Peeper Ale - Maine Beer Company

CurtFromHershey

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Damaged in transit, so I'm reserving judgment a bit here.

Nevermind that, despite partially opening during shipping, beer pours a bright cloudy yellow with hues of orange zest and a gigantic pillowy head. Awesome lacing. Really attractive beer. Top notch.

Smell is is tart like unripened citrus. Notes of herbal and flowery lemon grass. Awesome

Taste follows the nose closely, but with more emphasis on the lemon grass and some pine. Very refreshing, although perhaps could use some sturdier malts with the strong hop presence.

Mouthfeel is creamy yet slightly prickly from the tight carbonation.

Wonderful pale ale. Having trouble sipping this slowly enough to make it last a bit longer.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 21:30:49 | More by CurtFromHershey

AltBock

Ohio

4.15/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle with a slick egg shell white colored label. On the front is a small green stick figure with a belly jumping up in the air. Continue going around the label and you'll find a stamped born on date(mine was born on 12/21/12), a brief history of the brewery, and all the Government information. Poured into an Imperial Samuel Smith pint glass.

This beer looked a little like a Hefeweizen to me. It was a cloudy lemon juice yellow. It was so cloudy that I could only see the brief silhouette of my fingers on the other side of the glass. On top was a 1/4 of an inch pearl white head of foam. It had good retention that left behind a long lasting small white film and a number white streaks of lace around the glass. Loved that hazy lemon color.

As soon as the cap came off, I got a strong whiff of citrus hops. It settled down a little when the beer was poured. The citrus hops was at medium strength. Behind the citrus hops was a load of grapefruit, a little lemon, plenty of pine, and just a subtle whiff of toasted malts. That's a nice aroma!

The taste was on the hoppy side, but the hops weren't overly hoppy. I got a big bite of citrus hops upon frist sip. After the hops passed, in comes a dash of lemon, a good sized grapefruit punch, a few pine needles, and then it finishes up with a clean malt backbone. Nice refreshing hoppy taste.

The mouthfeel was light to medium bodied with a nice hoppy yet malty aftertaste. There was some citrus hops, pine, grapefruit, and a little toasted malt. This aftertaste won't linger.

I like to give a shout out to my good friend Del who gave me this beer. This nice refreshing hoppy APA. I could see this as a nice summer beer. Would I drink it again? If only I got it in my state.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 05:06:19 | More by AltBock

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.06/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at Capone's.

The beer is pale yellow with a small white head. The aroma is mild, offering a touch of fresh hops, citrus, flowery hops. Watery body. Very light and quaffable. A fine choice for warmer weather. Fresh hops and a healthy bitterness gain strength in the finish. A very tasty brew. I can't understand why the individual bottles of this are so expensive. While this is certainly tasty, I simply don't understand the $8 price tag I've seen in the DC metro area. That's more expensive than a bottle of Bourbon County Brand Stout. This was a pretty tasty beer, but nothing particularly special or noteworthy that justifies the exhorbitant price.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2013 01:59:07 | More by Huhzubendah

CharlatanSin

Connecticut

3.53/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Cask Republic in New Haven. I've been looking forward to trying Peeper ever since Maine Beer Co. to Connecticut was announced.

A: Poured into a tulip. A nice, clear, light golden straw color, with about a finger of smooth white head.

S: Floral hops with a little bit of pine. Some toasted light malt.

T/M: Odd. This beer's flavor is really grainy. Tastes of crackers, straw. Some hops up front, but they have no staying power, and the grain dominates through to the finish. No sweetness, but not much hop bitterness either. It almost tastes like a farmhouse ale base, but with American ale yeast. Mouthfeel's a bit thin, with carbonation on the heavy side.

O: I've got to say I'm pretty disappointed. Not a disgusting beer, but doesn't hit the right APA notes for me. What happened to the hops? Doubt it was an issue of old beer, since it was on tap and Maine Beer is brand new to CT.

Serving type: on-tap

02-24-2013 13:43:04 | More by CharlatanSin

Damian74Shensky

South Carolina

4.26/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Served in a tumbler.

A: Poured very pale yellow, 2 finger head with high carbonation. Some good lacing going on.

S: Oranges, orange peel, piney and hops.

T: Oranges, grassy, floral flavors. Some yeasty after taste.

