Breaking down Pike Brewing Company's 2020 brewing schedule. Read all about and more.
As you click, scroll, stroll, and feverishly search for that last-minute gift consider this - 2020 is a new year. That's right, while you stress and strain to get through 2019, the brewers of Seattle's Pike Brewing Company are already looking forward to 2020 with ideas on beers for each month.
Now in its 31st year, Pike Brewing Company, much like the rest of the public, is trimming the fat by retiring some beers and welcome some changes for the better. A note to keen eyed reader. These are only the beers which will be on draft and doesn't reflect which of these beers will be available in cans.
Returning favorites.
Starting in 2020, Pike Brewing Company will release the following beers in 1/2 barrel (e.g. full-size keg), 12-ounce 6-packs, and 1/6 barrel (e.g. 'corny' keg) configurations: *with the exception of XXXXX, available in 12-ounce four-packs.
Left-behind, Pike Brewing Company has announced their Pike Place Ale and Nellie (formerly Naughty Nellie), will remain available in 1/2 and 1/6 barrel kegs.
Rotator Series
Moving onto their Rotator series, the brewery is starting from scratch, in a manner of speaking. Gone are 2019's Bitter Lake IPA, Peach IPA, and Reunion IPA. In their place, the brewery has released Octopus Ink Black IPA, Meeker IPA, Lemon Wheat, and *TBD. If the name Lemon Wheat sounds familiar, then you've enjoyed a pint or two when the beer was brewed as part of the Third Story series moniker. In fact, Octopus Ink is on draft right now!
Intriguingly hoppy with dark malt, Pike Octopus Ink is brewed with Chinook, Centennial, Citra, and Simcoe hops, then dry-hopped with Citra, Amarillo, and Simcoe. This ensures the citrus and piney hops character shines through its smooth and round stout-like base.
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Style: Black IPA
Grain: ESB, Munich, Chocolate, Choco Wheat
Hops: Chinook, Centennial, Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo
ABV: 8.3%
IBU: 75
°L: 40
More on Meeker IPA
Named for The Hop King of the World, beer pioneer Ezra Meeker, this IPA is “meeker” than average at a quaffable 5.2%. Absolutely bursting with Cashmere hops, Meeker IPA celebrates the past, present, and future contributions of Washington’s beer innovators. Look for Meeker IPA on draft and in 12oz cans starting in March 2020.
Third Story Series
Welcome to the Third Story, a series of imaginative craft beers from Pike’s newly expanded brewery cellar. This is our brewers’ playground, where Head Brewer Art Dixon and his team riff on styles they love and explore new ingredients from Cryo hops, to locally-grown malts, to experimental yeast strains. Adventurous beer drinkers welcome.
Beers in the Third Story series rotate and will be available for a limited and delicious time.
Starting with their 100% WA in January, the brewery follows up with Hazelnut Brown in March, and Kveik IPA in July. After this, the brewery is mum on their plans for the months that follow both in between and after September. With their releases scheduled, Pike Brewing Company says goodbye to Mimosa IPA and Blackberry Quad.
Cause Beers
Last year, Pike Morning After Pale (supporting Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and Hawaiian Islands) and Pike Pride (supporting the GSBA Scholarship Fund) were packaged in cans for the first time! This year, these beers will be making their 16oz debut along with PCC-exclusive Pike King of Cascadia series supporting Long Live the Kings. In addition, look out for year-round Pike Place Ale supporting the Pike Place Market Foundation and Pike Brewshed IPA supporting Washington Wild landing in April.
Recognizing that Pike Brewing Company can do more for those less fortunate, the brewery is happy to announce 3 new additional Cause Beers, besides their seasonal Pike Pride and Morning After Pale. Brewed in cooperation with PCC community markets, the brewery is happy to announce the upcoming release of King of Cascadia Helles, in March 2020. Following up King of Cascadia, the brewery will release Brewshed IPA in cooperation with Washington Wild, in April 2020. Before long, the brewery will once again release Morning After Pale, to benefit Planned Parenthood and in cooperation with Women in Beer. Transitioning to May, the brewery will once again support Pride Month with the release of Pike Pride, in June. Finally, the brewery has announced the release of King of Cascadia IPA, once again in cooperation with PCC and released in June.
