Peak Organic Oak Aged Mocha Stout - Peak Organic Brewing Company

KickbacksSteve

Florida

3.96/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Kickbacks in Jax. Poured into a snifter. Head is a light tudor brown with moderate to low retention on a black body. Slick, soapy and clear lacing sticks to the glass. Aroma includes coffee, vanilla, chocolate and maybe the slightest trace of diacetyl. Taste is a nice mix of vanilla/chocolate sweetness with a nice coffee roast. Alcohol is well hidden and any signs of diacetyl aren't noted in tasting. Nice, creamy mouthfeel, appropriate thickness. Excellent beer with maybe a very slight flaw.

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2013 06:24:01 | More by KickbacksSteve

nickfl

Florida

2.88/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

JA - pours with a small head of off white foam on a black body. The head settles quickly and leaves good lace.

S - a strong aroma of raw oak with chocolate and brown sugar in the background.

T - dark sugar up front with a bit of chocolate. Some strongly oaky flavors in the middle that eclipse everything else in the finish with a tannic character that lingers on the palate.

M - medium thick body, moderate carbonation, and a sweet finish.

D - the oak character is way, way too strong and while the base beer seems nice it is pretty much impossible to ignore the oak. This beer tastes like someone spilled beer on a piece of raw wood.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2012 00:53:38 | More by nickfl

kylehay2004

Florida

2.88/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A: single finger tan head on a jet black body. Nice Lacing.

S: mild aroma with vanilla, chocolate, espresso/mocha and some roasted malts. Very nice oak presence.

T: this one defines oak aged. This one is oak aged to the extreme which is too much. The roasted malts and mocha are an afterthought on the palate and are barely noticeable until the finish.

M: medium body and light to moderate carbonation.

Overall: well the oak aging is grossly overdone. The base beer is not comment-able. This one is pretty bad.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2012 00:50:53 | More by kylehay2004

Arborescence

Finland

4.43/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Thick and black, modest head with a brown tint.

Aroma: Roasted coffee with a hint of caramel, promising!

Taste: Dominated by oak flavours from the aging -- seems to me that it was a whisky barrel -- but with an aftertaste of espresso and a dynamic mixture of malty flavours supported by a robust body.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, creamy.

Overall: Excellent brew, a lot of depth and character with a number of interesting flavours in the mix, from coffee, whisky, and malt. Strong ABV is appropriate and none of the elements dominate too much as each is very robust.

Serving type: on-tap

06-01-2012 18:56:01 | More by Arborescence

One2Remeber

Florida

4.05/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

In a pint glass.

A: Darkest brown body you can find. Rich, dark tan colored head, mild retention after minutes.

S: Sweet chocolate syrup calms down a hefty oak presence. Dark chocolate candy undertones.

T/M: Tastes like breakfast, banana and syrup on the back end for a smooth finish. Lingers with coco powder with a hint of earthly milk. Silky smooth up front to a chappy dry finish. A slight burn from the oak pokes it head out for a quick second. Hints of fruity hops.

O: Mocha - Check. Oak - Check. Full-bodied Stout - Check. Well put together for style. Above average flavors with a remarkable light body. Can not think of a better desert after a hearty meal.

Serving type: on-tap

05-08-2012 02:51:12 | More by One2Remeber

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap @ Cole's. Served in pint glass.

A - Black with a small ring of light brown head and some light lacing.

S - Roasted malts, bitter dark chocolate, coffee, a touch of vanilla.

T - Big espresso flavour up front. Bitter dark chocolate, sweet roasted malts and vanilla rounds out palate. Fairly sweet overall and the sweetness intensifies with each sip, making it difficult to finish the pint.

M - Med body, light carbonation. A touch thin at times.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2012 15:33:13 | More by TheSevenDuffs

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.05/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap 4/14/2012 at Doherty’s East Ave Irish Pub, in Pawtucket, RI served in a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a large light brown head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains a lot of coffee and chocolate along with roasted malts and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out with a big burst of coffee and chocolate sweetness. There’s a hearty roasted malt character as you would expect and a mild hops presence creating a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium-to-heavy body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down very easily, slightly filling, good kick, good representation of style, this is a very solid stout to drink for a while.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2012 03:22:33 | More by TheManiacalOne

berliner07

New Hampshire

4.75/5  rDev +27%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Yeah, this beer is damn good. Aroma is a BLAST of oak, coffee and a touch of dark chocolate. A bit more carbonation than anticipated tickles the lips up front. Then, a rush of chocolate/coffee mix hits the palate. Really tasty. The oak hits again on the end and lingers. This beer is fun to drink and i'll certainly be having another.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2012 22:58:45 | More by berliner07

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

$6.50 for a kiddie cup at Greenland Cafe, Somerville MA

Opaque black with a georgia clay colored head. No lace and a few swirls of retention shift on the top of my beer like an oil slick.

