Peak Organic Maple Oat Ale

By now many of you know that Peak Organic Brewing — a local Portland, Maine brewing company which contract brews certified organic beer at the Shipyard facilities — has released a new spring beer: Maple Oat Ale. The three other year-round beers from Peak don’t do too much for me (they’re not bad by any stretch, just not overly exciting) but I really enjoyed this one.

Available in either 12oz 4-packs or 22oz bombers, Peak’s Maple Oat Ale is a light copper-colored ale brewed with Maine-grown organic oats from granola company GrandyOats and Vermont-produced organic maple syrup from Butternut Mountain Farms in Morrisville, Vermont.

This beer pours a dark golden/light copper color with very little head retention (probably due to the high amounts of maple syrup in the boil). The Maple Oat Ale has a sweet malt taste and a smoother-than-normal mouthfeel — thanks largely to the oats — while it finishes with a distinct (but not overpowering) maple syrup sweetness.

I would definitely consider this my favorite of the Peak family and I hope they choose to keep it around for awhile (right now it’s only slated for the spring season). It is one of the easier drinking beers I’ve had in a long time; my 22oz bomber was gone not long after I realized I had even opened it. but, at a modest 5.2% ABV, that wasn’t a problem and there was certainly room left for more. But I think that Geoff Masland, Peak Organic Partnership Maestro, summed up the best part of this beer quite nicely in the company’s official press release which accompanied the beer’s release:

“We’ve collaborated with great folks to produce more than just a delicious craft beer, but also a positive experience from start to finish, farm to glass.”

For more on Peak Organic Brewing, read my interview with its founder Jon Cadoux from September ’07.

[tags]beer, organic, Peak Organic, Maine, Vermont[/tags]