Pike Old Bawdy

Named to commemorate the La Salle Hotel, once a Seattle bawdy house and the original home of the Pike Brewing Company. Old Bawdy is a vintage-dated, high-gravity beer brewed with peated Scotch malt. It has a deep golden bronze color, a fruity rich taste, and an aggressive and dominating hop character with smoky undertones that are reminiscent of Scotch whiskey.

3.7

294 reviews

Seattle, United States

Community reviews

3.7 Bottle from a trade. Many thanks Kump! Orange colour, small white head. Aroma of caramel, hops, dark sugar and sweet maltiness. Medium carbonation. Good barley wine.

3.7 Thanks to JefVerstraete! Bomber sampled @ RBBWG IV. Double waxed! They first waxed the bottle & then they waxed the wax! How Spinal Tap. Dark amber, small off-white head. Nose is liquorish, varnish, sweet herbal, chemcials, paint. Taste is varnish, boozy, bitter herbal, orange peel, varnish, bitter marmalade. Oily, varnish-like body. Little carbonation. Too little nuance + varnish-like notes. Acceptable in general.

3.6 Bottle @ RBBWG 2015 shared by JefVerstraete. Nice red color, small white to off-white head. Smell and taste malts, sweetness, liquor. Medium body and carbonation. I know, short rating, but I was overwhelmed. Insane beer at an insane tasting.

3.5 Bottle at RBBWG shared by JefVerstraete. Pours orange with a big head. Bit sour, bourbon, vanilla, malts, caramel.

3.4 2011, #355B, 9.9% AVB, smooth over all, caramel, toast, roasty, resin, citrus, leather, earthy, alcohol, banana, butterscotch, cough drop, ginger, clove, licorice, raisin, soy sauce, vanilla, woody, red, hazy, tan foam, lightly bitter, lightly sour, light sweetness, full body, thick feel, average carbonation, soft carbonation, bitter,

3.7 With this rating, I finally make it into the Pike top 5. It was a bit of my goal to get in here and I have been able to do it in about 6 months living in Seattle (I doubt I’ll get to #1). I think it is fitting that I do it with the Old Bawdy. I have had this a few times, always aged bottles. Drank the 2008 bomber at Brouwer’s yesterday, so up to 7 years old and its very serviceable. I would not prefer it that way but doable. Hops die down and caramel malt comes out. Also drinking fresh sample for the first time at brewery in sampler. Raisin and grape in aroma. Would not think its 10 abv, its relatively light for style with no overpowering alcohol. Well attenuated. I dont believe the 90 IBUs either for such a unsweet beer. Some caramelized sugars. Much smoother and only mild bitterness with no sweetness covering it up.

3.6 "2006 bottle - held up pretty well (way better than an 05 old stock!). definitley sweet leaning - rasiny, fruit, malty...i’m sure the hops have faded, but it works. slick but full mouthfeel. gotta try one o these fresh!" (2010)

3.7 2014-08-08. Very dark brown body with a nice tan head that fades. 3+ Aroma of alcoholic sweet malt, which carries over to a rich sweet malt base in the flavour. Caramel and sugary notes, moderate alcohol throughout. Moderate green hops below suggestive of higher hop profile when it was younger. Smooth medium to full bodied smooth medium bodied palate, soft carbonation. Alcohol is noticeable but not brash, it feels like it has likely mellowed with age. Pretty solid take on the style. 2009 Vintage bottle shared by Blankboy

3.8 [My bottle (650ml) shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow, jercraigs & mabel -- c/o Glouglouburp. 2009 vintage] Pours a murky copper-gold with a spare bubbly white head. Nice aroma of bready malt, toffee, hops, some light sugary sweetness and alcohol. Flavour follows the aroma: Bready malt, tooffee, hops, alcohol and adds dark fruit and a bitter finish. Medium bodied. Quite good, not amazing but really nice.

3.5 The 2011 edition poured from 22 oz. bottle after cellaring for over 2 years. Hazy, rusty orange with a 3-finger khaki head and very good lacing. Aroma of caramel, bitter citrus, toffee, some dark fruit and a hint of tobacco. Taste of caramel, citrus, toffee, raisins and brown sugar. Full body and low/medium carbonization. Well over 2 years of aging and the hops still persist and play a significant role.

