Pike Brewing - Pike Old Bawdy (2012)

The color of this beer is a nice a thick orange-copper.  It is a thick looking beer, barely even transparent.  The carbonation bubbles up the glass is thin little rows, it looks like a matrix code.  There is a tiny, thin ring of head around the top edge of the glass.  It's an alluring beer, the look draws you i

The aroma is sweet and rarely strong.  I notice notes of fig, caramel and candied sugar.  There is definitely an alcohol scent to this brew as well.  This beer isn't shy about presenting itself to you.  As soon as you top off the wax covered cap, the aroma jumps at you. The fruitiness and sweetness of this beer will make some people scared to drink it, but not me.

On the palate this beer is has the perfect amount of carbonation, it tickles the tongue and supports the flavors of the beer very well.  Just like the smell, this beer isn't shy when you taste it.  The first thing you will notice is that even though it smells super sweet, it has a bitter, hoppy body.  The caramel and dark fruits present themselves in the middle of the sip.  The hoppy bite stays with you through the sip, and lingers as the main aftertaste well after you have finished the swallow.  There is not a noticeable taste of the alcohol which I found a little surprising.  As the beer warms the bitterness settles down and blends in nicely with the other flavors, but it is still the main essence of the beer.

This beer is like a coin.  The smell says sweet, and the taste says bitter.  The look of this beer is awesome, I love the color and the way the bubbles streaming up the side.  The beer smells strong, full of sweet flavors and alcohol.  Then you taste it.  While you do get some of the sweeter flavors of the caramel and fig, the main essence of this beer is the hoppy backbone that carries through the sip.  I give this beer a 3.5 out of 5.