Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale

Peak Organic Brewing Company
Brewed at Shipyard Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale
Portland, Maine USA

12oz bottle. Pours a murky reddish-brown. Initial crisp mouth-feel leads to a sweet, nutty, almost dry finish. Nice hop balance keeps it interesting and refreshing. Pretty good beer, worth trying.

12 oz bottle. After being disappointed with the Peak Pale ale, this was somewhat of a pleasant surprise. Pours light brown, but the aroma is barely noticeable - faint malt smell and not really anything else. Fairly hoppy, and a distinct flavoring of peanut/walnut that hits in the middle and end. Actually pretty decent - I think the lack of an aroma contributes to the low ratings. This brewery does have some weird labels.

Another subpar Peak Organic beer. This one has barely nay aroma but could pick up caramel malt. Pour was nice. A dark amber/light brown with a generous 2 finger tan head. Taste was pretty weak. I’d pay someone to find a nutty taste in here. Could pick up the caramel malt with a bit of a hoppy aftertaste. The problem is in between swallowing and the aftertaste the flavor disappears! Very odd. Nice carbonation, but just all around bad.

Sampled with brewfiend, compliments of J.J. Taylor distributor. Pours a semi-clear caramel amber brew with a creamy light tan/off-white head that has some good retention and thick ring. Aroma of sweet caramel malt and some grassy hops. Taste is medium bodied, light carbonation with a gritty/grainy texture of caramel malt and a dry hop flavor. Finish is a little gritty, mild bitterness and a dry hop aftertaste. Not sure about nutty aftertaste. Maybe the marketing person has some Beer Nuts with this beer - though I do agree that Beer Nuts will go very well with this product.

Sample from the distributor. Roasted malt nose (light) with a dry grain character to it. Light brown color. Grainy body with faint malt character.

Sample bottle from my distributor. Lightly roasted malt and a hint of grassy hops on the nose. Pours dark brown with a nice white head. Very malt-front flavor profile. Slighty nutty, grainy and some toast. Lightly hoppy finish. Medium bodied.

350 ml bottle from Bevmo. If I had looked at the label, i probably wouldn’t have bought this one. Who wants to see goofy white people on their beer label? That said, the beer is actually better than the ratings show. Medium brown color with a fizzy white head. Faint aroma that just smells mildly sweet. Molasses taste with a decent bitterness balancing it and a walnut taste in the finish. Decent.

17-Jun-07 (12 oz bottle, Best Enjoyed Before July, 2007: Purchased 15-Jun-07 at BevMo in La Jolla, CA) A big hit at a "New Beers" tasting I ran recently at BevMo La Jolla, this tasty nut brown ale pours a frothy, creamy, mountain of light-tan head capping the ruddy, dark-amber body. At two inches in height, the head leaves behind a dense blanket of lace as it takes several minutes to recede, giving me ample time to gaze upon the beer’s lovely appearance in my globe glass. Compelling aromas of buttered toast, sweet milk chocolate, yeast, light hops, charred firewood, and a gentle sourness introduce the beer nicely. Pleasant attack of moderately sweet chocolate and slightly sour nuts is immediately evident on the first sip, but quickly gives ground in the evolution where the expected toastiness tips a bit more toward almost-burned toast, giving the beer more of a moderately bitter roasty character than the nose suggests, with citrusy hop bitterness and roast leading the beer to conclusion. Body and carbonation are medium, and despite the sweet chocolate, the persistent roastiness and hop bitterness on the palate maintain balanced drinkability. Overall, this is a pretty decent brown ale that balances the sweet, tart and bitter qualities, and is organic to boot, without being plagued by a woodiness that often accompanies such endeavors. That said, the beer would probably be more enjoyable if the chocolate was more the focal point into the finish.