Beer Me! — Pyramid Ales Brewery — Kalama, Washington, United States

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Pyramid Ales Brewery

(Closed)

110 West Marine Drive
Kalama WA 98625
[Update]

Notes

Opened: 1984

Closed: 1997

Updated: January 8, 2008

Beer List

Amber Wheat

Dark American Wheat Beer with Yeast
- Date: April 22, 1996 (#1381)
  
  Package: bottled
  
  Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI
  
  Score: 12½ points
  
  Overall Impression (2½)
  Amber, not much carbonation nor head. Some caramel aroma, some wheat. Metallic hops in front of the wheat flavor.

Anniversary Barleywine

Barley Wine-Style Ale

Date: December 13, 1994 (#647)

Package: draught

Place: The HopYard, Pleasanton CA

Score: 15 points

Overall Impression (2½)
Hazy dark yellow. Bitter and strong aroma. Bitter and strong flavor! Also sweet, especially in finish.

Apricot

Garden (Fruit Wheat) Beer

Date: April 20, 1996 (#1413)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 12½ points

Overall Impression (2½)
Yellow opaque, moderate carbonation, big head. Apricot juice aroma. Apricot Hefeweizen. Not as crisp as draught version. Sticky sweet.
Date: March 18, 1995 (#810)

Package: draught

Place: The HopYard, Pleasanton CA

Score: 14 points

Overall Impression (2½)
Yellow opaque. Head fades quickly. Apricot aroma detectable from several feet away. Up close, it's almost perfumey. Good body, a little fizzy. Apricot flavor up front...some wheat sweetness in finish.
Date: January 15, 1995 (#713)

Package: draught

Place: Pacific Coast Brewing, Oakland CA

Score: 17 points

Overall Impression (3)
Yellow hazy. Big white head. Apricot aroma, but not overpowering like a lot of fruit beers. Sweet, apricot flavor. Finishes quickly...and clean! Based on their Pyramid Hefeweizen.
Date: June 24, 1994 (#361)

Package: draught

Place: The HopYard, Pleasanton CA

Score: 14½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Cloudy yellow. No head. APRICOT aroma. Nothing else...would have enjoyed some beer character. Tastes like pricot sauce. Finishes pretty clean, though. I don't like fruit beers.

Best Brown

English-Style Brown Ale

Date: April 26, 1996 (#1395)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 15 points

Overall Impression (2½)
Amber, moderate carbonation, OK head. Hint of caramel aroma, hint of brown sugar. Pretty smooth, pretty fair brown sugar flavor. Some hops show up in finish.

Date: June 27, 1996 (#1527)

Package: draught

Place: Ryan's Grill, Honolulu HI

Score: 14 points

Overall Impression (2½)
Black, big brown head. Hop aroma, some coffee. Lots of chocolate flavor. Fairly bitter, fairly smooth. Not as "espresso-y" as I expected.

Date: September 28, 1994 (#440)

Package: draught

Place: Pacific Coast Brewing, Oakland CA

Score: 16½ points

Overall Impression (3½)
Black opaque, good brown head. Coffee and chocolate aromas. Some sweet maltiness too. Good body. Nice mix of stout-like flavors. Smooth. Extremely long bitter finish...sharp.

Date: October 9, 1996 (#1882)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 14½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Black, big brown head. Coffee and hop aroma. Coffee and big hop flavor...too big. Overwhelms what's otherwise a pretty nice Stout.

Date: August 12, 1996 (#1548)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 18 points

Overall Impression (3)
Pretty black, thick brown head. Lots of black malt in the aroma, but not necessarily coffee-ish. Lots of black malt flavor, with lots of not-black malt backing it up. Really smooth, really tasty, with a nice bite at the end. There's no espresso in it, according to the label. The first non-Pyramid, non-Kemper beer I've seen from Hart.

Date: April 28, 1996 (#1401)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 14½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Dark yellow opaque, good head. Toasted-malty aroma? Very clean. Some wheat flavor. Good beer if you're not expecting a Bavarian Hefe.

Date: January 27, 1995 (#732)

Package: draught

Place: The HopYard, Pleasanton CA

Score: 14½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Yellow opaque. Musty clove aroma. Flavor isn't cloves, isn't bananas, but definitely phenolic.

