Peak Organic Hop Noir - Peak Organic Brewing Company

GuyIncognito

Maine

3.05/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Very disappointed in this one. I like Peak's other beers, and I love the black IPA style. This tasted like a stout, or maybe a coffee stout. No cascade finish, no crispness despite the dark color, nothing. If it had been labelled correctly as a stout, I still wouldn't have been that impressed.

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2012 01:46:19 | More by GuyIncognito

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Good bar pour head, leaves a solid ring of lace with each sip. Near black where no light shall pass.

Tootsie roll chocolate smell, semi-sweet but with lots of chocolate. Slight "clean glass smell".

Lots of dark toasted malt flavor up front. There's a decent hop kicker. This creates a very good balance. Rich body with a high carbonation that tantalizes. Long dark aftertaste of strongly caramelized sugars and puckering bitter hop.

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2012 20:52:21 | More by smcolw

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

@ Rock Harbor happy hour, Rockland ME (they have free, bad-ass potato chips by the way).

Smells like burnt brownie batter, char and hot peppermint shcnapps. Tastes like acidic char and intense minty/grapefruit hops. A tad astringent and hot.

Meh.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2012 14:25:56 | More by donkeyrunner

wedge

North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

@ Raleigh Times

Dark, nearly black color topped by a creamy tan ring of a head. Fruity hop stickiness in the nose with some sweet coffee and resin. Juicy citrus and pine hop flavor upfront followed by moderate sweet, roasted malt and a hint of chocolate. Fruity and bitter - not a tremendous amount of malt character, but enough to just hit the style. Medium bodied. I was surprised to see this listed at 8.2% as it felt "smaller" than that. Pretty good stuff...

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2012 13:59:49 | More by wedge

kylehay2004

Florida

3.85/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Single finger head and nice lacing on a jet black body. Aroma is nice resin, pine, licorice, mint and earthy hop notes. Flavor is very grassy and floral hop notes. Chocolate and roasted malts cone in at the finish. Medium body and moderate to high carbonation. Overall a very nice beer for the style. Nice hop character and strength.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2012 00:40:04 | More by kylehay2004

drabmuh

Maryland

2.28/5  rDev -39.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

At the time of this review, this beer is not on the top beer list for American Black Ale despite being an American Black Ale, probably because this beer sucks. On tap at Meridian pint.

Beer is black with an almost white head, OK.

Aroma is mildly earthy, a little pine, a little hops, a lot of butterscotch.

Does organic mean diacetyl? i'm not up on the hippy lingo of politically correct eating. This beer tastes like buttered popcorn. I didn't even finish my sampler. I'd rather have more of that horrible DIPA from Lost Rhino than this disaster any longer. NEXT.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2012 02:40:09 | More by drabmuh

PicoPapa

Connecticut

4.08/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap. Pours a dark brown/black color with an inch of frothy light brown head. Lots of lacing. Aroma is chocolatey and hoppy. Sweet floral and citrus hop aromas. Some caramel. Taste is of chocolate and floral hops. Nicely bitter. Sweet. Not really much citrus like in the nose. Creamy mouthfeel. Floral hop finish. This is a pretty solid Black Ipa. Worth having again for certain.

Serving type: on-tap

01-24-2012 18:40:28 | More by PicoPapa

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.58/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On-tap 7/29/2011 at Doherty’s East Ave Irish Pub in Pawtucket, RI, served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep black color, with a short beige head that fades quickly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains roasted malts, some grassy hops and a touch of chocolate.

T: The taste starts out with a bitter burst of hops followed by a hearty roasted malt character. There are some flavors of citrus and dark chocolate in the background, but there doesn’t seem to be much balance. The after-taste is slightly bitter.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is dry and sticky.

D: A little tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, good kick, good representation of style, it’s a decent beer but a bit too dry to drink for a long time.

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2011 20:31:31 | More by TheManiacalOne

rfgetz

New Jersey

3.38/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark charcoal color with minimal spots making up the only hints at a head. Scent is quite pungently hopy - citrusy and herbal - before a charred and smokey roasted grain profile comes through. Taste begins hoppy and herbal before the char takes over, roasted grains dominate and the finnish has an odd charred leather like taste. Medium bodied, moderate carbonated and quite dry and chalky on the palate. Some decent points with the strong hoppyness and roast but the herbal and leather qualities dont agree with my palate.

