Peak Organic Winter Session Ale - Peak Organic Brewing Company

shangwang

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I picked up a 6 pack of Winter Session on a whim; I'd never heard of the brewery before but the description on the packaging intrigued me and I decided to give it a shot. Glad I did.
This beer pours with very little head. It's a deep reddish brown color, and very clear- a deceiving appearance for the smells I detect. The first scent that comes to mind is that of peaches, followed by floral hops and traces of wood. It's a wonderful combination that immediately brings to mind the smells of winter thawing and giving way to spring.
Winter Session has a curious mouthfeel- light and watery initially, but it finishes feeling slightly creamy. The taste is just as complex; initially sweet and smokey, but quickly the qualities of a pale ale take over- hoppy bitterness, while the smokiness remains throughout. The beer leaves a pleasant aftertaste- coffee, malt, and chocolate all come to mind.
Overall I really enjoyed this beer. Definitely lives up to the "Session" part of its name as you can enjoy several of these without feeling a major buzz, and I highly recommend this one on a cold winter night if you'd like to remember that warmer weather is just around the corner.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2011 02:13:18 | More by shangwang

ericj551

British Columbia (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Peak organic winter session ale pours a bright deep copper with a nice fluffy off white head. The aroma is pleasantly hoppy with some nice grapefruit and pine. There is a nice toasted malt aroma in the background. A bit of caramel malt pops up first in the flavor showcasing a nice solid malt backbone. The piney, herbal and citrusy hops pop up quickly with a really nice tangy bitterness that borders on resins. The moderate bitterness lingers in the finish, but is never overpowering. This is an excellent and balance beer that does a nice job of showcasing both malt and hops.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 03:56:01 | More by ericj551

MaineBrewing

Maine

4.1/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up six pack at Hannafords 11.99 in south Portland.

A - Poured two into my 27 ounce beer mug, resulting in a one finger tan almost coffee ish fluffy head dissapated in a few minutes to a nice cap with some early signs of lacing. color is a translucent brown with amber hue.

S - Nose is toasted malt and cereal with a bright fresh citrus hop aroma. slight woody notes with a hint of smoke.

T - very tasty and balanced. Nice malt taste up front, the character carries over from the smell with a nice slightly toasty malt and cereal with a woody nuttiness, nicely hopped with ample citrus flavor to balance out the malts, the bittering hops provide a delightfully dry finish.

M - very nice light mouthfeel the lends to the drinkability, as I would expect from a wheat ale. Ample carbonation and dry finish, truly a sessionable winter ale.

O - overall I am very impressed. Very refreshing winter ale, not heavy by any means, not filled with a bunch of spices, doesn't let me down. Sure I do like the heavy winter warmers but i think the winter session ale is a good concept, and this example is well executed.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 03:31:28 | More by MaineBrewing

plaid75

New York

4.1/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at The Lark, East Northport, NY.

Poured a medium amber hue with a half finger foamy white head. There was decent retention and lacing.

The smell featured a light earthy caramel, vanilla and a vibrant herbal hop.

The taste featured a grainy caramel and an assertive herbal hop spice that lingered past the finish.

The mouthfeel was of average fullness with a dry finish.

Overall a tasty hop forward winter beer.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2013 03:34:26 | More by plaid75

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a 2" beige head with decent life. I've seen the body described a variety of colors but to me this is just a clear amber.

The smell is a powerful smack in the face with pine. Then the taste actually tones down the pine a little and comes forward with tart grapefruity hoppiness.

One thing I've come to expect from Peak is intense fresh hops and here's yet another example. It's like walking through a Christmas tree lot. I realize others had milder experiences with it, but perhaps my regional proximity and luck of timing got me an extremely fresh sample.

This isn't one of those holiday spiced Winter beers, it's a warm your chest from the inside type of beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 13:07:26 | More by MoreThanWine

Mounty4Life

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into 5oz taster glass til gone..really nice white head with dark brownish color and with a little lacing. Smell is lacking and tastes better than smells . I never had dark wheat before but tastes and looks are great just lacks smell that would balance everything! Tastes malts and light toastyness that is pleasant and a hint of wheat. Mild Carb and easy to drink so I'll have another. I'm sure its old being June but still enjoyed and like organic beer for flavor!