M: Bitter on the end,slightly dry, easy going down. Light/medium body.

O: Little watery but the beer is well balanced. Nice hops, malt complexity. Will hopefully get again.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 00:22:03 | More by Damian74Shensky

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.96/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

16.9 oz bottle was poured into a nonic pint glass.

Appearance: This beer poured a one finger head that reduced to a thin layer. It is a pale yellow color with great clarity and bubbles coming up through the glass.

Smell: Citrus, lemon, pale and bready malts.

Taste: Lots of lemon and lime and other citrus aromas. Followed by bready and pale malts. Slight bitterness in the end too.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, very highly carbonated, slightly dry, crisp, and medium bodied.

Overall: Pretty solid APA that I have enjoyed plenty of times. A bit over carbonated, but still a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 23:57:27 | More by Flounder57

fmccormi

New York

4.38/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Straight pour from a 1 pint 0.9 oz. / 500ml pry-off bottle to a tall Ommegang flute; bottling date of February 1, 2013 printed in black ink on the side of the bottle (“020113 68 — Drink within 90 days of stamped born on date. Enjoy this beer fresh. Hoppy beers do not age well.”) You got it, boss. This beer’s gettin’ drank fresh as shit, 16 days old at the time of consumption.

Appearance (4.25): Bit of a lively head on this pour, easily three fingers of bone-white foam composed of tight, creamy head and fat, crackling bubbles fed by a steady stream of bubbles from the bottom of the glass. The body is a pale, sunshiney yellow with just the slightest chill haze. (Quite a bit hazier and taking on the color of orange peels if you disturb the sediment.) Crazy retention—the head just does not want to die. But as it diminishes, it leaves thick gobs of foam and lacing all around the glass.

Smell (4.5): I swear to God there’s fresh lemon and lime zest in here, and it’s mixed with wildflowers and crumbled up water crackers and fresh-cut hay. What could possibly be a better aroma than that? The hoppiness is equally citrusy (but not in a sweet, juicy mango / pineapple kind of way) and floral, and it’s just beautiful. So light and fragrant and pretty.

Taste (4.25): The definition of crisp. Light, bright, extremely floral (not as sweet as hibiscus, but definitely along those lines of “floral”), citrusy and zingy, with a slightly vegetal bitterness in the finish that keeps it real. Lots of light, lemony tones mixed with pale, crackery grain character (like fresh-baked biscuits, but with almost no sweetness) dominate the palate, but it transitions into a slightly medicinal hoppy finish—though the astringency is very light, so it’s quite palatable. There’s a light, grainy sweetness mixed with starch underneath, like lightly toasted wheat bread. After disturbing the yeast, there’s a slightly starchier dimension to it, which I personally don’t mind one bit. More than anything, it’s just absurdly lemony and bright through the entire tasting experience.

Mouthfeel (4.5): The carbonation feels soft at first, but it goes out with an all-over prickliness of incredibly fine grain. The body feels full but on the light side of medium-weight at the same time, with a corporeality that I love. Very dry finish, but it’s still light enough that it comes off as quenching, rather than begging for more. And, there’s that wonderful feeling of a chunk of foam passing your lips because the head just won’t quit.

Overall (4.5): Call it personal bias, but to me this is what most American Pale Ales should be like: light, crisp, dry, lemon-citrusy, and absurdly crushable, if that’s a thing. This is the kind of thing you want to drink out of tallboy cans all summer long without getting trashed. Amazing. So refreshing and awesome. Definitely worth seeking out, if you’re a fan of pale, hoppy beers, light and bright session-ish beers (I know it’s over 5% ABV, relax), crisp American ales, or just life in general.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 02:50:28 | More by fmccormi

yamar68

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

Thanks to BobZ for gifting this one! Bottled 11/23/12:

Pours a pale lemon gold with a fluffy few fingers of paper white head laces all around the mug. Beautifully murky if I do say so myself... almost has the appearance of a hefe.

Grassy, semi-citric hops with a solid malt backbone. Very smooth, appealing to the schnoz.

Very drinkable - mellow orange peel and earthy hop flavors. The feel is a bit watery but it doesn't really detract from the rest of the beer. Great sense of balance, very drinkable.

Thanks Bob!