Serving type: on-tap

07-18-2011 15:11:35 | More by rfgetz

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appears a deep tawny cola brown hue with a deep brown tan head, forms fine lacing. Aroma has dark roasted malted barley with herbal hops pretty much a tame organic black ale from the Northeast. Flavor has roasted bitter dark coffee with herbal highlights with a mild hop flavor and dark chocolate malt finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied not very oily or resinous rather clean in fact, carbonation is moderate nothing to complain about. Overall not a beer I would seek out again but much better than other Peak Organic brewing products.

Serving type: on-tap

07-09-2011 17:03:30 | More by WVbeergeek

sholland119

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Irish Pol, 5/28/11.

A-Pours jet black, opaque, with a frothy mocha head.

S-Earthy bitter hops, rich, deep aroma.

T-Initial caramel sweetness followed by an excellent hop bite, pleasantly earthy, with a great balance of hops and malt/

M-Medium bodied, nicely bitter.

O-Really tasty. Sublimely Self Righteous defines the style for me. This one is in the ballpark.

HV

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2011 18:43:23 | More by sholland119

metter98

New York

3.9/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is jet black in color and poured with a finger high tan head that slowly died down, eventually leaving only a ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are moderate aromas of roasted malts and notes of pine resin hops in the nose.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste is dominated by flavors of roasted malts and is accompanied by a light to moderate amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a light to moderate amount of carbonation. There is lots of dryness in the finish.
O: The beer is relatively easy to drink but isn’t that sessionable due to its high alcohol content and the strong amount of dryness.

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2011 03:22:14 | More by metter98

nickfl

Florida

4.13/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured with one finger of tan foam on top of a black body with amber highlights. The head fades slowly and leaves good lace.

S - A strong, sweaty hop aroma; very green and fresh. Some caramel and chocolate malt character in the background.

T - Citrus and pine hops as well as roast malt up front. More bitter roast in the middle. The beer finishes with dry caramel, coffee, and pine hops, all of which is balanced by stiff bitterness.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, and a dry finish.

D - Very nice, the hop aroma is spectacular and it works well with the dark malt. The bitterness is very strong and it lingers on the tongue to such a degree that it is almost overwhelming. This is a really nice beer, and it shows that organic beers can be excellent on their own merits when they don't rely on the organic label as their only selling point.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2011 22:40:48 | More by nickfl

ktrillionaire

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - It pours a very deep brown-black hue, and is capped with a medium-tan head, depositing plentiful lace.

S - Great nose, one of the better I've encountered from this fledgling style. Comprised of resiny-piney hops and fruity freshly ground Ethiopian coffee, this really straddles the line between hoppy IPA and roasty dark ale superbly. As it opens up and some of the malt and yeast notes begin to interplay, it gains a fruity berry-ish aroma.

T - The flavor is largely the same animal as the nose with perhaps more lingering roastiness. Bitterness is moderately high, and the dynamic of the hop is specifically discernible, offering woody and somewhat fruity bouquet which is well-tempered by the sturdiness of the malt. Nice take on this burgeoning style.

M - IPA. But black.

O - One of the better Black IPA/CDA/ADA that I have tried.

Serving type: on-tap

04-05-2011 04:32:32 | More by ktrillionaire

tkelley

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into tulip glass.

A - dark, cola colored body. Softer around the edges. Tan head. Moderate lacing and fair retention of a thin layer of foam.

N - not as choppy as I would like. Much more roasty.

T - again lighter on the hops, particularly no citrus or pine notes that I expect. Roast, coffee, and chocolate dominate with some hop presence.

M - silky. Fine carbonation.

O - not the best bipa ive had, but a good beer anyway.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 23:17:04 | More by tkelley

UCLABrewN84

California

3.94/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Best before 6/2013.

Pours an almost opaque super dark crimson-brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa powder, and candied citrus zest. Taste is much the same with cocoa and citrus zest flavors on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp but slightly medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 00:26:01 | More by UCLABrewN84

suspect

New York

3.78/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a UMASS shaped pint glass.

A: On the lighter side of black. Aggressive pour leads to a 1.5 finger mocha foam colored head. Lacing is plentiful and head retention is good.

S: A bit on the bland side but hops and chocolate malts do poke through after a good swirl.

T: Definitely more full flavored than the nose. Lots of good malt flavors with some darker fruits, hop flavors and a touch of black licorice at the tail end of the sip.

M: Perfectly carbonated, nice smooth finish.

