Pyramid Breweries
Portland, OR
Available: OR, WA, CA
Pyramid was founded in 1984. Today, the company brews over 20 different styles of English-inspired ales, German-inspired wheat beers and lagers and six different sodas.
Alcohol (wt.): 5.4
Alcohol (vol.): 6.7
Color: 12
Bitterness: 66
Original Gravity: 1069
Final gravity: 1017
Malts used: 2 Row Barley, Munich, Caramel, Carapils
Hops used: Tomahawk
Best beer yet from this pioneer micro. Satisfying golden color with hints of amber and a long lasting, creamy head. Nose is a virtual bouquet of odoriferous hops balanced with an underpinning of subtle malty essence. Humulus lupulus dominate on the palate, contrasting with a lighter mouth feel and long dry finish. Good with smoked salmon, even better with a Reuben sandwich, piled high with spicy pastrami, Russian style dressing and a half done dill pickle.
A playfully frightening name for a tempting and delicious beer. The head looks like clotted cream. The beer has an invitingly sunny color. The aroma has orange blossoms, but so much more. Everyone knows that U.S. hops can have citric characteristics, but this display is a tour de force. Orange juice, zest of grapefruit, citron pressé, sweet lemons. Jump into the bittersweet flavors of the hop garden. Its like rolling (with a good friend) in a giant salad of radicchio leaves. Dressing? No, undressed. Okay, honey-citrus dressing with sesame oil. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.
The entry at Beer Haiku Daily returns to mind when you look at lightning flashing on the bottle’s green label:
A storm’s a brewing
Thunderhead is looming large
Hops blows me over
That would be the point of this beer, not to be beguiling or complex, just blowin’ with Northwest hops. Citrusy (lots of grapefruit and some perfumy lemon) and piney from the aroma to the back of the throat. Solidly bitter and certainly dry. A good match for spicy food.
Founder of Merchant du Vin and the Pike Brewing Co., Charles Finkel is a pioneer in the marketing of craft beers in America.
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.
Editor at Realbeer.com, a professional journalist for 40 years and amateur brewer for 15, Hieronymus is the author of four beer books, including Brew Like a Monk.