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 18:23:16 | More by yamar68

schlimenhaumer

New York

3.84/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

My first offering from Maine Beer Company. Bottled on date reads 122112 and advises that this one be consumed within 90 days. Poured from a 1 pint .9 fl oz bottle into an Ommegang tulip at low altitude in NY.

A: Pours a hazy light golden color with a substantial creamy white head. Good retention as expected from a beer of this ABV, and leaves a fair amount of lacing.

S: The nose on this one is all hops; citric and mildly piney. Overall, the aroma is moderately strong and seems like it should be well balanced.

T: Opens with citric and bitter hop notes, followed by a hefty dose of sweet malts. Shockingly the finish is more sweet than bitter -- the malt profile ultimately overwhelms the hops. While the flavors are good, the balance is slightly off.

M: Medium-bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Complements the flavors well and makes this quite refreshing.

O: An enjoyable, easy-drinking beer. Quite good in every aspect, but somewhat unremarkable, especially given the price point. After this experience, I'll definitely be checking out some other Maine Beer Co. offerings.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 03:52:15 | More by schlimenhaumer

dar482

New York

4.56/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

The color is a light golden color.

The aroma has a wonderful big citrus pop, but with some malt. A huge hop bomb for a pale ale.

The flavor fits. Wonderful orange, lemon, grass. The bready malt finish really tops it off well.

It reminds me of a hoppy big Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The best pale ale next to Maine Beer Co. MO.

Serving type: on-tap

02-06-2013 03:11:53 | More by dar482

Beer-A-Lot

Virginia

3.8/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

There's nothing wrong with this beer, but it didn't thrill me all that much. Not really off-putting; it was just a little thin and kind of unexciting. I may try it again some time just to see if my taste buds were off, but this is not something I'll seek that actively. Still, Maine is a decent brewery so theproblem may be I'm not a huge fan of this style.

Serving type: on-tap

02-04-2013 17:34:29 | More by Beer-A-Lot

DaveAnderson

Minnesota

4.08/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to SammyJaxxxx for this nondescript 500ml bottle, dated "101212".

I have no idea what style this is supposed to be, so let's just dive in blind. First off, it looks great. It has a pale straw color, and a head like whipped egg whites. The head dies down a little quicker than I expect it to, given how creamy it looks, and leaves behind little lacing.

I sure get a lot of tropical fruit smells from this one. And a hint of pine and tartness. It's very subtle and very fragrant. Most of these come through on the tongue, but with a substantial bitterness and a delicate sweetness. Carbonation is soft. I'm not catching the tartness suggested by the smell.

Overall, this is nice. It's light, and the bitterness really lingers, producing a clean finish.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 03:02:22 | More by DaveAnderson

popery

California

4.18/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes, 6/30/11. Bottle, Vermont. Cloudy orange gold body - sediment kicked up - with a lasting head. Pleasantly hoppy aroma. Citrus with a hint of pine. Nice bready caramel malt holding things up. Taste is yeasty and dry with nearly perfect bitterness. Extremely easy to drink. I love well-made pale ales that are dry and hoppy. A very good beer. Judged purely against the style, this would be in the 4.3+ range.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 03:02:42 | More by popery

dogfishandi

New York

3.85/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

16 oz. bottle at fridge temp poured into a snifter. Bottled on 9/1/12. 1 month past the recommended drink by date, so obviously not super fresh.

Pours a hazy, somewhat cloudy golden color with a nice full, rocky white head. Great retention and some great looking sticky lacing.

Fairly balanced aroma. Citrus, grapefruit and lemon, very subdued pine. Light cereal grains.

Follows the aroma. Lemon citrus with some grapefruit. A bit of pine and ripe citrus fruit. Very light in bitterness. A nice grainy malt makes for an almost balanced taste.

Medium to light in body, more towards the light side. Carb is just right, refreshing in a way. Almost a bit creamy.

Overall, a fairly nice beer. It definatly has drinkability going for it. I'd really like to revisit a fresh bottle of this. Another worthy beer from Maine.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 00:05:10 | More by dogfishandi

HOMEPL8

Virginia

4.34/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I am a big fan of this brewery. This was a crisp, totally enjoyable, session pale ale. Worth the price and a beer I searched for to bring home. This beer hit the mark for a flavor profile that works for my pallet...just enough bitterness, and a pleasing mouth feel and aroma.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 21:21:33 | More by HOMEPL8

ummswimmin

New Jersey

4.23/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I had this on tap at Clover Leaf Tavern in Caldwell, NJ. They poured this into a tulip glass.

