Pike Brewing Co.
Seattle, WA
Available: WA, OR, AK, ID, MO
The name “Naughty Nellie” Ale was given to the beer after Nellie Curtis, an enterprising woman who once ran an infamous “Bawdy House” at Pike’s original brewery location. Founded in 1989, Pike Brewing operates a brewpub in Seattle’s historic Pike Market.
Alcohol by weight: 3.7
Color: n/a
Bitterness: 22
Gravity: 1048
There’s a steady, gentle, but persistent clicking from the head; backed up with a pleasant and aromatic nose. This salute to an old Seattle bawdy house is well worth lingering over; the splendidly rich and finely balanced palate makes this beer a great memory, especially so because of the gentle tail offering its hop blessing on the way down. Cheers for the only beer left from the old Pike Street Brewery’s fine array.
An attractive honey color and a fruity, malty nose with a light hop note on top. A hard smack of hops greets the tongue, dropping away to reveal a lightly malty body with a quick flash of sweetness in the center. Hops take over again in the bone-dry, minerally finish. The label says that it’s a lightly hopped session beer, but it’s pretty snappy, like a light-bodied British IPA. I’d prefer a bit more hop aroma, but this would be quite nice with spicy crab cakes.
Described as “a crisp, refreshing session beer.” Attractive autumnal amber color. Light, clean, sweet barley sugar aroma, with a hint of tobacco-like hop fragrance. The palate follows pretty much the same path, from lightly malty sweetness, via the slightest encounter with fruitiness to a firm, long, hop bitterness. “Just enough hops to balance the sweetness of the malt,” continues the label. I would say that is needlessly apologetic.
Fred Eckhardt lives, writes about and drinks beer in Portland, OR. He is the author of The Essentials of Beer Style and Saké.
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.
Author of Ultimate Beer, the Simon & Schuster Guide to Beer and numerous other works on drinks, Jackson has created legions of converts to fine beer.