Smells like dark, dark char, black coffee and beautiful warm wood. Tastes like as dark and chary-y as the nose indicates but finishes with a sugary butter finish akin to maple sugar candy.

Odd that a wood aged mocha beer has more maple character than most maple beers.

Serving type: on-tap

01-30-2012 11:36:07 | More by donkeyrunner

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clear yet opaque jet black in color with light amounts of visible carbonation and some light amounts of very dark amber highlights. The beer has a finger tall dense foamy light mocha head that very slowly reduces to a thin film covering the surface of the beer with a slightly thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of roasted malts, dark chocolate, oak, and vanilla.

T: Upfront there are moderate flavors of roasted and dark malts which is quickly overtaken by slightly stronger flavors of dark chocolate and milk chocolate. There are some light notes of sweetness and coffee along with the components from the oak barrel - oak and just a hint of vanilla. Light amounts of bitterness in the finish.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth, almost slightly creamy.

O: There is a good amount of complexity to the flavors of this beer and the alcohol is well hidden making it pretty easy to drink. I could easily sip on this beer for quite a while and it was enjoyed with dessert.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 21:07:53 | More by dbrauneis

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.99/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle. I feel dirty buying this where I did - seems like I should be procuring it from the local organic product hippie joint.

This beer pours a very thorough black, with the slightest of basal mahogany highlights, and two fingers of puffy, silken beige head, which leaves a few low rise bluffs of lace around the glass as it speedily recedes.

It smells of medium dark chocolate, dry-roasted coffee beans - bittersweet alike, a more subtle caramel/toffee malt, some mild boozy vanilla, and a soft wooden plank astringency. The taste is more pulled back on the sweetness, but there's the chalky cocoa, there's the Americano coffee bitterness, and there's the meek barrel-borne vanilla, all trampling over the caramel malt backbone, and well-reserved wooden cask toothpicks. The near 17-proof ABV is rather well integrated.

The carbonation is a wee bit fizzy, but generally ok and very stout-friendly in its obsequiousness, the body medium-heavy in weight (a tad surprisingly), and more or less smooth, with a faint stab at creaminess. It finishes kind of on the sweet side, the chocolate, almost sour coffee, salted toffee malt, and disparate oak barrel notes happy to stay for after-dinner drinks.

A decent enough stout, what with the multitude of tweaks and twiddles they've applied here. Nothing really dominates, and all work well together in pushing the central agenda of a hefty, warming, new-age coffee shop tipple. Worthy of a try, and sneaky in its ability to get away from you.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 01:33:26 | More by biboergosum

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.1/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into snifter.

A: Dark chocolate coloured with no head. Opaque cola.

S: Excellent! Mostly strong milk chocolate, but also cold coffee, and even some hops.

T: This is actually really good. Slightly tart, sort of fruity (cherry?), with bitter/roasted chocolate malt and sweet wood.

M: Smooth and nice, but ever-so-slightly thin.

O: I really, really liked this beer. Would have again. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 08:21:43 | More by AgentMunky

Alkali

Connecticut

4.06/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Black as night, with a small head. Some lacing on the glass.

S - Oak and wood. Not much cocoa in the nose, but definitely a sweet quality from the ABV.

T - Lots of oak and cocoa. The cocoa lingers towards the end. A slight sting and lingering dryness from the mixture of cocoa and oats. Not overly sweet.

M - Medium body, but creates a lingering dryness.

O - Definitely a nice beer for a cool night. The oak and cocoa are well presented, but there is not a lot of depth otherwise. Don't get me wrong; I definitely recommend this beer. It is unique and delicious. Just be prepared for a nice melding of mocha and oak.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 23:04:06 | More by Alkali

BeerNinja007

New Hampshire

3.35/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

22oz bomber purchased at Hannaford in Durham, NH. No code or age statement to be found anywhere. Served cold in a standard tulip.

A: A hard pour gives a small mocha-colored head that leaves some larger foamy bubbles behind as it settles. Some dense lace clings to the glass. Brew is dark dark brown and opaque, no light gets through.

S: Warm milk chocolate and smooth vanilla aromas abound, even while still fairly cold. Just a hint of astringent coffee. The vanilla has a soft buttery toffee kind of feel. As it warms/ breathes, raw fresh-cut oak wood comes through pretty strong and dominates.