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 02:54:37 | More by Mounty4Life

Halcyondays

California

4.2/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a deep red brown, with a mild white head. Solid lace.

S: Legitimate toffee notes, pecan, peanut brittle, with a very slight hint of coffee. Very nutty.

T: Nuttiness and dark chocolate. Notes of caramel popcorn, walnuts are there too. Some grassy hop character at the end lends a good balance. Not sweet at all overall, just a hint of brown sugar in the finish.

M: Light to medium-bodied, crisp and smooth, drying.

D: Kind of a winter beer for CA in a way, the hops start to give a pale ale feel making an interesting mix with the wheat character. Full flavoured, a nice surprise in this rare category.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 00:20:58 | More by Halcyondays

Arborescence

Finland

4.23/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Brown, with a hint of ruby red, pours a thin head.

Aroma: Interesting! Rather strong toffee/caramel, with some fresh fruitiness — presumably due to the wheat and Citra hops — and a hint of hops. Delicious aroma!

Taste: Not as sweet or candy-like as you might expect from the aroma, but the toffee/caramel characteristics are certainly there. Initially the taste is almost disappointing, because it doesn’t compare with the aroma, but it’s the aftertaste that counts here, and the sweet notes linger at the back of the tongue. The wheat and fruity notes are quite masked, but the beer has a certain freshness to it, which is peculiar when combined with the toasty sweetness. Good stuff, but it could use a bit more depth.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, nice and round.

Overall: I’ve had one or two brews by Peak Organic at pubs in the US, but I haven’t formed a clear impression of them yet. They have some very interesting sounding beers, and I do hope to get my hands on more; this one is promising.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 21:37:51 | More by Arborescence

tdm168

North Carolina

4.24/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - dark brownish amber with a thin lacing of off white head that quickly fades away

S - citrusy, peppery, spicy

T - citrus, caramel, some spicy peppery hops, bitter finish; very very faint black cherry notes and faint medicinal aftertaste

M - medium bodied, well carbonated, crisp

This is my first Dark Wheat Ale. I didn't really know what to expect. This was surprisingly hoppy and flavorful. It has surprising depth for a wheat ale. This isn't at all a bad beer. I could definitely drink a lot of these. It's also a nice change of pace from the other heavy or over-spiced winter offerings.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 01:02:43 | More by tdm168

viaingo

Maine

4.33/5  rDev +17%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Type: Dark Wheat Ale
Color: Dark amber red hue.
Body: Light carbonation, but very clean for how dark the color is.
Head: Small white head that did not last very long. Added to the taste however.
Taste: Smooth start with the malt taste. It continues with a hoppy taste and a slight bite at the end.
Aroma: Citrus smell with fruit finish. Slightly hoppy with malty smell as well.

Overall this beer was perfect. I loved it slightly hoppy body with smooth finish. I loved the heavy amounts of malty citric flavors. You can find this beer in your local beer stores or and organic section of your grocery stores. I highly suggest hunting this winter beer down and trying it, you will definitely not regret it!

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 02:10:24 | More by viaingo

obireidkenobi

Georgia

4.43/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer is inspired by Peak's Summer Session beer. Winter Session has a lot in common. The flavor profiles are mildly similar.

Pours dark amber, very clear & clarifyed. The smell is most definitely citra hops, with a whiff of dark malts. The flavor follows along with notes of pineapple, citrus. Turns a bit tropical as it warms.

The mouthfeel is soft, most definitely from the wheat. Winter Session is dark without being roasty, flavorful, & easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2010 15:59:51 | More by obireidkenobi

u2carew

Massachusetts

4.48/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle
A) Pours with a two finger head. Crystal clear amber colored body. Sticky lacing on the drink down.
S) Floral hop notes. Caramel. Hints of spruce.
T) Sweet and grainy. Caramel. Toffee. Subtle spruce. A lingering sweet caramel and tobacco.
M) Creamy. Smooth. Light to medium body.
O) A great beer. I will be having another.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 03:05:34 | More by u2carew