Peak Organic Brewing Company - Amber Ale

Peak Organic’s Amber Ale presents a good looking reddish amber hue with plenty of fluffy off-white foam that sticks around and coats your glass. It’s nicely malty in the aroma department, with deeply caramelized notes and a bready, moderately toasty character, all overlaid by a touch of floral, lightly fruity and herbal hops. On the palate, the malts deliver a strong core of toasty caramel, shot through with a certain fruitiness. But this beer isn’t just malty; the hops provide a nicely balanced profile with touches of citrus and spice accompanied by an herbal note, all of which easily balances the residual malt sweetness. This amber ale finishes with a toasty edge that lingers a bit with those herbal hop notes. We found this to be another excellent sub-5% ABV brew that’s nevertheless packed with flavor. Peak recommends pairing it with grilled meats & veggies, smoked fish, poultry, burgers, port salut or tangy cheeses. Cheers!

Given its small population, Maine is home to a surprising number of craft breweries, such as Allagash, Geary’s, and Shipyard, just to name a few. The state just knows good beer, and we’re very enthused to bring you another great producer, Peak Organic Brewing Company, which, as the name suggests, is one of a handful of breweries devoted to producing USDA certified organic beer. The brewery was founded by Baltimore native Jon Cadoux, whose homebrewing experience stretches back to his college years in the late ‘90s. It was during that time that he discovered the merits of both organic food and beer, and how much better they tasted to both himself and his homebrewing brother Mike and their friends. After graduating from Harvard with an MBA, and surrounded by supportive friends and family, Jon took the leap and founded Peak Organic Brewing Company in 2005.

Peak’s focus is not simply on organic beer (produced with organically grown grain and hops), they’re dedicated to sustainability and purchasing their malts, hops, and other ingredients from local farmers and producers who share their philosophy. They’ve collaborated on beers with Taza, a producer of hand-crafted bean-to-bar chocolate, as well as Coffee By Design, a local artisanal coffee roaster. In fact, their Espresso Amber Ale became the first Fair Trade Certified beer in the US. To highlight local production and to showcase the effects of regional terroir on a finished beer, Peak released their very unique “Local Series” beers, a set of four brews with identical recipes but featuring malts and hops produced in just one particular state, either Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, or New York. To learn more about Peak, visit their website at http://www.peakbrewing.com.