If anyone had told me back in the '90s the Pete's Brewing Company would eventually go out of business, I would have been highly skeptical. The company brewed the famous Pete's Wicked beers, sometimes known simply as Pete's beer, and in much of the U.S. it was as common and as popular as Samuel Adams. But times change, and the Pete's brews are no longer with us. Fortunately, I still have some of my notes about many of the beers from Pete's. Unfortunately, I loved some of those beers, so I hate to see they're no longer with us.
Pete's Wicked Amber Ale
Beer score: 5.7
This drink has a very slight fruity taste to it, but it is a hardy, stout drink. Pretty smooth and wet going down.
Pete's Wicked Ale
Beer score: 6.1
This is the beer that started it all for Pete's Wicked back in the 1980s. This beer's taste isn't as robust as the color would make you believe, but it's not a bad beer at all. Still, thought it was something special in the 1980s, it wouldn't be so special today. This was a good beer for novice beer snobs to start with. A decent, brown ale with a touch of bitter. Kind of a beer for special times, but not necessarily something you need to drink all the time. If that made sense.
Pete's Wicked Behemian Pilsner
Beer score: 7.4
This is kind of strong in color and strong in taste for a pilsner. It has just the right mix of wet and fizz. Smooth going down, but not the first pilsner a novice should try. One of my favorite brews from the Pete's Wicked people.
Pete's Wicked ESP (Extra Smooth Pub) Lager
Beer score: 3.5
It seems the folks at Pete's Wicked got tired of all the premium beer companies trying to take away their customers by making cheap versions of supposedly good beers. Well, here is Pete's revenge. This beer is supposed to be a cheap, watery lager to satisfy even non-beer snobs' taste buds. In other words, this beer is competition for Budweiser and Miller. This beer does what it promises and that's about it. There's too much fizz and the only taste is definitely cheap and watery with a touch of sweetness. Beer snobs have to try this beer at least once just to believe Pete's Brewing would stoop so low. This beer doesn't rank so low because it's awful, it ranks so low because there's so little taste. But if this is your first Pete's Wicked beer, don't worry, they get much, much better.
Pete's Wicked Helles Lager
Beer score: 6.2
The creation of this beer was inspired by the lagers of Munich, Germany, according to the label on the bottle. Increadibly honey sweet on the first take, but then the fizz overpowers the flavor some unless you take a big swallow and hold it on your tongue. Not the best around, but definitely worth tossing back a few times.
Pete's Wicked Honey Wheat
Beer score: 6.2
According to Pete's Wicked, you are supposed to swirl this beer in the bottle before you pour it. I did but I don't really know if it helped or not. This is a great beer for people who like sweet beers. The froth is also tasty. This brew isn't very strong, except for the honey taste. Not bad.
Pete's Wicked Maple Porter
Beer score: 6.6
This brew actually tastes like maple syrup, except it's bitter instead of sweet (if that makes sense to you). This brew is so thick it should almost be called a stout instead of a porter, which isn't a bad thing in my opinion. It has a nice maple smell to it.
Pete's Wicked Mult-Grain Beer
Beer score: 6.5
The taste is a little too complicated for novices, but a good brew for beer snobs who are working their way up in beer tasting. This is a sturdy beer, a good, standard dark beer. It has a very stoutish taste. Supposedly a rye beer, meaning one of its main ingredients is a rye grain.
Pete's Wicked Pale Ale
Beer score: 6.3
This is about as typical as a pale ale can get. It's not a bad pale ale, it's just not an overly exceptional or notable one. Still, I wouldn't pass one up if you handed it to me. A good thirst quencher.
Pete's Wicked Red Rush
Beer score: 5.5
The bottle calls this an "American Red Ale." It kind of surprises me that Pete's Wicked has stooped to making a red beer, not that there's anything wrong with red beers, but during the 1990s red beers were kind of a gimmick beer that premium beer makers used to try and make people think their beer was something special (which is usually wasn't). This brew is definitely stronger than the average red beers sold in the U.S. It has a sweet, burnt maple flavor and a hint of spices that almost makes it taste like one of those obnoxious Christmas beers. It goes down a little smoother the more you drink, and by the third or fourth swallow it has lost some of its sweetness and gained a little more burnt maple bitterness. Worth tasting, but I wouldn't recommend it as a regular drinking beer.
Pete's Wicked Springfest
Beer score: 4.1
First introduced in winter 1998 to replace Pete's Wicked Mardi Gras. This beer went down smooth but tasted too spicy, almost like many Christmas beers. The label called this a malt liquor and an amber bock. Bocks are traditionally a strong, full-bodied beer. This brew has the coloring of a bock, but tastes more like a cheap malt liquor.
Pete's Wicked Strawberry Blond
Beer score: 7.8
I love this beer mainly because it tastes like real strawberries and not candy strawberry flavoring. There's a little sweetness here, but not enough to be overpowering. A strong, frothy drink. This beer goes well with cheese, preferably Swiss or cheddar. One of my favorite brews from Pete's Wicked.
Pete's Wicked Summer Brew
Beer score: 4.8
The bottle says this is a pale ale with a touch of lemon, but it tastes more like a weak lager. The lemon taste is almost non-existant. Too much fizz. Decent to drink with cigars.
Pete's Wicked Winter Brew
Beer score: 6.4
This beer isn't as strong as many winter brews. It's got a light tea smell to it. It's somewhat watery. Stout enough flavor.