O: A solid, easy drinking Black IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 00:53:41 | More by suspect

JK4Stout

Virginia

3.86/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

First, this pairs amazingly well with spicy food. Just sayin'.

A: I may have never given a five before, but I just can't see how to make a black IPA look better. It is pitch black in color and has a head that last all day long. Again I didn't want to go so high, but how can you lower a score when there is nothing better out there.

S: A good clean blend of hops and the coloring malt. Doesn't have that Yankee Funk many Peak brews have.

T: I enjoy this a ton. It isn't just a crisp hop bite, but there is a lot of spice on the tail end as well. Very nice mellow IPA.

M: Medium to strong. Carbonation is nice and steady as well. very solid here.

O: I now know what Peak beer to get when in doubt. I have been underwhelmed by them in the past, but this one is certainly something to brag about. Find it and enjoy!

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 17:49:27 | More by JK4Stout

JuliusCaesar

New Hampshire

3.61/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A:Black with not much of a head.

S: Strong malt aroma with some hops coming through.

T: Malty flavors that over power the slight bitterness. Also, an underlying earthiness.

M: Rich and slightly grainy.

Overall: Not what I was expecting. It doesn't seem to fit the style. Very sweet and not much bitterness for an IPA but still drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 18:16:59 | More by JuliusCaesar

tdm168

North Carolina

4.29/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A - black with a big, thick, brownish head with great retention

S - floral, faint citrus, chocolate

T - roasted malts, chocolate, some caramel, piny, floral, mildly bitter, faint citrus

M - medium bodied, smooth, well carbonated

I really liked this beer. It wasn't perfect, but it was complex and well put together. The hoppyness wasn't overbearing nor did it fatigue the palate but it had depth and was multi-layered. Much the same can be said about the malt. I was impressed also with how drinkable such a complex offering could be. Any fan of Black IPAs should definitely give this a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 02:39:55 | More by tdm168

atr2605

New York

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-pours black with a sudsy tan head with decent retention
S-perfume, pine, citrus
T-roasted malt with notes of coffee blended with pine, more roasted flavor lingers after the finish
M-medium bodied
O-A well balanced black IPA with heavy roasted and pine flavor. Not my favor version of the style, but not a bad brew

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 23:26:09 | More by atr2605

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

4.21/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours rich deep brown with a tan head. Nice retention, good lace, but this head is pure foam.

Some pine notes mixed with coffee, burnt edges, and dark roasted malt.

Nice balance. Hops shine in this one, but do not overtake the carbonized richness of the malt. It is the transition that makes this so drinkable, with hops first, then the dark roasted malt, some bitter chocolate, a hint of sweetness in there somewhere, then back to the hops with the malt in the background for a well rounded finish. Very nice.

Medium bodied, finishes fairly clean.

One of the better versions of the style. I am not a big fan of his style because they tend to be so far out of balance. A brewer who shows restraint and creativity and purpose with their recipe. Nice brew -- I'll have this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 04:16:06 | More by OtherShoe2

DesertRat

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours dark, tan head very crisp and tasty for a black IPA. The taste at first is bitter and holy, but finishes chocolate aromas.

I prefer the Dubhe from Uinta Brewing, but this beer is Organic and comes in a six pack rather than a 4 pack.

High quality black IPA, definitely recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 16:27:23 | More by DesertRat

mpedara429

Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pretty much black in color. Pours out with two fingers of fluffy light brown head. It had good retention and fluffy, bubbly lacing.

S: Roasted malt, chocolate, and pine.

T: Similar to the nose with a slight coffee flavor in there as well. A nice hop bitterness and a hint of booze.

M: Medium heavy body that is somewhat thick and oily and medium carbonation.

O: A pretty good beer. The "dark" aspects come out a lot more than the IPA. I would've liked to see a little bit more complex IPA character in this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 20:45:17 | More by mpedara429

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Deep dark black with only a slight bit of clearance at the base of the glass. The head was just a 1/4 inch but lace ring seems to stick around for quite a bit.

S - Smells of mild dank hops, touch of roast and ash.

T - Bitter abrasive yet balanced with roasty and bittersweet chocolate undertones. Hops do cling to the palate for quite a bit an aggressive hopped ale right in the reigns of Stones 16th anniversary ale.

M - Medium, slightly oily , bitter aggressive.

Overall quite a step up from their regular IPA it seems more balanced with a black malt profile. Worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 22:52:06 | More by DrDemento456