Peak Organic Winter Session Ale - Peak Organic Brewing Company

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.93/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up at the Whole Foods in West Hollywood. Pours lookin' a little bit dark orange, decent head formed. Lace was worthy.

Aroma was even better, cascade and chinook hop feel to it, big hop nose up in here. Taste came across as a great idea in the winter, sometimes you just want a refreshing, hoppy, sessionable pale ale. Didn't really pick up much on the wheat aspect of it, definitely not 'dark' wheat or like any dunkels I've ever had. Really came across like a pale ale.

Good mouthfeel of caramel and cascade through and through. Nice on the wallet, Whole Foods found a nice exclusive contract on this one methinks.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2011 20:48:06 | More by Beerandraiderfan

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

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.88/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Aroma is quite strong and rye-ish with a rosiny overtone and just a hint of citrus. It pours a dark coppery amber with a fairly thick buff-tan head that leaves a decent amount of lacing. Flavor has a strong rye core with hoppy and citrus tones and a whisper of caramel. Texture is quite smooth and somewhat fizzy, leaving behind a nice, if not too persistent, tingle.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2011 01:51:43 | More by Cyberkedi

largadeer

California

2.78/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

fresh 12 oz bottle into a tumbler. Darkened amber, though very clear. A vigorous pour left me with two fingers of off-white froth.

The nose has a pleasant citra hop bouquet, lending that distinct tropical fruit character that I love. As it warms up the hops take a back seat to a grainy wheat aroma, a touch of buttery diacetyl and a bit of coffee-like roast.

It's watery on the palate, surprisingly so - I've had beers of 3 to 4 % alcohol that had more body. The flavors are decent; citrusy, tropical hops are fairly prominent, and then there's that tinny, metallic yeast character that I've noticed in other Peak beers. The malt profile is bland, thin, bringing only a mild unmalted wheat flavor. The finish is lightly astringent and bitter.

Not a terrible beer on the whole, nor one I'll go out of my way to try again.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 03:19:24 | More by largadeer

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clean orange-ish color with an off white head. In the aroma, gingerbread like and a note of peppermint. In the taste, orange citrus and just a touch minty. A smooth and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry orange citrus hop like aftertaste. Tastes of orange citrus with the hops, but fresh hop like brings the mint like note.

Serving type: on-tap

02-07-2012 15:07:17 | More by OWSLEY069

kylehay2004

Florida

4.01/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Half finger head with nice lacing on a clear amber with a very slight golden hue body. Aroma of earthy hops, caramel, toasted malts and sweet breads. Flavor is nicely balanced with earthy and bready flavors and sweetness with wheats and rye. Medium body and moderate carbonation. Fairly certain this is the first of this style I have had. Very drinkable and flavorful.

Serving type: on-tap

04-18-2013 21:11:45 | More by kylehay2004

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

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle served in a standard pint glass.

L - clear amber color with a off-white head that thinned to a light layer leaving some trails of lacing.

S - butterscotch with some citrus in the background.

T - citrus bite upfront with the butterscotch flavor coming in midway before citrus bitterness finishes things off.

F - light/medium bodied with a refreshing feel.

O - a pretty good beer at a reasonable price.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 00:33:57 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - A nice ruby brown with a half inch of head that turns to a light lace ring.

S - Smells moderately hoppy with a nice caramel malt.

T - Kind of good. I expected more of a malt base for a winter beer but since it is a moderately hopped wheat ale. Very hoppy though and a nice malt base to balance. Very bitter for the ABV.

M - Light to medium body.