The coloring on this was cloudy golden with about two fingers of foam.

The nose and body on this one has really nice hop presence. I like the citrus in both parts. It is really strong with very good balance.

This is a very impressive IPA. I recommend trying a bottle or draft.

Serving type: on-tap

01-22-2013 03:24:24 | More by ummswimmin

HattedClassic

Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Note:
Beer was reviewed at the tail end of a cold so not all tastes or smells may have been recorded.

Appearance:
Pours a nice white head with very good retention. The head has a lot of lacing. The beer itself is an interesting shade of orange with hints of yellow. The beer is bottle conditioned so the beer still has it yeast that makes the beer cloudy.

Smell:
Hops dominate the nose.

Taste:
The hops taste like grapefruit with a malty undertaste but the hops dominate the palate.

Mouthfeel:
The beer is light bodied and almost borders on medium bodied. The beer also has some light carbonation.

Overall:
A pretty good pale ale that is always worth coming back to.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 00:43:05 | More by HattedClassic

JK4Stout

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A: You know that color you get in your urine when you go jogging and don't get quite enough water in before or during?...that is this pale golden yellow. It reminds me of dandilions that have spent WAY to long in the sun. I am fully aware neither analogy is positive, but I am not talking down here. The head was brilliant...the first sip left one hell of a foam mustache.

S: So crisp and clean. There is that strong minty note American Hops can give, and this just makes you'r mouth water...or that is just the wet beer slipping in.

T: As far as a straight-up Pale Ale goes this and Dale's may take the cake. I was very impressed with the whole freshness of the flavors. (And I was actually having this a week oe two after the recommended date)

M: Medium to heavy. Lingering but not in a way that is too filling. This is a good food pairing beer as it doesn't fill you wuite as fast of others may, while it still doesn't skimp on flavor.

O: This is my first try at Maine Beer Comp....I'm quite impressed. I look forward to trying thier other styles as well as getting this one a second time. Like I always tell people I drink with...the way to know if it is quality is if you would buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 22:42:57 | More by JK4Stout

Horbar

Rhode Island

4.33/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured into imperial pint glass frim16.9oz bottle.

This is the strangest color I've ever seen. Looks like rusty water. Good thing the head and lacing make up for it.

Smells of grassy and piney hops, with the slightest bready backbone. Very nice.

Tastes as is smells. Nice balanced grassy hops upfront, with a touch of malt.

The carbonation is high but I like it. Perfect bitterness.

A very good APA, but not worth the price. If I am going to pay $7 a 16.9 oz bottle, it better be as good as Lunch. I would buy it again, but not at this price.

Appearance is fixed....no more rusty water... and price is 1.50 less than my original try. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 03:02:05 | More by Horbar

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.14/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Presently, this is the #21 ranked Pale Ale here on BA.

Served in a glass. If you want to know which one, you can beermail me.

A: Holy crap, this sucker had quite a head... about 2 fingers even. The brew below it was about as saturatedly mandarin orange as it gets.

S: Really nice scent of freshly squeeze orange juice, orange peel, and a good bit of fresh linen.

T: Lots of fruit going on here: OJ, a bit of booze, yeast, and a hop profile that is a bit more on the fruit side rather than a hop bomb one. Still, this had some pine in it.

M: Bitter on the end, but in a voluptuous way. I got the nice prickle from the carbonation, and the yeasty quality totally drew me in. A good amount of lacing, yet it didn't stick.

O: Damn, what a great pale ale. However, I have some problems over the fact that they don't 6 pack-ize this.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 06:45:36 | More by Chaney

Kendo

New York

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

Bottle purchased on 12-29-12, consumed on 1-5-13. Didn't notice it when I bought it, but there's a date on the side of the bottle: 4-17-12, which I assume is the bottled-on date - making this beer nearly 9 months old when consumed. . . .

A: Poured into a pint glass. Body is surprisingly light - slightly chill-hazed straw-yellow with active carbonation forming a 2-finger soap-bubbly white head. Leaves behind thick sheets of foamy lace.

S: Light citrus - lemon and lemon peel and a touch of grapefruit. Modest bready malt aromas underneath.

