Pike Tandem

Editors Note: Fall 2015 release was Aged in Oak and can be found here:

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/beername/375517/

3.3

284 reviews

Seattle, United States

Community reviews

3.6 22 oz bomber. Dark brown pour with a medium tan head. Aroma of sweet malt and molasses with some hints of smoke. Medium to full bodied taste that hides the higher ABV. Nice brew.

2.5 Bottle. Pours a hazy dark brown with fairly little head. Eerily sweet in the nose, which is a bit odd for me. Taste is also a tad sweet, but with some bitter undertones. Not sure what to think of this...

3.0 Bomber. Pours deep brown/redish with a fizzy light brown head. Aromas of cola, spiced rum, caramel, booze, and a bit of pepper. Flavor is mild and somewhat strange. Fizzy carbonation, light chocolate, caramel, and some warming alcohol. Not sure whats going on here, but I enjoyed this just enough to not feed the drain......

3.4 May 2nd, 2010 - The American Strong Ale is a style I’ve never really grasped. It doesn’t have the garish flavor equivalent of a sour ale, or the caustic bite of a very hoppy brew. Still, it has something solid to it, like an amber, and always some kind of flavor hook that makes me glad I put scarce dollars into it. Pike Brewing’s Tandem Double Ale fits this categorization quite well. With a velvety soft smell, smooth and inviting, I’m coaxed in with the aromas of chocolate, but a bit rounder, like Reese’s peanut butter chocolate. I also catch a touch of sweet apple. Sipping on the dark, mahogany body I taste more of that rounded, divine peanut butter chocolate and apple, but seasoned with clove and cinnamon. I also catch some pumpkin pie spices. Conversely, deep notes of brown sugar and molasses take some of the spiky edge off the spice flavors The mouthfeel slightly dry and dusty, and is ill-suited for the kinds of flavor the Tandem is delivering. Strangely, I get the impression I’m drinking a spicy, herbal mixture with rich clay added in for body. There’s a lot here to recommend the Tandem ale, but some strange flaws as well. That seems to be this style for me.

3.3 pours almost black yet brown, small head, smallish micro CO2, some visible slow-moving CO2 streams. Sweet medium caramel malts on the nose. Bright fizziness up front, followed by a medium sweet (5/10) malted caramel mid, coriander in the background, creamy fizzy mouthfeel, light chocolate, finishes with mild hops, light oak, and a medium soft and lingering bitter finish (6/10). Medium complexity, medium depth, good transitions, good carry, nice drinkability. Solid though nothing exceptional.

3.5 650ml bottle pours a murky brown color with a 3 finger beige head that settled slowly to reveal some spotted lacing on the glass. Aroma is light chocolate and coriander spice with some mild citrus (orange zest). Taste is malty sweet with an orange zesty bitterness and light chocolate. Medium to heavy body with light carbonation. A very unique and interesting brew that was greatly appreciated.

3.4 Single bottle purchased at Zyn Liqour in Calgary, AB on 06/09/2012. Colour: Very dark brown with just the slightest hint of red. Medium creamy head. Nose: melted dark cocoa, still pond, red liqourice. Taste: Medium sweet, medium-light bitter, medium-light sour. The alcohol is quieted by a thick coating of semi-sweet milk chocolate. There is a long finish of tart berries.

3.9 Caramel, bread, molasses, and candy sugar in the aroma. Flavor starts sweet with candy sugar, molasses, caramel, and bread. Finish has some spice and a little bittering hops. I thought this was a lot better than the rating indicates--really, really good.

3.3 22 ounce bottle that poured a copper hazy brown color, with a aromas of nuts, caramel, light dark fruits, and some burnt toast. Flavors are the same as the aroma but with a slightly brown sugar taste.

3.9 650 ml bottle. Brown pour with a light tan head. Aromas of orange peel and roasted malt. Light and fruity (melons and oranges). Pleasant and easy to drink.

3.0 Deep amber gold color, nice thick head. Malty, doughy nose. Taste is dominated by malt. Sweat finish. Ok beer.

3.6 A bit off. Tastes like a delicious cigar and brown sugar. The pour is a dark, murky and opaque brown with a thick three finger head of beige foam. The nose is sweet and malty with a big corainder spiced note. The taste is sweet and malty with a big roast, notes of light chocolate, coffee and a big spiced flavor. the finish has an overpowering tobacco and light alcohol presence. Overall, a pretty good beer.

