Peak Organic Brewing Company - Summer Session Ale

Peak describes their Summer Session Ale as a marriage between a summer wheat ale and a West Coast pale ale, and we think it’s a pretty appropriate way of looking at things. Bright golden and lightly hazy on the pour, this brew offers up prominent fruity, citric hop aromas overtop a fairly robust core of pale malt, mild caramel, and warm biscuits. On the palate, expect the hoppy citrus notes to evoke lemon and, to a lesser degree, orange, although there’s a touch of grassiness as well. Clean, tangy wheat notes merge with a bready pale malt character to form the prominent backbone of this brew, but the big hop notes are no joke at 61 IBUs and maintain authority, keeping this summer ale dry, crisp and refreshing. The bitter hop acidity in the finish refreshes the palate and prepares it for another sip—a good quality in a session ale and one that makes it quite food-friendly as well. Try pairing with grilled seafood dishes, shrimp scampi over pasta, or just some simple hot dogs and burgers off the BBQ on a warm, lazy weekend. Enjoy!

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 www.peakbrewing.com