Derby Lager
Pike Brewing Company
- From:
- Pike Brewing Company
- Washington, United States
- Style:
- California Common / Steam Beer
- ABV:
- 5.5%
- Score:
- 82
- Avg:
- 3.5 | pDev: 7.43%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 4
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Jan 02, 2018
- Added:
- Oct 21, 2013
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 3
SCORE
82
Good
82
Good
The dog days of summer inspired us to brew a lager-style beer in honor of Pike’s mascot, a Boston Terrier named Derby. Like its namesake, it is soft and gentle, light and smooth, yet full of character. It’s fermented with California Common lager yeast at ale rather than lager temperatures. We hop with Magnum, Ahtanum, and Sorachi Ace (hops of Japanese origin.) The malt bill is made up of ESB, Vienna, Malted Wheat, Carastan, and Flaked Brown Rice, to give it a light mouth feel. A pure bred beer!
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Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)
3.42/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.42/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
22oz bottle, and nice to see Pike back in the fine environs of Alberta's better liquor stores.
This beer pours a hazy, medium copper amber colour, with two fingers of puffy, rocky, and somewhat bubbly tan head, which leaves a bit of streaky jumbo jet entrails lace around the glass as it slowly ebbs away.
It smells of grainy pale and caramel malt, earthy, sort of floral yeast, mild mushy apple and pear fruit notes, a touch of warm butter, and weak leafy, weedy, and slightly grassy hops. The taste is grainy, doughy caramel malt, a growing slick buttery toastiness, loitering lager yeast, sedate gritty pome fruit, and a still tame earthy, weedy, and leafy hop bitterness.
The carbonation is quite light and innocuous in its plain as the day is long frothiness, the body a decent middleweight, and mostly smooth, just that buttery essence 'contributing' a sense of clamminess. It finishes well off-dry, the toasty caramel malt and waning fruitiness continuing to have little to contend with in the way of bittering hops.
Overall, a plain, and kind of difficult to get ramped up about offering - it's not overly malty, it's just much less hoppy than it needs to be to achieve some sense of balance. Not a bad brew, but I don't think that this is the beer that I'm looking for right now.
Nov 24, 2015This beer pours a hazy, medium copper amber colour, with two fingers of puffy, rocky, and somewhat bubbly tan head, which leaves a bit of streaky jumbo jet entrails lace around the glass as it slowly ebbs away.
It smells of grainy pale and caramel malt, earthy, sort of floral yeast, mild mushy apple and pear fruit notes, a touch of warm butter, and weak leafy, weedy, and slightly grassy hops. The taste is grainy, doughy caramel malt, a growing slick buttery toastiness, loitering lager yeast, sedate gritty pome fruit, and a still tame earthy, weedy, and leafy hop bitterness.
The carbonation is quite light and innocuous in its plain as the day is long frothiness, the body a decent middleweight, and mostly smooth, just that buttery essence 'contributing' a sense of clamminess. It finishes well off-dry, the toasty caramel malt and waning fruitiness continuing to have little to contend with in the way of bittering hops.
Overall, a plain, and kind of difficult to get ramped up about offering - it's not overly malty, it's just much less hoppy than it needs to be to achieve some sense of balance. Not a bad brew, but I don't think that this is the beer that I'm looking for right now.
Reviewed by DerAtomsmasher from Washington
3.12/5 rDev -10.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.12/5 rDev -10.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Definitely underwhelming.
I can never get excited for anything from this brewery because they seem to slip on the simple styles like this one.
Hazy gold-orange with a small sweetness on the nose. Hop bitterness and a sort is grapefruit pith tang with no real malt sweetness on the tongue. You could be drinking Bud, I guess.
Sep 28, 2014I can never get excited for anything from this brewery because they seem to slip on the simple styles like this one.
Hazy gold-orange with a small sweetness on the nose. Hop bitterness and a sort is grapefruit pith tang with no real malt sweetness on the tongue. You could be drinking Bud, I guess.
Reviewed by mactrail from Washington
3.51/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.51/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
On tap at the brewery restaurant in Pike Market. The classic pale amber color. Modest foam and carbonation. Faintly hoppy, slightly malty with a hint of toasted grains. Fairly crisp, but not the sharp taste.
Resiny aftertaste with a mineral touch and a faint hint of bitterness. Aftertaste is just a slight beery mouthful, utterly forgettable. Not really much to recommend this, but it's a pleasant gulp.
Sep 27, 2014Resiny aftertaste with a mineral touch and a faint hint of bitterness. Aftertaste is just a slight beery mouthful, utterly forgettable. Not really much to recommend this, but it's a pleasant gulp.
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington
3.8/5 rDev +8.6%
3.8/5 rDev +8.6%
Poured from 22oz bomber into a pint glass.
Appearance: medium golden hue with no haze and a moderate effervescence. Head poured a finger of frothy white foam which had moderate retention. Pretty attractive, I'd say.
Smell: lightly sweet with a nice malty character, a hint of fruitiness, and a light dose of noble hops. I find it balanced and refreshing.
Taste: a little bit fruitier than the aroma, but in general there's a nice balance here of very-slightly-toasty malt and a light bitterness. Quite good.
Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent carbonation and a good creaminess for the style.
Overall: this is a highly drinkable beer; I'm finding I quite like it. It's a very traditional take on the style, but I find it well-made and quite refreshing.
Sep 15, 2014Appearance: medium golden hue with no haze and a moderate effervescence. Head poured a finger of frothy white foam which had moderate retention. Pretty attractive, I'd say.
Smell: lightly sweet with a nice malty character, a hint of fruitiness, and a light dose of noble hops. I find it balanced and refreshing.
Taste: a little bit fruitier than the aroma, but in general there's a nice balance here of very-slightly-toasty malt and a light bitterness. Quite good.
Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent carbonation and a good creaminess for the style.
Overall: this is a highly drinkable beer; I'm finding I quite like it. It's a very traditional take on the style, but I find it well-made and quite refreshing.
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