3.6 Bottle. Very dark brown color, thick beige head with good retention, solid lacing. Aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, gingerbread. Taste is moderately spiced brownies and gingerbread. Interesting flavor combination.

3.4 22oz bottle in a Trappist glass. Pours deep brown with a thick, lacy, beige head. Aroma of spicy yeast, some caramel and light chocolate malts, and some floral hops. Flavor the same, pretty sweet. Average texture. Not a bad beer.

2.6 The smell on this one reminds me of wet clothes. You know the smell after they have been sitting for awhile. Maybe if this was paired with food I could enjoy it, but just out of the bottle I am not really a fan.

3.9 Amazing smell, probably as good as an aroma can get. Overall not as good as a my nose judged this "cover".

3.2 1/15/12. 22oz bomber. Cloudy brown pour with a small tan head that fades. Rich aroma of caramel, nuts, butterscotch, and seltzer. Slightly tart and slightly salty flavor that shows caramel, butterscotch, nuttiness, and a bit of ash. Interesting.

1.8 Poured a hazy dark brown almost black with a thin creamy head. Aroma was hops and heavy soy sauce. Taste was about the same with fish added in. I don’t know if this was a bad bottle but I couldn’t make it through a glass.

3.3 Lightly hazy brown color with a small, off white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of roast, caramel malts, some vanilla, raisins, and burnt toast. Taste of maple syrup, brown sugar, caramel, light toasted notes, and a semi-sweet finish

3.4 Dark reddish brown, receding mocha head. Grassy, malty sweet aroma. Grassy hoppy taste up front, extremely well balanced with a dark, roasty sweet caramel malt backbone. Some dried fruit and spice. Softly carbed, clean bitter sweet finish. This might be too much for the average lagerboy. LBW (Lagerboys Be Wary)

4.0 very good stuff.. hard to find.. but i found it at a local winco.. good stuff hard body but smooth taste

3.1 pours dark brown (split a bottle with Todd) wasnt full bodied but had decent malted hop flavor all in one.

3.3 Pours a root beer brown color with cream soda colored head. Smells of maple syrup, caramel, and some chocolate. Taste is similar. Finish of coffee! Slight bitterness. Decent beer. Drinking this with my girl :)

3.5 Bomber. Bought at Super 1 in CDA, ID. Pours a hazy reddish brown with a small dissipating off-white head; collapses into a soapy collar. Aroma is strong in coriander; caramel less so. Fruit (plums) and Belgian funk come out after it warms up. Taste is sweet and meaty with a little bitterness around the edges. Has a nice Belgian taste to it but the body could be bigger.

2.7 Smells and tastes like malt and coriander. I’m not a big fan but it does taste like Seattle. Malty and monotone.

3.1 Dark hazelnut with a beige head. Hazelnut with wild barnyard yeast aroma. Sweet, dry. Full bodied, milky, salty.

3.3 Draught@Pike brewpub, Downtown Seattle Dark red-brown color, good creamy beige head, good lacing. Caramel, toasted malts and sugar, dark fruits (plums) in the nose. Medium-bodied. Candy sugar, plums, figs, caramel, some smoke and Belgian yeast in the flavor. Typical American style dark abbey ale.

3.9 On tap at Pike brewery. Pours hazy brown hue with an off-white head and light lacing. Aroma is of dark fruit, caramel, some Belgium yeast and hints of hops. Taste is of brown sugar, dark fruit, caramel and Belgium yeast. Medium, balanced finish. Nicely made brew.

3.3 Dark, clear, reddish=brown with a small tan head. Aroma sweet and strong of caramel, banana, vanilla, molasses and figs. The taste is thankfully a bit milder than the aroma, but it seems like it’s just a watered down shadow. The flavor is ok though. The alcohol is pretty well blended and the beer tastes much more balanced than expected, finishing with a nice mild bitterness. Medium bodied, smooth.

1.1 Very simple, not complex, nothing at all stands out for this beer. Balanced but in a very boring way. I cannot recommend this beer.