More on King of Cascadia
A collaborative partnership between Pike and local co-op PCC Community Markets, the Pike King of Cascadia series supports our mutual nonprofit partner, Long Live the Kings, whose efforts help restore wild salmon and support sustainable fishing in the PNW.
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Pike King of Cascadia benefits local nonprofit Long Live the Kings whose mission is to bring salmon home for the long run.
Celebrate Pride month in Seattle with Pike Pride, a tangerine pale ale bursting with tropical flavors of hops and fresh tangerine. Raise your glass to diversity and inclusion: This beer supports the Greater Seattle Business Association scholarship fund which gives students the gift of education and works towards a future of equality.
Pike Pride is a Gold medal winner in the U.S. Open Beer Championship.
Juicy-sweet tangerine fruit is fresh and bright in this summertime sipper. Eukanot and Mosaic hops offer notes of mango, citrus, and a hint of fresh pine with low bitterness.
Pike Pride benefits the GSBA scholarship fund, which gives students the gift of education and works towards a future of equality.
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Style: Tangerine Pale Ale
Grain: Pilsner, Munich
Hops: CTZ, Eukanot, Mosaic
ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 20
OG: 1.048
°L: 3
More on Morning After Pale Ale
Brewed yearly by the women of Pike Brewing Company, Pike Morning After Pale has a light and creamy malt base and refreshing, bright hop character from whole leaf Citra hops. Pike Morning After Pale celebrates women’s current and historic roles in craft beer and benefits our friends at Planned Parenthood of The Great Northwest and Hawaiian Islands.
Pike Morning After Pale was first developed in 2011 by the women who work at Pike to recognize women’s current and historic roles in craft beer and support Planned Parenthood.
Pike Morning After Pale is brewed to coincide with Pike’s Women in Beer, the single largest event of Seattle Beer Week. Women in Beer and Pike Morning After Pale raise over $10,000 for Planned Parenthood each year.
Planned Parenthood’s mission is to empower individuals to make independent, informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive lives. They provide information, health care, and promote policies to make those services available to all.
Style: pale ale
Grain: Pils, Munich, Oats
Hops: Centennial, Citra, whole leaf Citra
ABV: 5.4%
IBU: 26
OG: 1.052
°L: 3
Recognizing the popularity of their barrel-aged beers, Pike Brewing Company's Wood-Aged & Rare series has expanded to include Sour Saison and Golden Sour. In addition to these, the brewery has confirmed their perennial favorites; Tripel Kriek, Pike Entire, and Wood-Aged Kilt Lifter will return. Look for Tripel Kriek in February, Pike Entire in February, Sour Saison in March, Golden Sour in October, and Wood-Aged Kilt Lifter in December. If you are eagle-eyed, you saw the Entire, noted in February.
Pike Tripel Kriek is a tart and juicy ode to one of Washington’s favorite fruits. To create Pike Tripel Kriek, head brewer Art Dixon second-fermented Pike Monk’s Uncle, our Belgian-style tripel, on tart cherries in Chateau Ste. Michelle chardonnay barrels.
Pike Tripel Kriek was aged over six months on tart cherries in Chateau Ste. Michelle chardonnay barrels.
Pike Tripel Kriek is a mixed fermentation sour ale featuring two strains of brettanomyces, one strain of saccharomyces, and one strain of lactobacillus.
Washington state is known for its incredible cherries.
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Style: Tripel Kriek
Grain: Organic Pale & Pils, Malted Wheat, Aromatic, Rolled Oats, Organic Sugar
Hops: Nugget, Saaz
ABV: 9.0%
IBU: 34
OG: 1.075
°L: 15
To create Pike Entire, imperial stout is aged in Woodinville Whiskey Co. bourbon barrels, then blended with Pike XXXXX Stout. The result is a bold and luscious wood-aged stout featuring notes of dark chocolate, overtones of vanilla, and subtle hints of oak from time spent in the barrel.
Style: Wood-Aged Stout
Grain: ESB, Maris Otter, Roasted Malt
Hops: Centennial, Chinook, Amarillo
ABV: 11.6%
IBU: 60
°L: 25
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Pike Kilt Lifter Scotch ale, Pike’s most popular beer, is aged in Dry Fly Distilling barrels. Pike Wood-Aged Kilt Lifter starts with the sweet and spicy notes of bourbon, wheat, and triticale whiskeys, and finishes smoothly with full malt character and a hint of smoke. A chest warming treat for winter!
Style: Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale
Grain: Pale, Maris Otter, Munich, Carapils, Crystal, Peated, Roasted, Malted Wheat
Hops: Magnum, Goldings, Glacier
ABV: 12.8%
IBU: 27
°L: 16
Finally, the brewery has announced they will have retired their Douggie Fresh fresh hop ale and will continue to release both their Wolf in the Woods and Fresh Hopped Space Needle, during the hop harvest season.
Autumn is hop harvest season in nearby Yakima Valley and the only time of year to enjoy fresh hop beers, which singularly capture the hop’s most fleeting flavors and essence. Moving quickly from bine to kettle, our brewers use their freshly-picked hop flowers within 12 hours of harvest. Each year, Pike's brewers select a new hops to feature in Wolf in the Woods. The 2019 version of Wolf in the Woods features Citra and Mosaic hops.
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Style: IPA
Grain: Skagit Alba, Munich, Wheat, Oats
Hops: Fresh Citra and Mosaic
ABV: 5.1%
IBU: 26
°L: 3
More on Fresh Hopped Space Needle IPA
Autumn is hop harvest season and the only time of year to enjoy fresh hop beers, which singularly capture the hop’s most fleeting flavors and essence. Moving quickly from bine to kettle, our brewers use their freshly-picked hop flowers within 12 hours of harvest. Experience our year-round favorite, Pike Space Needle IPA, brewed with fresh Cascade and Centennial hops.
Each year, the Pike brew crew drives to Chelan Valley Hops and loads up our van before hurrying back to Seattle to brew with the precious, aromatic cargo.
Chelan Valley Hops is the only commercial hop farm with irrigation rights to the glacial waters of Lake Chelan.
Fresh hops are also referred to as “green” or “wet” hops.
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Style: Fresh Hop IPA
Grain: Munich, Carapils, ESB, Maris Otter, Malted Wheat
Hops: Fresh Cascade and Centennial; Columbus and Summit
ABV: 6.0%
IBU: 58
°L: 3
For more information on these and other beers, visit https://www.pikebrewing.com/. Pike Brewing Company, The Pike Pub, Tankard & Tun, and the Museum are all located at or near 1415 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101.
About Pike Brewing Company
Pike Brewing Company is an independent craft brewery founded in 1989. Located at 1415 First Avenue in downtown Seattle’s Pike Place Market neighborhood, Pike Brewing is home to two locally focused restaurants, American gastropub The Pike Pub and seafood-focused restaurant and oyster bar Tankard & Tun. Come join us for a beer, meal, or brewery tour!
Pike Brewing Company is ADA accessible. The Pike Pub and Tankard & Tun open at 11 AM daily.
Update: Pike Brewing Company reached out to confirm Pike IPA, Pike Kilt Lifter, Pike Monk’s Uncle, Pike Space Needle, Pike Pils, and Pike XXXXX Stout will be available in 1/2 and 1/6 barrel draft kegs, as well as 12-ounce cans, with the exception of XXXXX Stout which is available in 12-ounce four-packs. In addition to this, Pike Place Ale and Nellie will be available exclusively on draft in 1/2 and 1/6 barrel kegs. Finally, the name of the Rotator IPA series has been updated to Rotator which reflects the inclusion of a Wheat Ale.
