[Image: The Pike Brewing Company]

I've got some wine aging in my "cellar" (code for "closet"—not ideal for storing fermented grape juice, but that's life in the big city), yet I'd never heard of drinking vintage beer until I got an invite for a vertical tasting of The Pike Brewing Company's Old Bawdy. On Sunday, January 31, they'll be pouring Old Bawdy that was brewed more a decade ago in the pub's own Beer Museum.

The Pike, one of the pioneers of this country's microbrew movement, celebrated its 20th anniversary last fall by pouring a special brew spiked with Washington State cherries and aged in an oak wine barrel.

Charles and Rose Ann Finkel. [Photographs: Leslie Kelly]

This connection between wine and beer makes perfect sense when you consider the credentials of the founders, Rose Ann and Charles Finkel. New York City native Charles was an early mover and shaker in the state's wine industry, working for Chateau Ste. Michelle in the 1970s, before jumping into brewing beers cleverly called Naughty Nellie, Kilt Lifter, and XXXX Extra Stout, which are distributed throughout the country Boston is the newest market). The Old Bawdy, which is actually a barley wine, is named for a notorious Seattle brothel at LaSalle Hotel, which was the original home of the brewery and was run by "Naughty" Nellie Curtis.

Early in the micro movement, history buff Charles traveled to Great Britain to convince Samuel Smith to bring oatmeal stout out of retirement. In the '70s, he introduced U.S. beer lovers to the pleasures of Porter, Imperial Stout, Belgian Ales, and other then-exotic brews through Merchants du Vin, the import company he founded.

The couple was also instrumental in launching a Slow Food group in Seattle and they continue to demonstrate their eat-local commitment on the menu at The Pike's popular pub in the Pike Place Market, from the burger made from Heritage Meats ground beef to pristine albacore tuna from local Fishing Vessel St. Jude. And talk about the model of sustainability: Spent grain from the brewery is used as feed by area farmstead cheese makers, whose products are featured on the menu.

Those cheeses, it turns out, are the ideal partner for older malted beverages, which like wine, develop complexity and character over time. The Pike serves one of the best cheese plates in Seattle, especially considering the $10 price. That'll get you a selection of five cheeses, apple slices, and local honey. Sweet!

Even better, though, the Ploughman's plate showcases cheese and selections from Salumi plus what is arguably the best prosciutto outside Italy, from La Quercia in Iowa.

There are still a few open seats available for Sunday's Old Bawdy tasting from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Pre-paid ($25) reservations are required: 206-622-6044. More recent vintages—2006 to 2009—will be poured at 3 p.m. at a separate first-come, first-served $15 tasting.

The Pike Brewing Co.

1415 1st Avenue, Seattle WA 98101 (map)
206-622-6044

About the author: Former Seattle Post-Intelligencer restaurant critic Leslie Kelly has been working in professional kitchens since the newspaper folded in March 2009 and chronicling her culinary journey from pen to pan for Serious Eats. She also blogs at LeslieKellyWhiningandDining.blogspot.com and is working on a story-telling project for Northstar Winery following one wine from the vine to the table.