T: Sweeter than expected, though I can't help but wonder if the hops would've been a little more prevalent when fresh. Still, after a fairly sweet malt profile early in the sip, it finishes with a good bitterness - lemony, grassy and a bit of grapefruity pith or peel.

M: On the lighter side of medium in heft with active carbonation creating rising bubbles throughout and a modest creaminess in feel.

O: A solid APA - easy-drinking but with good hop flavors.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 01:40:20 | More by Kendo

enoisone

Virginia

2.3/5  rDev -44.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Again,seeing the high rating on BA, i was expecting to taste a great APA.
Poured out into a proper glass.

A- Very light,straw color,what i expected in a APA.
S- Lots of citrus,a little pine and grassy aromas.
T- Not alot of anything considering the nose on this beer. Not expecting a hop-bomb,but thinking this was gonna be something special with a 95 rating. Dales PA and Full Nelson PA blow this out of the water. I admit, they are pretty hoppy for APA's, but this beer was a disappointment in the flavor catagory.
M- Nothing worth noting,void of any substantial body.
O- A real disappointment. I paid how much for this?

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 16:03:08 | More by enoisone

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a clean (until the sediment went in on the last pour) yellow pour with 2 fingers of fluffy head that sat on top like an ice cream cone. excellent heavy sticky lacing. beautiful looking pale ale.
the smell is unbelievably hoppy. lots of grass, garlic, and pine notes coming from the hops, with a sugar-like caramel tone.
the part i've been waiting patiently for (the head took a while to go down).. the taste: bitter as hell as soon as it touches the tongue followed by a sweet bready malt backbone. a spicy garlic-like hop note kicks back in and lingers for a bit. very herbal hops, very aggressive for a pale ale! love it! little citrus notes kick in as the beer warms up.
a medium body, highly carbonated delicious nectar of the gods. do not hesitate to pick this up. i'm looking at my bottle and it's from october. we're in january now.. i can't believe the hops are still this awesome this far along, i honestly can't even imagine what this is like fresh then.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 23:06:00 | More by facundoCNB

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I had originally purchased this as a stop-gap for a frequent CANTrader (TM) who wanted Lunch, but which I was initially unable to find. I subsequently found what that person was looking for and decided to keep this for myself. Win-win, no?

From the bottle: "Our hand-crafted American ale. Pleasant malt body 100% American hops"; "Do what's right. 1% for the Planet (TM) Member"; "Bottle Conditioned Contains live yeast. Sediment is all natural. Serve in a glass with or without a complete pour."; "My brother and I started homebrewing in a small garage in Portland [ME]. We wanted to make some really good beer so that we could drink it of course. One winter, after many days of brewing, our fingers numb (the garage was not heated), we decided we should begin to share. So, we moved into a bigger garage (our new brewery with heat) and here it is. Cheers!"; "What We Are All About We brew great beers conditioned the old fashioned way. We are a local company serving our local community. We use 100% wind power for our electricity. We donate our used grain, yeast & grain bags to local farmers. We donate 1% of all sales to environmental non-profits." Maybe they did mean Portland, OR ...

My pour got me a one-finger cap of rocky, eggshell-white head with good retention. Color was a hazy sunshine-yellow that really stood out at this late hour. Nose smelled like fresh-baked lemon bread. Yeasty, zesty, bready, all of the above. Mouthfeel was thin-to-medium with a lemon zest flavor immediate on the tongue. It really did taste like lemon bread, something that I have not baked in many years. I used to have aspirations of becoming a chef, but my Navy recruiter talked me out of the kitchen and while I know how to cook, I rarely do so. Finish was semi-dry with the lemony flavor allowing the malt a chance to bring some sweetness to the whole affair. I think that this would be a wonderful summer beer and if the opportunity to revisit it during the summer presents itself, I may do just that.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 03:51:16 | More by woodychandler

cvm4

Mississippi

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Has a straw color to it & very opaque, very fluffy two finger head.

S - Lovely smell... lemon zest, grassy, bright citrus hops and mild malts.

T - Light pine hops along with a bit of grapefruit. A definite grassyness to it and some malts to being it all in.

M - A bit watery with a light body but medium carbonation.

O - One of the better pale ales I've ever had. That being said, they'll never blow you away but are there to deliver time & time again.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 01:23:49 | More by cvm4