T: Dark semi-bitter chocolate and coffee. Vanilla plays only a very minor role here, manifesting mostly as toffee; turns out most of that was in the smell. Coffee chimes in with a thin acidic note, doesn't really agree too well with the other flavors. Aftertaste is of sweet toffee, acidic coffee, and an odd fruity/ tropical something.

M: Moderately thick and filling, but the coffee cuts through with a dry acidic note that keeps it from being too heavy. Carbo is appropriate. Finishing the bomber is turning into a chore. High final gravity.

O: The flavors don't really play too well together, like each is battling the others for dominance. Choppy and disjointed. Maybe the brewer is trying to do too much here. Or maybe it's just too young and needs to age for a year or two. No age statement on the bottle, which is annoying.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 01:37:55 | More by BeerNinja007

Amalak

New York

3.35/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

A. It is pure black. It has a brown head with some lacing.

S. It has a very strong malt scent, high in alcohol.

T/M. It has a bit of a cardboard taste, some bitter hops. Malty and medium level of alcohol. Some black cherry. Carbonated and full bodied.

O. It's a complex taste, a bit over the top. Needs to be aged a year or so.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 23:27:30 | More by Amalak

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Paid $7.50 for this beast. Poured into an imperial pint glass

A - Pours fairly dark with little to no light escaping. Head is a nice 1/2 inch, sticky, mocha colored head. Looks good.

S - Some mocha and a touch of cough drop herbal which is kind of weird. There is some roast, hops, and a touch of bakers chocolate.

T - Starts off well with some roasted coffee (has sort of an espresso kind of jive), vanilla, and some bakers chocolate but every mid palate sip has this weird herbal hop twang that reminds me of an ESB. Finish is smooth with more chocolate malt and some licorice but man is that hop profile weird.

M - Kind of thin giving me a medium yet chewy experience. Not bad.

Overall not terrible but I have had better stouts. If they could round out that herbal hop profile it would deliver the great mocha stout they were going for.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 02:17:02 | More by DrDemento456

JK4Stout

Virginia

3.45/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Had a breat dirty cream head. Was nearly a half inch thick and lasted a good while. Color is brilliantly dark. Pours a little thin, but the color is right on.

S: Meh...unimpressive. Too much hop aroma for the style. I know Peak loves the scent, but not if you wanna stay consistent. More Malt fellas!

T: Good, don't get me wrong. Just realy wish a mocha stout had a bit more going on for it. Taste more like a hopped up stout. I guess it is consistent with the smell anyway.

M: To thin for a stout, but well carbed and does leave the right tone on the tongue.

O: Not terrible. Just nothing I want to write home about. I enjoy Peak and support them whenever possible, but not on this brew. It'll be a one time thing. Price was very resonable though, so nothing tragic here.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 00:01:36 | More by JK4Stout

SawDog505

New Hampshire

3.73/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a 16 oz snifter. Poured down the middle and got a one inch head, that leaves patches of brown lace, the beer itself is almost black. Smell is roasted coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, and some bourbon. Taste is less potent than the nose, lots off coffee, dark chocolate with hints of vanilla and bourbon. Body is medium, enough carbonation, a touch dry, and very drinkable. This is nice, one of those beers that doesn't make a great first impression on the first sip, but grows on you as you continue to drink it.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 04:00:56 | More by SawDog505

openmind

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: A lovely dark brown/Black.

Smell: The first time i tried it the rich chocolate can to the fore. The Second time the coffee was stronger. I can't wait to see /taste what the bottle 3 brings!

Taste: I find this beer in perfect balance between the stout flavor, java, choco and oak. I was thinking it would pair well with dessert, but i had it with my flank steak and it was a great playmate too.

Mouth feel: The mouth feel is a medium for a stout but still luscious.

Overall: A wonderful beer that's different flavors pop in and out as the tasting goes on. I look forward to trying this on tap. One of my top 3 stouts.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 21:31:47 | More by openmind

teromous

Virginia

3.95/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: Black, with a very short khaki head on it. Spotted lacing. Looks like an average stout.

S: It smells just like when you open up a fresh jug of chocolate milk. It has a lot of chocolate scent. There is a mild flowery scent and alcohol scent that is present as soon as it is poured, but goes away very shortly and I can't smell it anymore. Chocolate and more chocolate.

T: This really does not have the bitterness I'd expect from coffee, but it does have a lot of coffee and chocolate flavors. The chocolate flavors are very powerful in this. Coffee comes out more in the aftertaste.

