Peak Brewery Reviews

Jimthechap	3.1 Peak Brewery Totterdown Blonde Fro handpull with sparkler at CBD in Christchurch. Appears clear yellow-gold with a mild aroma of honey and malt. Flavours are very similar and are mild and mellow with just a twinge of bitterness to retain the drinker’s interest. Excellent sessionable beer and that’s just what I did, without falling off my barstool. Tuesday, April 1, 2014
DrSilverworm	3.1 Peak Brewery Monkey Point India Pale Ale 12oz bottle, shared by Drake. Clear orange yellow color. Thin off-white head. Caramel malt, good pine, citrus. Moderate sweet taste, light bitter. Good, smooth, lighter carbonation. Alright IPA. Kind of caramel malty sweet. Saturday, February 8, 2014
kiwianer	3.2 Peak Brewery Totterdown Blonde Cask @ Eureka, Dunedin. The head is ok, the body blond, it smells sweet, fruity, hoppy. The taste is malty, fruity, bit sour, hoppy, ok. Saturday, February 1, 2014
Oakes	3.4 Peak Brewery Cornhill Porter Draught @ Malthouse, Wellington. Dark brown. The aroma has a touch of new zealand hop with vague chocolate. Sweet, smooth, almost nitro character. The lychee note of the local hops highlights an otherwise mellow porter. Sunday, May 12, 2013
lisagirl	0.8 Peak Brewery Monkey Point India Pale Ale obviously this is a taste thing, because it was the fastest seller at the volstead when it was on tap. very unusual and surely not an ipa. flat, watery with flavours that i can’t remember and don’t want to remember. just awful. Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Jimthechap	3.3 Peak Brewery Cornhill Porter This beer was taken through gasflow at the Great New Zealand Beer Festival and so was served a little cold, which couldn’t be helped. I let it warm for a bit and appraised it. It was gratifyingly dark but also clear with tawny colour in the dimple of the glass. Aromas of chocolate and carob, licorice strap and treacle tart - Yorkshire Parkin? This is lovely, sessionable porter and I give thanks that it is. Ideal Autumn afternoon beer. Sunday, February 24, 2013
Jimthechap	3.2 Peak Brewery Monkey Point India Pale Ale This is, paradoxically, both not your traditional IPA and a traditional IPA. A beer best suited to genuine enthusiasts. I am told that it has been a month in ex-wine oak barrels and was poured off hand-pump at the Great New Zealand Beer Festival. I am also told it is the most oaky of the Monkey Point released so far. It certainly is. It appears darker gold in colour than its sister brew the Mendip Bitter and carries a good white head to the bottom of the glass. A sniff reveals plenty of oaky butter with other aromas and flavours of mango, dehydrated pineapple and tropical fruit. This is a nod to the IPAs of old, hence the oak, although I have a niggly naggly thought that the oak barrels for beer conveyance were lined with pitch, although there is every possibility I am wrong. As for the beer itself it is well made but I am not an enormous adherent of oak aged beers. It truly is the making of single malt whisky, cognac, bourbon, rum and wine, but I think this was a step too far for me. It is a deserving beer, a good looking beer and one I’d like to try without the oak perhaps. Sunday, February 24, 2013
Jimthechap	3.4 Peak Brewery Mendip Bitter Appears yellow-gold, light and clear with a fluffy white head. A sniff from my honking great nose brought out a remarkable honey character and plentiful German malts. I was told that it was brewed with entirely German malts and looking at the hopping of Hallertau and Riwaka it throws forth the unlikely idea of a Euro-Bitter. Anyway, flavours of caramel popcorn in a sweetish body with green hoppy bitterness. A sessionable bitter and an ideal lunch ale. I rather like the idea of a couple of pints of this, cheese and pickle and some cold meat. Bliss. Sunday, February 24, 2013
Cantabrian	3.4 Peak Brewery Cornhill Porter I like this porter. Nice roasted malts, caramel, molasses, a prunish touch...and a nice medium body, even chalky on the bite. Out of the few porters that I tried in that Beer Festival in Christchurch, this was one fewer pleasant ales that DID taste like a porter. It does lack some deeper complexity, but it’s ok. Saturday, February 23, 2013
ciaranc	1 Peak Brewery Mendip Bitter Wednesday, June 6, 2012
deusax	2.9 Peak Brewery Great End ESB Tasted bottled @ The Great Kiwi Beer Festival 2012 in Christchurch. light bitter, quite unusual taste. Strong malty taste and aroma. Sunday, February 26, 2012
Zeke_NZL	3.2 Peak Brewery Great End ESB This beer was a bit to fizzy for an ESB but it had all of the other elements of an easy drinking ESB hop flavours and aroma contrasted with malt flavours and aroma. Ticks the boxes but isn’t outstanding. Thursday, January 19, 2012
Zeke_NZL	3.1 Peak Brewery Mendip Bitter Aroma: Mild floral Appearance: poured sparkling with clear golden colour, and a good white head that remained due to the sparkling nature of the beer Taste: medium bitterness with light hop and malt flavours Palate: medium body, fizzy, bitter, slight astringency. Overall: a nice easy drinking beer nothing amazing but I would gladly have a few in the sun Thursday, January 19, 2012