D - Not really something I would buy again but would be a good offering in a variety case. Solid hop and mild caramel malt. Good beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 02:47:13 | More by DrDemento456

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a brown color with amber hues and a 1/2 inch head. Smell is hops, some spice and malts. Taste is good, some hoppy bitterness up front followed by toasted malts, a touch of wheat. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a quality beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 19:22:42 | More by tone77

Durge

Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A clear, mahogany colored winter ale with an impressive eggshell cover and tenacious lacing. The aroma has tart rhubarb yeast and strawberry caramel-vanilla. Very interesting, I like it. The flavor brings more tart lemony malt with a bit of ginger-nutmeg. It's a little aqueous in feel, medium-light bodied with mild but tingly carbonation. I get a little bit of an evergreen hop that makes this an overall enjoyable change up for the winter months!

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2012 08:32:00 | More by Durge

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a bottle at Idle Hands in New York, NY

A: Pours a clear dark amber with a half finger tall off-white head. The head reduces to a thin layer of bubbles across the entire surface of the beer and a thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate lacing is observed.

S: Nice aroma of caramel, wheat, and an almost rye like spiciness.

T: Wonderful wheat flavors with nice caramel and toffee notes. A small amount of spiciness like one usually gets in a rye and a slight sweetness in the beginning.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

O: Very light and really easy to drink, a very sessionable beer. I really like the spice hint that I get in this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 14:41:15 | More by dbrauneis

lordofthewiens

Maine

3.18/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Best enjoyed by June 2012.
Mahogany color, small tan head. A small amount of lace.

Caramel malt aroma. Herbal and citrus.

More of a butterscotch taste. Piney hops with a bit of grapefruit. Taste rather tepid.

Pleasant enough, but kind of a "meh" beer. Definitely a sessionable beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 14:36:39 | More by lordofthewiens

billab914

Virginia

3.55/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Pumking chalice. It poured a dark copper color with a thin and spotty head to it.

The aroma has a bready and sweet flavor to it with wheat, caramel and a little bit of butterscotch coming through. I get a good dose of citrusy, fruity hops coming through as well. It has a hint of spice with a little banana flavor too.

The taste has some of the sweeter wheat malt throughout the flavor. Caramel and toffee come through as you get to the finish. I get a moderate bitterness in the finish as well, but it still on the sweeter side overall.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Drinkability was pretty decent, I liked the sweeter wheat and malty flavors it had. Enjoyable beer overall and a pretty decent winter seasonal as well.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 00:36:44 | More by billab914

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a medium clear brown with a decent white head. Good lacing.

Some fairly good citric hop notes and some nutty toasted grain, or whole-wheat toast.

Slight hop bite, some dark toasted whole grain bread, a bit watery in the flavor, but enough grain to pull through. Some light bitterness and husk. Not bad at all. Decent balance.

Lighter bodied, appropriate carbonation.

Decent with my meal for sure. Easy drinking, not filling or overdone. The watery edge to this is a little off-putting, but overall a pleasant surprise.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 01:55:09 | More by OtherShoe2

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

"The throat of winter is upon me and the cold will linger in me." - Opeth

Clear hazelnut color with an egg shell white cap. Quickly fades to a thin skim with ample lacey smatterings. Nice color.

Suprise! Aroma is tangerine and pineapple (citra) with some bread crust background. I wasn't expecting so much hop aroma from a winter wheat. Me likey.

Taste is tangerine hops up front with a friendly nuttyness in back. Not much of a malt character beyond that nutty blip and I feel that the hops are trying to cover up that fact - but hey, it's an American wheat.

Peak impresses in a usually unimpressive style. With the light feel and citrus hops this could do as a spring beer as well.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2010 01:15:07 | More by donkeyrunner

chinchill

South Carolina

3.7/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12 oz bottle dated best by June 2013. Pours a deep brown color with a tan head that had good retention an left plenty of attractive lacing.
Smells more like a lager than a dark wheat, with more spicy hops than expected. The hops also out weigh the malts in tasting, although there is a solid malt base and enough malts to keep the beer just mildly bitter even in the finish.
Nice mouthfeel, with somewhat crisp carbonation and a medium body.

