Pike Brewery's Barrel-Aged, Stout-Hearted "Entire"

By the time you read this, alas, there will be virtually none left, at least not at the Pike Pub & Brewery where it originated. Not that the total production of 100 cases (of 12 22-ounce "dinner size" bottles) was all that much to begin with. Ten cases reserved for the pub's walk-in customers, almost half of which were sold, at $9.99 apiece, by the end of Monday's lunch rush. The rest are being distributed to bottle shops and high-end taverns, along with a few draught kegs.

At the heart of the brew is Pike's regular 5X Stout, aged for seven months in whiskey barrels purchased from Kentucky's Heaven Hill Distilleries. To boost the alcohol, this was blended with a specially brewed batch of 12 percent Imperial Stout, then cut back to 9.5 percent with the regular 5X. The result was dubbed "Entire," evoking the tradition of blending dark, aged beers with lighter ales, a common practice in Dickensian London.

It's been the talk of the beer blogs for the last couple of weeks, so Seattlest ambled down to the pub and brewery when it opened this morning and bought the first bottle to be sold commercially. (That's Shavonne Maes in the picture, pouring it.) Almost black, the stout smelled like espresso; it had a rich and creamy mouthfeel with virtually no carbonation and big, wine-like flavors. Hoppy, too (Yakima Valley, Willamette, Goldings and Columbus). Terrific with a burger, though it really merits a juicy steak. A beer worth laying down, too; it will improve with a year or two of age.

Pike Pub will tap its own quarter barrel at precisely 11 AM on Friday, November 28th. Black Friday indeed!

Pike Pub & Brewery, 1425 First Avenue, 206-622-6044