Naughty Nellie

Naughty NellieNaughty Nellie is a "golden artisan ale" from Seattle’s Pike Brewing. According to Pike, it’s named "for Nellie Curtis, madam of the LaSalle Hotel, where Pike was founded." It’s easy drinking at 4.7% alcohol by volume.

Appearance: Hazy copper colored (raw honey), light, thin white head. Sediment settled out into the bottom of the glass.

Smell: Spicy and hoppy—like a cinnamon and clove, with an earthy undertone. Contrast this to the one I had the day before, when there was definitely more citrus/pine to my nose… strange. (The website says both Centennial and Cascade, which are definitely "citrus" hops.)

Taste: Lightly malty with spicy hop—a little juniper, a little ginger, possibly. Nice hop flavor without being overpowering.

Mouthfeel: Nice semi-light and sessionable; a bit of spicy character left over on the tongue.

Overall: Drinkable, a decent summertime beer. Scratching my head a bit over the two different aroma impressions.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 83 out of 100 with 93% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.12 out of 5 and is in their 54th percentile.