Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale

Here's the second in the mix pack of Peak Organic, this time, a nut brown ale. It's interesting to note, they alternate the label photographs, a la Jones Soda.

This one presents itself a clear mahogany with a nice sticky head. It smells slightly nutty & sweet. The taste however, is pretty thin. There's a slight suggestion of toast...maybe a little maple syrup?

In all, it's pretty mild. Not offensive, but nothing special.

Peak Organic Pale Ale

Peak Organic Pale Ale, 5.05% from Portland, ME.

Our local beer place was running a crazy sale on a mixed 12 pack...$7.99? Sure, I'll try them. First up is the pale ale. It pours a nice golden brown, with a nice head. I wasn't expecting this to be bottle-finished, so I accidentally muddied an otherwise clear beer with the yeast in the bottom of the bottle.

It smells sweet, slightly herbal...the taste is fairly light, with sweetness followed by a nice hop punch and slightly citrus notes.
It's an easy drinking little number, with a nice hop presence.

Hevelius Kaper

Hevelius Kaper, 8.7%, from Poland.

So far I've really just loved every Polish beer I've had...so I thought I'd give this one a try. It's super cheap, and 8.7%! How bad could it be?

It pours a light red-amber, sparkling clear. There's a decent head that sticks around. It smells a little bit like light beer - corn, faint hops.

The taste, however is nothing like light beer. The hops jump right in with a bitter herbal, thick flavor. There's a slightly dry finish. It's not horrible, but not a standout. Probably won't pick this up again.

Trappistes Rochefort 10

Ah, Rochefort 10...A Belgian quadruple, 11.3% !

This one's in my top five favorite beers of all time. It's pretty similar to the Westvleteren 12, which is perfection. Although this beer can be found all over the place in the States, I can't seem to get my hands on any (though #8 turns up occasionally). Cari ended up ordering some from BelgiumShop.com and had it shipped to us for my birthday. I've been rationing them out slowly.

I'd heard many great things about this brew before my trip to Belgium, so I had this one on my list. When I asked the bartender at the Delirium Cafe if they had any Rochefort 10, he laughed, "I should hope so!". It's like asking Hooters if they have any Bud Light.

This is a pretty small bottle, it pours a dark, opaque brown - kind of cloudy looking, with no head. It smells like sweet dark fruit, with plenty of alcohol and malt coming through.

The taste is sweet, with molasses and sweet malt, followed by some alcohol burn. It numbs the tongue, yet is surprisingly smooth.

This is not beer. It's something bigger, something better, something more important. There's just something different about beer made with love by monks to glorify God, to spread cheer, to fund their operation...whatever the reason, I'm glad they do it.

Baron's Black Wattle Seed Ale

Baron's Black Wattle Superior Ale, 5.8%, Wollahra, Australia.

I must admit, I'd never heard of Baron's or wattle seed before, and Australian beers are pretty scarce around here, so I was pretty excited to find this at Total Wine in Palm Beach Gardens.

It turns out that wattle seed is what Australians call acacia berries...or something. I'm not sure I could identify acacia in a lineup, but I've heard of it, at least.

It pours a deep reddish brown with a thick tan head that disappears quickly. It smells like toffee, maybe some molasses. The taste is surprisingly rich - toffee, some chocolate, a little grain and toasty aftertaste, followed by some coffee flavors. All this, while remaining fairly medium-bodied.
It's hard to believe it's got a slightly higher alcohol punch.
In one word: yum. This was a good find.