness were to ever be like this, it be one of the best Irish Stouts out there. For now, you definitely know this Dublin-style stout will not disappoint. I would definitely get this again if I can find it.

Anime Corner:
Buddy from Kimi Ga Yobu Megiddo No Oka De was used in this pairing since I wanted to not only describe some of the flavors of the beer and the label, but also the whole Pike aspect as well. The weapon mainly not the fish. While Buddy does seem to carry more of a scythe, in the picture I took, the handle part is very long, almost like pike or a spear. The dry but sweet aspect of the style of beer here is shown through her cold shoulder expression as she is not looking towards the audience but still standing like a total bad ass.

Sources:
http://files.sharenator.com/karen_artist_kimi_ga_yobu_megiddo_no_oka_de-s1024x768-352659.jpg