Peak Organic Brewing Company - Slim Hazy

Peak specializes in IPAs, bright pilsners, and hoppy beers in general – it’s their thing and they’re good at it. This particular beer was brewed as a sort of light IPA, like an uber session IPA, and it’s impressive how much flavor they can deliver for such a light beer. On the pour, we get a pale straw color that’s very hazy, a bit like pineapple juice, with a spritely head of white foam. The mix of Calypso, Citra, and Simcoe aromas really drew us in as they deliver an array of subtle fruity facets evoking softer tropical notes like pineapple, edgier lemon-orange-grapefruit citric zestiness, and juicy stone fruit and pear-like tones, all wrapped up in a floral and very lightly piney-herbal wrapping. It’s one of those beers that seems to give us a different subtle shade with each sniff. As a low-cal session ale, we’re not expecting a malt bomb on the palate, but nevertheless there’s enough pale malt here to provide a smooth foundation for the expressive hops, and the hazy proteins in suspension offer satisfying texture. The hop aromas are well-realized in the flavor too, while bitterness comes through moderately firm, easily delivering a crisp, dry feel from start to finish. For pairings, we’re looking at light fare like grilled chicken, fish, or shrimp with a fruity spritz or glaze. A fresh salad with a bright vinaigrette will match nicely, as well. 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. The brewery produces a wide array of different beers, with an emphasis on IPAs, Double IPAs, Hazy IPAs, dry-hopped Pilsners, Pale Ales, and other hoppy brews. To learn more about Peak, visit their website at www.peakbrewing.com.