Monday, April 8, 2013

Peeper Ale


Maine Beer Company is a small brewery located in Freeport, Maine.  Most of their beers are meant to be consumed as fresh as possible.  Each bottle is date stamped and meant to be consumed within 90 days of bottling.  

According to MBC, hops do not like age.  This confuses me somewhat.  It is my understanding that hops were originally added to beer because they act as a natural preservative.  In fact, that's how IPA's came to be.  Back in the 1700's when Britain was colonizing India brewers began adding hops to keep the beer fresh for the long voyage so that when it arrived in the hot climes of the Indo-China it would be fresh and flavorful.

Who am I to argue?  If Maine Beer Company wants us to drink their beer fresh then that is what we should endeavor to do.

I know this.  I knew it when I bought the beer several months ago.  So when I was scrounging around the fridge for a beer the other day and I spied a bottle of Peeper Ale I wasn't sure how good it was going to be. It's been in the coldest part of the refrigerator all this time so maybe it would be okay.  

Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?  


I cracked that icy cold brew open.  It pour a clear pale gold, but there was sediment in the bottle.  A more aggressive pour would have turned out a hazier appearance, to be sure. A generous head built despite my attempt at a gentle pour.  

The aroma was a mouthwatering combination of hops and malt.  

The flavor was somewhat light tasting, but it was a very nice balance of caramel malt and citrus hops. The hops impart plenty of the grapefruit characteristics I love so much, but there is also a nice touch of lemon. The flavor is more bitter/tart than sweet and it finishes with a nice crisp bitter bite.  


This is a very refreshing drinking brew with a nice light mouth feel.And the 5.50% ABV makes it fairly sessionable.  This would be a nice beer to quench a dry throat on a hot summer day.

How did it stand up to aging in my fridge?  Pretty well, I think.  It was very tasty.  I liked it a lot.

Overall: Very good.


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1 comment:

onoffkonoff said...

re: the 'hops don't like age' thing, that's partly true. Isomerized alpha acids - re: the bitter flavour from hops - are pretty persistent, but the beta acids that impart smell and other flavours are really volatile and likely to break down after a short period of time, so if you want the full nose and flavor of a heavily dry-hopped beer, drink it quick. Cool review though, I'm a big fan of grapefruit notes, and Nova Scotia's not too far away from Maine at all... may have to make a trip.