Date: July 28, 1995 (#1112)

Package: draught

Place: The HopYard, Pleasanton CA

Score: 12 points

Overall Impression (2½)
Bright gold, OK carbonation and head. Fresh, slightly fruity aroma. Malty, some Tettnangs. I REALLY HATE THESE OVERBLOWN TETTNANGS.

Date: April 22, 1996 (#1382)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 14½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Amber opaque, OK head. Smoky aroma! Smoky, malty...tastes like a Scotch Ale! Long bitter smoky finish.

Date: February 15, 1995 (#777)

Package: draught

Place: The HopYard, Pleasanton CA

Score: 17 points

Overall Impression (3)
Amber, clear, great head. Caramel and orange aroma. (Not just "citrusy"...oranges!) Tastes like a big Brown Ale! Lots of caramel malt! Great body, clean finish.

Date: July 28, 1993 (#188)

Package: draught

Place: Full Sail at Riverplace, Portland OR

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression (3)
Very clear, pretty red. Caramel malt aroma and some hops. Not as much as you'd expect in an Oregon beer. Almost chewy but not quite. Real good balance.

Date: April 25, 1996 (#1391)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 14½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Pretty black, pretty brown head. Cold coffee aroma, some hops. Thick-ish, some black licorice flavor...sweet. Not very roasty. Licorice finish.

Date: January 21, 1995 (#724)

Package: draught

Place: The HopYard, Pleasanton CA

Score: 13 points

Overall Impression (2½)
Very dark red. Minimal aroma. Coffee flavor. Sorta thin. Very cold.

Date: May 22, 1996 (#1488)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 17 points

Overall Impression (3)
Amber, good carbonation, OK head. Toasty-fruity aroma. Thick, spicy...but not from the hops. Real pleasant and assertive rye flavor that lasts clear through the finish. If you've never tasted a rye beer before, this one will give you a good idea of what they'll taste like. First label I've ever seen with a URL on it. (Note: the URL http://www.HartBrew.com is no longer in service. Use http://www.pyramidbrew.com/ instead.)

Date: April 26, 1997 (#2059)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 19 points

Overall Impression (3½)
Very deep dark red, bit of haze, nice tan head. Very nice smoky nose. Sweet, smoky, treacly. Smoky sweet finish. Nice balance all the way through. Just a bit cloying at the end.

Date: February 1, 1997 (#2008)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 16½ points

Overall Impression (3½)
Deep red, clear, good head, no visible carbonation. Some alcohol, toffee aromas. Bitter, hoppy, dark. Sweet in the middle, with a hoppy, dark, smoky finish. Reminiscent in a way of Theakston's Old Peculier. "1996 English Fuggles".

Date: November 14, 1994 (#599)

Package: draught

Place: The HopYard, Pleasanton CA

Score: 10½ points

Overall Impression (2)
Good brown head. Dark red. Aroma is vaguely reminiscent of...Southern Comfort! Sweet with lots of alcohol. Fruity hop flavor. And again...tastes a lot like Southern Comfort.

Date: September 12, 1997 (#2242)

Package: bottled

Place: Willow Glen Liquors, San Jose CA

Score: 15½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Golden, moderate carbonation, huge head. Fruity, some malt aroma. Medium body, malt in the middle and a quick bitter finish.

Date: September 12, 1997 (#2246)

Package: bottled

Place: Willow Glen Liquors, San Jose CA

Score: 12½ points

Overall Impression (2½)
Amber brown, moderate carbonation, OK head. Smells smoky, maybe a little oxidized. Good body, malty, not bitter at all. Big carbonation bite. Sticky brown finish. Call it a Brown Ale and it rates maybe fifteen points. "Created by Pyramid's Berkeley brewmaster...", so it might have been brewed in Berkeley.

Date: April 26, 1996 (#1394)

Package: bottled

Place: Kamuela Liquor Store, Kamuela HI

Score: 13½ points

Overall Impression (2½)
Golden, good carbonation and head. Hoppy aroma, a little sharp. Lots of wheat flavor, fair amount of hop flavor. Sweet wheat finish.

Date: May 3, 1995 (#914)

Package: draught

Place: The HopYard, Pleasanton CA

Score: 17½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Red amber, very low carbonation, thin head. Caramel and alcohol aromas. Caramel flavor, nice bitter balance. Very nice...with alcohol in middle. Compare this one to 27-2181.