Enjoyable session beer, but not particularly a "winter" ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 22:12:39 | More by chinchill

CampusCrew

Florida

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Peak Organic, like Diamond Knot, hop forward dark ale, nothing winter about it other than being dark, would drink year round

We did a large christmas and winter beer tasting panel and this was one of the many that we tried. Most of the beers we tried we solid including this one that the panel liked.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 06:35:08 | More by CampusCrew

rtepiak

Poland

3.43/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

a dark end of 10 percent wheat and mostly earthy citrus hops. a tad darker than amber with a nose of pear and raspberry. the beer is simply that with a bitter finish. not something that you can have more than one of in my sense of drinking. one dimensional and simple but there consistent. so it could be a beer to love but is all based on personal

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2011 07:20:38 | More by rtepiak

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.79/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Looks like a dark cream soda, except the thin head remains.

Toasted wheat, woodiness, light cola, extra toast, strange fruitiness, clove-y spice, and very light maple. Interesting enough to win me over.

Bitter and sweet. Wheat tangy with some roastiness. Earthy/herbal hops, toffee, light mulling spice, and a splinter of soft overripe fruit (pineapple).

Light-medium body with a semi-spicy carbonation. It feels prickly, but I think it works. Thank goodness, there's some noticeable alcohol.

American Dark Wheat, eh? I don't mind this. I'll seek out more. This one here... is good. Good? Yes.

Serving type: on-tap

01-25-2013 04:18:33 | More by thecheapies

shand

Florida

4.08/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint.

Pours a clear brown color with a fingers of head. The aroma is very nice, it's got a very rich banquet of some strong citrus and floral hops, along with sweet toffee. The taste is also quite good, it's got a little something here for everyone. Piney, citrus hops come through first, followed by some wheat, with the finish providing some nice toffee and coffee flavors. The mouthfeel is well-carbonated and light, but the finish provides just a slight drying effect that, together with the ending roast, is quite satisfying. The drinkability is very good. Overall, this one took me by surprise. It's a fairly unique winter seasonal brew that hits a ton of different flavors without seeming disjointed.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 03:11:12 | More by shand

kangarooAdam59

Pennsylvania

3.01/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Into a pint glass:

A: amber colored body with a big frothy head, clingy lacing

S: pine, chocolate underneath but extremely subdued

T: bitter through the pine

M: medium, sticky all around and in the aftertaste and finish

O: uh, just average, probably won't seek it out again

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2011 19:28:54 | More by kangarooAdam59

Bendurgin

Maine

4.03/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass. This one pours a dark chestnut color with about an inch of pillowy beige head. Nice retention here with some cobweb lace.

Dark nutty aromas with a little bit of piney citrus hop aroma. Really pleasant on the aroma. Brown sugar and dark toasty malts on the pallet with some nice bitter citrus hops in the finish.

The body is light with good carbonation. Overall this one is solid. Always a treat in the variety pack.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 22:00:34 | More by Bendurgin

Amalak

New York

3.55/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

The strongest thing about this brew is it's intense, spicey, dry-malt, car-freshner scent. Very nice lacing out of this deep brown beer, good foamy white head. Very bubbly.

The taste is interesting. The scent carries over and it's a strong, malty ale. Spciey to an extent, but dry so there isn't most of a carryover of aftertaste. Unique, but not a good high-quantity beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 01:28:35 | More by Amalak

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz. bottle (best before April 2012).

Appearance: Pours a pale amber body with a good sized head that lingers and leaves some lacing.

Smell: First thing i smell is hops which i wasn't expecting but is nice. Leans toward a non bitter grapefruit (if that makes sense) with a hint of sweetness.

Taste: Hops are more restrained with some orange and grapefruit mingling together. Some caramel in there but not much wheat presence.

Mouthfeel: Malt wins this one but the bitterness gives a decent fight. Nice feel.

Overall: Really surprised by this one. Almost drinks like a pale ale as i found the wheat character didn't show through much. But you should still try it.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 12:25:58 | More by papat444