Peak Organic Super Fresh

Let’s talk for a minute about beer styles. Styles are really a way to convey to the consumer general information about the flavor profile of the beer they are about to purchase. If I go to a pretty novice beer drinker and ask them the difference between a stout and an IPA they will probably be able to give some general information about color and hop levels. Some of the big beer competitions take it to another level, adding strict guidelines for color, ABV, hop and malt levels and flavors and acceptable yeast contributions in each defined style of beer. These strict guidelines result in some beer drinkers getting bent out of shape when a beer is labeled as a style but falls well outside the typical description. A good example is Super Fresh a relatively new release from Peak Organic Brewing company in Portland, Maine. Super Fresh is an extreme version of Fresh Cut, a very popular pilsner that is dry hopped with a solid dose of New World hops, something that isn’t traditional in a pilsner. Super Fresh takes it to another level with more hops and over 7% ABV, both well outside of the defined style guideline, but it’s still labeled as a pilsner and not an IPL or hoppy lager. Personally I don’t care, a brewery can call their beer whatever they want, and it’s not like Peak labeled Super Fresh as an imperial stout. Good beer is good beer, and with all of the experimentation going on the lines of style are blurry at best. Peak Organic Super Fresh is available intermittently (mostly due to popularity) on draft and in tallboy cans.

Peak Organic Super Fresh pours a clear straw yellow with a massive off-white head. The scent is a pungent burst of hops, cut grass and citrus. The flavor is also hop forward, notes of pine, grapefruit, lemon and mango along with a solid hit of bitterness. There is minimal malt flavor, some light touches of crackers and grain. Super Fresh is crisp and very easy to drink, it packs some punch at 7.6% ABV but you don’t get any alcohol in the flavor. There is a clean lager finish with just a little lingering bitterness. I really enjoyed this beer, the hops and the booze really don’t scream “pilsner” to me but the beer is delicious regardless of what you want to call it. Hoppy Boston score: 4.75/5.

Previous Peak Organic Reviews:

Peak Organic Hop Harvest, Peak Organic Fresh Cut Pilsner, Peak Organic Simcoe Spring, Peak Organic Hop Noir