Simcoe Spring Ale

Beer Name: Simcoe Spring Ale
Brewery: Peak Organic Brewing Company
ABV: 5.4%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Best by Sept 2012

Peak Organic was having a beer tasting over at Ryan & Casey, so I figured I'd return some bottles and check out their wares. The tasting host was a very friendly guy, and I was the only person there are this particular time, so we got to talk about beer, and he got to hear the woeful tale of Kate's and my failure to procure any Peak beer at the 2010 Vermont Brewers Festival due to a thunderstorm. It is a very sad story. Also, I got a free pint glass because I ended up buying some Peak beer. Good times.

Simcoe Spring Ale is one of Peak's seasonal beers, and, despite spring having only just started, is about to be phased out in place of their summer brew. All these calendar shenanigans are a direct result of Sam Adams sending Summer Ale out at the beginning of April, and it's starting to annoy me. It's getting to the point where I need a beer spreadsheet to keep track of what seasonals are available when. Actually, that's not a terrible idea...

I'm getting sidetracked. Simcoe Spring is a slightly hazy copper beer that poured from the bottle with a nice fluffy head nearly two fingers high. (I did not drink the beer from my newly acquired pint glass, as that was hanging out in the packie and probably should be washed before use.) The head faded away fairly slowly, and it left a heavy lacing behind. The aroma is a bit hoppier than I remember it being at the tasting, but that could be because I tried the Hop Noir first, and its intense hoppiness dulled my senses. I'm getting some piney and citrusy hop notes, which makes sense given that this beer probably uses Simcoe hops. Unfortunately, this means that the beer I picked because I thought Kate might like it too is obviously going to fail in that department.

This is a nice citrusy beer, although the hop bitterness isn't nearly as much as the aroma might led you to believe. It's still hoppy, but it's an easily manageable amount of hoppiness. Maybe even someone who avoids hoppy beers would enjoy it. There's not really any maltiness here, so the hops have the whole stage to themselves. It's a fairly carbonated beer, but it's still pretty smooth. The finish is a little bitter, and there's a mild aftertaste of pine.

Final thought - Everything about this beer seems like it would be enjoyable in the gradually warming spring weather, which makes it baffling that it is around in January, February and March. I should probably write myself a note to pick some of this up next year and store it for later, but I am lazy and I won't. I will make a point of saying that this is a nice beer, and I would be glad to drink it again.

-Jon

Oak Aged Mocha Stout

Beer Name: Oak Aged Mocha Stout
Brewery: Peak Organic Brewing Company
ABV: 8.4%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

This beer is brewed with chocolate, gets coffee added to it during its conditioning, and then hangs out in an oak barrel which is supposed to impart some vanilla flavors. So basically this beer is some fancy stuff. So fancy, in fact, that the top of the bottle was wrapped in foil, which is annoying. Don't do that, breweries! Especially if you're going to adhere the foil with some sort of sticky adhesive. Now I can't add this Peak Organic cap to my collection.

The Oak Aged Mocha Stout is a velvety black beer. It poured with about a finger of head, which faded after a short time. The beer tried to leave a lacing pattern, but for some reason it just wouldn't stick. I think that may actually be a fault of myself as opposed to a fault of the beer, in that I may have not used a properly cleaned glass. I can live with that, because I have to. This beer smells fantastic, with great stout aromas of coffee and chocolate. I suppose maybe I can pick out some oaky notes in the aroma, but I think it's probably a psychological thing because I know the beer is oak aged.

This beer has some very complex things happening in its flavor. There are roasted coffee flavors (sort of like a burned flavor, but in a good way). There are chocolate flavors. I am also getting some very faint vanilla flavors. There is really a whole of stuff going on here, and all of it is pleasant. The beer has a light carbonation, and even with its fairly high ABV, it's nice and smooth. Bitter coffee takes the spotlight in the finish, and it has a light mocha aftertaste.

Final thought - I was a little skeptical after the first few sips, because the beer seemed like it just wasn't what I was expecting it to be. Then it warmed up slightly, and it became amazing. I am a little embarrassed that I didn't think to give it a few minutes, what with it being a strong stout and all. Obviously a beer like that needs a chance to meld its flavors. What a rookie mistake. Also, I may have to rethink my position on barrel-aging beers after drinking this one.

-Jon