Beer Review: Hop Noir Black IPA by Peak Organic Brewing Company

“I give this a fabulosity of 10!” – Anonymous source, when asked how he liked this beer.

It was a dark and stormy hop noir night, and the rain fell in torrents… Actually, there was no rain at all, it was rather sunny and in the 60s. I had never had a Black IPA before, though I had heard of them. They seemed like rather shady characters, only coming out at night when the vast populace was inside, warm under their covers with their night lights on. And that’s a good thing, because Peak Organic Brewery advises you to enjoy this beer with a night-light.

So when I stumbled upon this in our downstairs fridge, I knew that this was the one the beer that I would start my reviewing career with (if you could call it a career, which you probably can’t).

Peak Organic Brewery, based in Portland, ME, is a small craft brewing company that places a special value on sustainability. They use local, organic ingredients to produce beers such as Maple Oat Ale, Espresso Amber Ale, and Nut Brown Ale. If you want to have a taste of these beers, but can’t find them in any stores near you, the River Bend Restaurant in Newton, MA, serves Peak Organic beer on draught throughout the year.

When reviewing, I will generally go through the following aspects of a beer: color, clarity, aroma, what I thought of my first sip, mouthfeel, and aftertaste. I will not give beers a number rating because I don’t believe in numbers. Instead I will give out cookies and unique awards.

Color: Dark like a moonless night, like the color of your room when you wake up and realize your night-light has gone out. But then you realize that the thin creamy head isn’t going anywhere, and it’s that beacon you follow through your moonless night. It also gives you a great moustache, or at least it did for me.


Aroma: Amazing. I spent quite a bit of time puzzling over whether this was more hoppy or more malty, because every time I took a whiff, I thought differently. Then I finally realized that it was both. This beer is made with both Centennial Hops and black malts. The hops are added both while the kettle is boiling and after fermentation, called kettle hopping and dry hopping respectively. The dry hopping provides this beer with its hop aroma, and the black malts balance it out so that it smells more piney rather than fruity.

First Impressions: Holy crap, what did I just drink? What is this, malts? Hops? At first taste, I mostly tasted the roasted barley. This beer uses black malt, which gives this beer a “toasty roasty” taste. Then the hops start creeping in, like a criminal trying to sneak up behind you even though you know they’re there, so instead of them whacking you over the head, you get to confront them.

Mouthfeel: Bitter, I can really taste the hops now. The black malts create a nice base, and overall I like the balance between the two. It kind of starts off tasting like a stout, and then you realize that it’s an IPA, and then the flavors join hands and do an intricate dance of courtship in your mouth.

Aftertaste: I’m left with an aftertaste that has just a hint of sweetness, and a bit of roasted coffee flavor.

Overall, I found my first black IPA to be very enjoyable. I’ll definitely be trying more of these in the future. The only downside to this beer (because, you know, I’m trying to be objective here) is that I expected a bit more hop flavor/bitterness in this beer. Oh, it’s there all right, I just thought there would be more of it. But that’s what I get for being addicted to hops.

So if you like IPAs and you like stouts, and one day thought, “Hey, why not combine them?” then you should definitely check this 8.2% ABV brew out. I can’t guarantee that you’ll like it, but I can guarantee that it will be an experience.


Meanwhile, my brother, the most interesting man in the world, was drinking a Samuel Smith’s Organic Cherry Ale.


I didn’t taste enough of this to review it, but here is what he had to say about it:

“I don’t normally drink beer, but when I do, I make sure it’s a Samuel Smith’s Organic Cherry Ale….and not a Dos Equis.”


He said it tasted light, fruity, and sweet, and from my single sip of the beer I concurred. You can definitely taste the cherries, but this beer isn’t cloying. I rather liked it, but since it was my brother’s birthday and technically his beer, I stuck to my Hop Noir.