Pike's Space Needle Golden Anniversary IPA brewed by The Pike Brewing Company - Seattle, WA  

Seattle's Space Needle turns 50 in 2012. In celebration of their golden anniversary, the Space Needle and their Sky City Restaurant held a competition among local craft breweries to choose a commemorative beer for the occasion. On January 31, 2012 over one hundred local beer experts, enthusiasts, celebrities, and media personalities judged beers brewed by 10 local breweries including Hales, Diamond Knot, Fish, Anacortes, Schooner Exact, Scuttlebutt, Elysian, Boundary Bay, and Pike. The beers, specially brewed to be the "Official Space Needle 50th Anniversary beer" were judged on overall impression; aroma; appearance; unexpected flavors; and innovation.
     

    
After two hours of sipping and sampling each of the beers with a sumptuous buffet of Sky City dishes, the judge's ballots were counted. "And the winner is: The Pike Brewing Company for Pike's Space Needle Golden Anniversary IPA." According the Pike president, Charles Finkel, "Like the Space Needle, we are an iconic family-owned local company. We brewed this ale to feature local ingredients including 5 different varieties of Washington State Yakima Valley Hops for a unique golden India Pale Ale that goes well with Sky Cities' local, sustainable menu. It is a beautiful GOLDEN color with an assertive hop character, and floral notes.