4.3 2013 edition, well here goes. This was poured into a chalice. The appearance was a fairly nice looking dark brown close to a black colored body with a fairly decent one finger foamy head that quickly died down and left barely any lacing. The smell, whoah, okay, I know this is from 2013, but hey where did those bitter citrusy hops come from, ah, well, honestly, it doesn’t bother me, and ya know, I actually like what this one does to the beer. Here’s what I actually get on the smell: a nice light citrusy to somewhat tobacco to a little bit of vanilla to caramel-ness in an invasive sort of manner. The taste was semi-bitter and somewhat sweet through the hops and the malts but nothing over the top for the most part. On the palate, this one sat about a medium with actually a fairly decent sessionability about this one (hah, a barleywine, honestly, I think I could have another, what’s the ABV on this one? Did it slightly die on me a bit since this is from 2013?) Overall, heck yeah, I’d have this again. Despite SN making a very good American Barleywine, well, this one can definitely back it up in style.

3.5 I’m not a barley wine fan but this one is very mild and smooth. Does have the bitter edge to it on the swallow and a nice little burn.

3.6 Bomber bottle while in FL. Huge caramel malt with floral hops. Medium bitterness. Bitter finish. Caramel. Pretty good.

3.7 Murky brown pour with quickly fading foam. Aroma is massively hoppy for a barley wine, some citrus and candied fruit. Flavor carries from the aroma, lots of dry woody notes, alcohol, brandied fruit.

4.5 2011 draft pour at the brewery. Smooth and delicious brew with malty and nutty aroma and flavor. Has a slighty roasted finish. Very impressed.

2.5 Reviewed 12/22/10. 22oz bottle for $10 @ Bottles in Spokane, WA 2007 vintage poured from bottle to snifter. A: Little to no head development, as expected from this three year ale. Shows dark copper ale with consistent stream of bubbles which dissipate almost immediately to the atmosphere. S: Caramel, vanilla, pine, figs dominate this ale. Multifaceted, this beer gives at different levels. As my nose moves from the lowest point to highest, each primary characteristic owns a layer and mends with the background. Excited to taste. T: Bitter. Too bitter. At three years of age, I expect BW’s to develop a level of sweetness accentuated with the finest details of the specialty malts mixed into the backbone, but not here. If you can trudge through the mud of bitter thorns, you’ll find orange rinds, vanilla, resin, grapefruit. M: Low carbonation, slick feeling, puckers my buds with the bitterness. Sad thing. I swallow and it makes me develop a low level mucus bolus (similar to a loogy after milk). D: At $10, and three years of development, this beer should at least be better than average. At this juncture, I feel bad I snatched up all three bottles they had, and gave two away for Xmas. Now I’m have to apologize. All this being said, maybe this beer is great fresh. Given the amount of hops obviously used early in the boil, one would hope they followed through with more mid boil and finishing hops for more body flavor. For now though, can’t hang with this one from a brewery with great beers. Serving type: bottle 12-22-2010

3.3 Vintage 2009. Slightly hazy nut brown color, small brown head. Sherryish nutty aroma. Medium to full bodied. Toffee, nutty maltyness, some bitterness in the aftertaste. Mellow barley wine (after 3 yrs).

3.0 2006 and 2011 side-by-side. ’06 was better with more oak and fig tastes. Fairly dry, almost no hop presence left. The 2011 tasted like I was drinking alcoholic green tea.

3.6 Bottle @ home, shared by Jake. Pours amber in color with a small off-white head. Nose is full of dark fruits, toffee, and caramel. Quite sweet. Nice citrus notes, raisin, and brown sugar. Quite sweet on the palate. Lots of caramel, toffee, brown sugar, and dark fruit. Carbonation is low, but good body. Solid all around.

3.7 Amber pour, off white head. Toffee, prunes, brown sugar, sugar cookies, spicy hops. Decent brew.

3.8 Dark toffee colored pour. Big off-white head with a ton of lacing after it slowly drops. Huge malt aroma with some fruit and nut mixed in. Huge malty taste. A bit warm. And dry. But pretty darn good.

