The Pike Brewing Co. Extra Stout

There are many different styles of beer but none have more different kinds within a style as stouts do. Some breweries will brew stouts with milk sugar, candy sugars, peppers, peppermint, coffee, chocolate, oatmeal, and some with fruits, creams, or age them in a barrel. Stouts can range from 5.0% ABV to as high as 18.0% ABV. This stout is The Pike Brewing Co. Extra Stout, 7.0% ABV with an IBU (International Bittering Unit) of 65. Extra Stout pours a thick black color with brown edges and a two finger dark beige head that is slowly dissipates into thick lacing around the glass. There was no light coming though the glass due to the big dark hue of the beer and the same could be said of the carbonation bubbles. The aroma on Extra Stout is big with raw chocolate that is coca like with a nice roasted scent around that. The taste on Extra Stout is semi sweet up front with a chocolate flavor and followed by a roasted note that has a bittersweet flavor following it. The mouth feel is rich and heavy and coated your tongue and mouth. Extra Stout has a bittersweet finish that is reminiscent of coffee bitterness. The after taste is more of that coffee bitterness with a hint of baker’s chocolate. Overall Extra Stout isn’t a sweet beer but has its moments, so it is getting a B here. This beer is really good until the bitterness hits and then it loses itself just a bit. It’s not overly bitter nor is the bitterness bad. The bitterness is good; it’s more of a coffee bitterness than a hoppy bitterness, which in my opinion is a better type of bitterness. I did enjoy this Extra Stout, and would have it again. So go out and try The Pike Brewing Co. Extra Stout and see what you think of it. Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly!