Peak Organic Espresso Amber Ale - Peak Organic Brewing Company

3leggeddub

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Crystal clear, but very dark for even an amber. It almost looks like a brown ale. Nice half-inch off white head that dissipates quickly. The nose is mostly coffee, but there is some 'beeriness' underlying it.

The first few sips take a bit of getting used to. The coffee flavor is front and center, but the amber ale that it's hitching a ride with isn't a shrinking violet so there's a bit of a tug of war as to what exactly your tongue is telling the brain it's tasting at first. Things settle down quickly and find a balance and prove this to be an exceedingly drinkable ale. The up front espresso finishes with the expected roasted bitterness leading into mild hop bitterness at the edges. Definite maltiness going on so there is a touch of sweetness but not overly so. A nice medium body is perfect support for the taste and even though there's a good amount of malt there's no slick-sweet build up even after a couple of pints.

In the end I think what makes this a great beer is that it doesn't taste gimmicky. It doesn't taste like the coffee was an after thought nor is the coffee an attempt to mask an inferior amber. Peak's got a great example of balance right here. Absolutely check this beer out if you are a coffee fiend. Also for those beer fanatics who like coffee, but are not fans of the stouts and porters that usually play host to it Peak's may be the beer you've been looking for. Highly recommended and this, my friends is truly a breakfast beer.

And if you are a conscientious consumer not only are the ingredients of the beer certified organic, the coffee used is Fair Trade Certified™.

Serving type: on-tap

11-21-2008 15:24:05 | More by 3leggeddub

KevinGordon

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%

05-14-2013 15:54:11 | More by KevinGordon

Brewsed

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

05-10-2013 23:05:24 | More by Brewsed

GinDC

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%

05-08-2013 01:06:26 | More by GinDC

Chris_Mac

New Hampshire

3.83/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a beautiful rich amber, with a darkness lurking beneath. Thick soft foam meets the liquid component. Rich expresso beans smell freshly ground. Mild lacing apparent after the first sip, which is refreshingly light. Lacing becomes more apparent and layered with subsequent sips. Taste of the alcohol and malts are in the backgrounds, with mild carbonation. A very enjoyable beer, well crafted. Although I don't think the sum is greater than the parts, and am unsure if there is an ideal situation for an expresso amber, I will be trying it again to find that situation.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 00:03:49 | More by Chris_Mac

TappaKeggaBrew

Ohio

3/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Clear, medium-dark red-brown liquid. An aggressive pour yields 2-plus fingers of light tan head that starts to fade fairly quickly, although a thin layer lingers a long time; delicate lacing was tenacious all the way down.

S: Toasted grain and floral hops are the dominant aromas at first whiff. Then the coffee takes over and there's nothing else to smell after that. Sadly, it's not the rich smell of fresh-brewed coffee -- it's more like the cold coffee grounds you dump out of the filter from the previous day's last brewing.

T: There is a fleeting moment of grainy malt sweetness when it touches the tongue, but the coffee jumps up quickly and knocks the malt aside. The coffee is rich and acidic for a short time, and tart fruit makes a brief showing as well, but then it's all bitter, cold coffee in the finish (and it lasts...)

M: Moist, a little chewier that I expected from such a clear brew, and moderately crisp and carbonated. Just a hint of dryness in the finish.

O: Not my cup of tea... er, coffee. I think that the marriage of the strong flavor of espresso with an amber ale just didn't work -- it's potent flavor needs the strength of a porter or stout to balance it (or it needs to be added in more conservative measure), as well as the creaminess of the darker brews to take that bitter edge off. It's not bad, but it's certainly not good (especially compared to some other coffee flavored brews I've sampled in the past). I won't be going back for seconds...

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 02:28:37 | More by TappaKeggaBrew

mccallisters_dali

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

05-01-2013 03:51:29 | More by mccallisters_dali

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%

04-29-2013 05:52:05 | More by Kelp

BushwyckCraft

New York

4/5  rDev +5.5%

04-25-2013 21:45:13 | More by BushwyckCraft

BigOldOaf

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%

04-24-2013 01:17:50 | More by BigOldOaf

cnwillis31

Maine

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

04-23-2013 21:52:28 | More by cnwillis31

bluerabbit

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +5.5%

03-16-2013 00:36:28 | More by bluerabbit

PStriedl

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

03-15-2013 23:59:44 | More by PStriedl

bigkingken

Virginia

4.06/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

If you're looking for a beer to deliver a great coffee taste without the heaviness of a porter or stout, this is the beer for you. It's got a pungent yet sweet coffee aroma, followed up by a true espresso flavor with a solid malt backbone and just enough hops to balance it out. It has a nice drawn out finish, leaving the palette wanting more of that delicious coffee on the tastebuds. Only drawbacks are that the mouthfeel is a bit thin, leading to the sensation of over-carbonation.

All-in-all, I'd say it's a solid offering and a pretty decent beer. I still prefer my coffee with some thick stout, however, so I doubt I'll be taking another one of these off the shelf.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 20:06:56 | More by bigkingken

JuliusCaesar

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

03-04-2013 02:02:20 | More by JuliusCaesar

duff247

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

02-25-2013 01:29:10 | More by duff247

Rekrule

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%

02-02-2013 04:45:45 | More by Rekrule

GrindFatherBob

New York

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

01-24-2013 13:52:14 | More by GrindFatherBob

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.15/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Coffee amber ale. Interesting.

Pours and amber/copper color, with an off white colored head. The aroma has a nice coffee note, caramel, nuttiness, sweet malts and a tinge of chocolate. The taste has alight coffee bitterness, caramel maltiness, slight citrus fruits, herbs, grass and cocoa.

Creamy feel on the palate, light to medium body, light carbonation. Ever so slight hop/coffee bitterness linger.

I love trying unusual coffee beers and this is a nice one one nothing phenomenal. Very glad to have tried it.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 02:57:03 | More by EgadBananas

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

2.94/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Pours a deep slightly hazy amber/orange with a huge frothy tan head that takes forever to recede. I can smell the coffee as soon as I pop the top off this bad boy. Holy coffee Batman the closer my nose gets the more intense the aroma. I can find little in the nose other than Java. If only the flavor followed the nose more closely. Lots of coffee flavor but also a bitter buttery earthy mineral flavor kicks in. Medium to thin body with a moderate level of carbonation and a slick watery mouthfeel. Sadly this brew is not for me. I generally enjoy the peak products, but not this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 05:28:47 | More by johnnnniee

KollinSLC

Utah

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%

12-13-2012 22:30:20 | More by KollinSLC

SawDog505

New Hampshire

2.95/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass not sure when it was bottled. Pours a cloudy amber with a two inch off white head that leaves some lace. Smell is huge roasted coffee and faint piney hops, very unusual smell. Taste is lots of coffee, carmel, dark chocolate, and vanilla, very odd beer. Body is thin for these flavors, plenty of carbonation, a little dry, and goes down easy enough. Hard to describe this beer style, with these flavors.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 18:55:58 | More by SawDog505

DrFunkenstein

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

11-23-2012 20:10:06 | More by DrFunkenstein

Mack

Quebec (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%

11-10-2012 22:59:31 | More by Mack

pjs234

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%

11-04-2012 22:24:18 | More by pjs234