3.7 2006 Vintage 1/16/2011: Pike Old Bawdy Barley Wine Style Ale... Aroma: Enticing blend of sugary caramel, toffee, dried citrus/orange peel, dates, and refined alcohols. Appearance: Not "pop" when opening the bottle; very little visible carbonation left; murky caramel color, definitely opaque; nothing to note on the top surface. Flavor: A punch of earthy, resiny hops followed by chewy caramel, toasted bread crust; tea medley; growing bitterness throughout; aged citrus hops, APRICOT, and subtle floral notes in the generously bitter and highly herbal finish; alcohol absent in the flavor but can definitely be FELT! Palate: Medium-full, smooth and milky; the carbonation isn’t really missed, but would have probably helped open up the aroma and flavor and bit more. Overall: Pretty darn good and probably could have hung on another 5 years or more; not too thinned out yet... still plenty of bitterness and supporting maltiness; strangely addictive (especially since I highly prefer English-style barleywines!) and growing on me with each passing sip... 12 fl. oz. twist-off cap bottle (10% ALC./VOL.; IBU 90; OG 1.096) from. Thanks! Rating #256 for this beer.

4.1 Pours cloudy brown with a thick off white head. Aroma is creamy, chocolatey, malts with a little molasses in the background. Heavy malt flavor up front with a creamy mid and a pleasant hoppy bitterness for the finish. Very straightforward barley wine, but very good one.

3.8 Strong aromas of oak, wood and amber malts. Copper appearance with a crimson tint and no foam at all. Flavor follows nose with noticeable bitterness and notes of oak. cinnamon, wood, whiskey, herbs and molasses. Nice alcohol warmth during the finish. Overall, pretty nice barley wine with a smokey texture.

3.9 Bottle. Pours a hazy darkish amber color with a small off-white head. Nose is actually fairly hoppy, with a decent amount of bittereness implied in the smell. Taste is a little bitter, but a good malt balance and a slight bite of the alcohol content. I like this one surprisingly much.

3.7 Bottled (2009 vintage, thanks TBone!). Hazy ambery brown colour, small beigeish brown head. Aroma is toffee, alcohol, caramel, spices, fudge and some mild sweetness as well. Flavour is tofee, mild sweet hops, caramel, fudge and burnt sugary notes.

4.1 2007 Vintage Tasted on 3/20/13 from a capped 650mL bomber bottle obtained in a trade quite a while ago. Pours hazy dark orange with a very thin beige head that leaves very thin lace. The nose is toasty and malty with tons of caramel, toffee, brown sugar, honey, and a nicely smoked peaty aroma. The flavor is the same with plenty of caramel, nicely bitter toasted toffee, honey, and a bit of peated malt. The body is full with just lighter than average carbonation and a very long malty and lightly smokey, nicely bitter finish. This is a great Barley Wine that is holding up great for the age.

3.4 2009 bottle. Pours a cloudy copper colour with decent off white head leaving some good lace up the glass though the head doesn’t have great retention. Aroma is sweet malts, caramel, and toasted malts. Flavour are sweet malt. moderate bitterness, dried fruit sweetness, caramel and some alcohol bite.

3.9 2009 edition.Pours a murky brown color with a thick frothy light brown head that lasts for a while. Aroma of caramel, toffee, toasted malts, biscuit and some floral hops as well as a faint alcohol. Taste is caramel, sweet toasted malts, dark dried fruits and a very minimal hop flavor and light bitterness. Body is very full yet smooth and very balanced with a nice alcohol warming on the finish.

3.7 22 oz bottle shared by beastiefan2k. The pour is a hazed golden copper with not much of a tan head. The aroma is soft melting caramel, honey, toffee, and a bit of dried fruit (fig). The taste is the nice soft caramel in the front, moving towards a yeast expression and the dried fruit in the back. The flavors are nicely integrated. The palate is medium to heavy bodied, low carbonation level and nicely integrated booze to the finish. Nice Barley Wine, thanks for sharing this one Eugene.