The Pike Tandem Double Ale

The Pike brewery is from Seattle and they have brought us a double ale. Double is always a good sign cause it usually means more alcohol. The Tandem is a light to medium brown and has a crisp nose with some mocha, caramel and spice. The mocha and caramel come to the mouth first, followed by strong spice that goes through to the finish. This is a really nice beer although the strong spice could throw some people off a bit. The hop is just there in a tingle of the tongue. I would buy this again, I really enjoyed it and the other Pike beer I had, Kilt Lifter , was pretty good as well. The Pike has started off strong. I look forward to sampling their catalog, purely for reviewing purposes.

Abita Andygator Helles Doppelbock

Abita is a brewery just outside of New Orleans and any business down there could use our patronage. I generally like things that say doppel or trippel, because those are happy words that mean more alcohol. This is of course the case with Andygator, 8% ABV. Andygator pours out a light to medium gold and has a mild honey and floral nose. It also tastes a lot like it smells, strong honey with floral notes and caramels. The hops keep a low profile at first but build very late on the finish. I actually kind of like the way they creep up on you it's different. This is a nice beer with something interesting to it and well worth giving a look. I don't think this earns a spot in the rotation but I might revisit it again sometime. As I get down to the bottom, I have to say smooth and likable, just like me.