M: It is very drinkable and refreshing. I consider it medium bodied based on that it feels relatively light on the mouth while still commanding a strong presence. It is on the lighter-edge of what I have experienced in stouts.

O: Overall I thought this was an excellent beer when it comes to showcasing the whole coffee/mocha thing. The oak didn't come through at all for me. I enjoy beers that use additives, but the mocha seemed to overwhelm the taste of the beer. I couldn't get a feel for how the stout tastes by itself...with just the grains and hops. If you enjoy chocolate I would say this is the perfect beer for you. If you're looking for an excellent stout...unfortunately you'll have to set your sights elsewhere, because you can barely taste the actual beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 19:28:41 | More by teromous

drabmuh

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Split a bomber with my wife the other day, reviewed from notes, served in a tulip. This was a decent stout but there was nothing oak aged or mocha about it unfortunately.

Beer is black with a thin off white head of small bubbles, some lacing, low retention, low carbonation.

Aroma is roasty, sweet, mild.

Beer is medium in body and finishes nicely on the backend. It is roasty and bitter from the roast, the forward isn't too sweet. Again I don't pick up any mocha that is apart from the normal flavors of the stout and no mild vanilla or oak character. Oh well, I don't think I'd have this again as there are stouts that are better but it was worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 21:01:08 | More by drabmuh

metter98

New York

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: The beer is close to near black in color—traces of amber are visible near the edge of the glass when it is held up to the light—and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high light mocha-colored head that has good retention properties and consistently left a thin layer of bubbles on the surface and lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are moderate aromas of dark chocolate in the nose along with some hints of vanilla from the barrel aging.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste is a bit sweet and has lots of chocolaty flavors. There are some notes of vanilla and hints of coffee beans.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a bit smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is quite easy to drink because it feels lighter-bodied compared to other imperial stouts and the alcohol is well hidden from the taste. However, the beer seems like it would be more enjoyable to sip and savor all of the complex flavors if it had a thicker mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 00:57:20 | More by metter98

shand

Florida

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a snifter.

This beer pours out a deep brown with a very minimal head. The aroma is dominated by the sweet vanilla oak, with some coffee and roasted/caramel malt. The aroma is very strong and very enticing. The taste is VERY oaky. The oak and vanilla are really the stars of the show here for sure. The chocolate and coffee noted on the label really only come in on the laste finish if you're paying attention. It's an oak bomb for sure, how you'll feel about this will directly correspond to how much you like the flavor or oak aging. I love it, so I enjoy this beer. The mouthfeel is actually fairly light bodied and highly carbonated, I'd like a touch more body. The drinkability is good. Overall, this is very much an OAK AGED stout. The oak really takes over, to the point where you'll only enjoy this if you like oak. I like oak, so it's a good beer. I wouldn't mind more of the coffee or chocolate though.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 02:45:23 | More by shand

sulldaddy

Connecticut

2.73/5  rDev -27%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Sampling a cellar temp bomber split with Stopper and poured into a snifter.
The beer pours a dark cola brown hue with minimal beige head. Aroma is mild baker's chocolate and some roasted malt with just a hint of coffee bean in the background. I dont really get any oak notes and overall the nose is very mild.
First sip reveals a smooth textured beer with mild carbonation that combine for high drinkability.
Flavor is some mild chalky chocolate and a bit of roasted malt with maybe hints of oak on the dry finish. Again the flavor profile is pretty mild and slightly disappointing. I dont get any hints of the booze and there isnt much of a hop hit anywhere either.

While the beer is decent, I am not wowed by it and am actually left desiring a little more. I had hoped for a little more robust flavor and nose and got neither. Nothing flawed just a seriously underwhelming beer in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 02:45:35 | More by sulldaddy

CloudStrife

New York

4.13/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into a snifter. Bottle finishes with a thick sediment at the bottom.

A: Pours a thick solid black with a 1-2 finger khaki-tan head. Really cant see any light through. A fair amount of lacing on the glass for being oak aged. Swirling the glass easily brings 1/4" of foam to the top.

S: First I get coffee with an overtone of chocolate. Oak is certainly in there as well as dark fruits and roasted malts. Sweet almost milk stout aromas.

T: Similar to the smell it starts out with that bold coffee, dark chocolate and an oak finish. Vanilla and bourbon flavors add to the mix.

M: Full bodied and creamy, has a bit of a bite at the end. Standard carbonation for a stout.

Overall another enjoyable oaked mocha stout but with an organic twist. Has some serious flavor, was real good on tap. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys oaked stouts.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 01:34:46 | More by CloudStrife