beerledgend	2.1 Peak Brewery Great End ESB Hazy orange colour with huge creamy white head. Malt bomb, earthy flavours.Small hop bite. Wednesday, December 29, 2010
grapengrain	2.6 Peak Brewery Cornhill Porter Nice if somewhat bland Porter... not much flavour (needs more malt, hops...) also has a slightly baking soda-y soapyness. Monday, September 6, 2010
shigaleale	3.4 Peak Brewery Cornhill Porter Sessionable porter from handpull @ HashigoZake. Dark chocolate and bit of fruit on the back of aroma. Dark brown. Mellow light texture and mild coffee flavour. Pretty good porter. I can drink more glasses of this porter than the other heavy porter. Good beer for someone who wants to enjoy the roasty flavour of porter more and longer. Monday, August 30, 2010
grapengrain	2 Peak Brewery Monkey Point India Pale Ale Light and grassy - no disernable oak notes coming through. Brewer describes the beer as "strong, hoppy" - this is not the case. Wednesday, August 11, 2010
KapitiCritique	2.7 Peak Brewery Cornhill Porter 500 ml bottle Aroma: Chocolate, something nutty; Appearance: hazy dark brown, average head, cafe au lait coloured , minimal lacing; Taste: starts bitter and ends a tad sour; Palate: medium-ish bodied, not really a thin texture but close, carbonated without being overwhelming, a very mildly astringent finish; Overall: This is a porter. Fine. But this is a very run of the mill porter. Not much for hops but that is true to form as some are and some aren’t. Wednesday, June 30, 2010
KapitiCritique	2.8 Peak Brewery Drachenfels Lager 500 ml bottle Aroma: yeasty, faint citrus fruit, and cloves; Appearance: hazy light brownish yellow, thick white head and good lacing; Taste: slightly sweet, faint sour finish; Palate: medium bodied, texture a little thin but a little sticky and mild carbonation with a quick finish; Overall: Not really a Kölsch at all. More like a weizen bier. Friday, June 25, 2010
KapitiCritique	2.9 Peak Brewery Monkey Point India Pale Ale 500 ml bottle Aroma: yeasty and hoppy fruit, spices (cardamon?) with a hint of over ripe fruit (spoiled oranges?) Appearance: Hazy brownish gold, big head and thick lacing; Taste: Sweet, not at all bitter; Palate: slightly thick, sticky, maybe a tad bit creamy, slightly astringent finish; Overall: Curious beer. Not sure what to make of it. All over the place. Monday, June 21, 2010
KapitiCritique	4.1 Peak Brewery Great End ESB 500 ml bottle Aroma: mild caramel malt with spicy hints (cinnamon and nutmeg?), coffee and chocolate, and a little fungal, organic; Appearance: translucent brown and hazy, big head dissipating to a thick ice cream float with convoluted shar pei wrinkles and really thick lacing - sort of exotic actually: Taste: robust and bitter; Palate: medium to full bodied, thick texture and a little sticky with slightly astringent finish; Overall: dramatic start and finish. Monday, June 21, 2010
KapitiCritique	3.8 Peak Brewery Alb Weiss 500 ml bottle Aroma: distinctive sour milk, fruit (apple?), cinnamon Appearance: Massive head dissipating to large thick lumps, thick lacing hazy brown gold; Taste: strong, sour and bitter and mildly sweet; Palate: slightly sticky, average carbonation, slightly sweet and astringent finish; Overall: Oh boy, Gets out of the glass and grabs you. Kind of a wanna be lambic with Weizenbier presumptions. Monday, June 21, 2010
TheGrandMaster	2.6 Peak Brewery Great End ESB Bottle. Not a great start - a real gusher. But ends up a pouring a health light brown with a think pillowy head. The beers from Peak don’t have the best reputation - too often there are faults. However, I seem to do better than most when it comes to drinking them. Unfortunately, this time I am picking up some acetaldehyde - there is apple on the nose and plenty more in the flavour. Which is a shame, as behind that there appears to be a tasty and robust malt palate. The report card would say "could do better". Friday, June 11, 2010
TheGrandMaster	3.4 Peak Brewery Alb Weiss Bottle. Has the right esters on the nose - banana and bubblegum. On the palate, there is a good bitterness that cuts through the sweetness, balancing it out. This is tasting pretty good. Wednesday, April 28, 2010
beerequalizer	4 Peak Brewery Cornhill Porter Nice robust porter this one. Good flavour, carbonation, colour, and palate. Great effort from new brewery. bozo... 9/20 Really? Bozo by name and by nature it seems.... Sunday, April 4, 2010
beerequalizer	4 Peak Brewery Alb Weiss Nice attempt at a hefe weiss... Good flavours, nice esters, complex, enjoyable. For a tiny brewery, well done! Sunday, April 4, 2010
beer4eternity	3.6 Peak Brewery Monkey Point India Pale Ale 500ml bottle, tulip glass. Christmas present from Mark - thanks Mark. Cloudy coppery hue, small white ring head, fair lacing. Very fruity and spicy aromas. Very ripe fruit - vinous, apricot, peach, especially orange, even just-becoming-mouldy orange, yummy yeasty banana esters, some toffee. Moderately sweet, mildly bitter. Oily, creamy mouth-feel, soft carbonation. Very nice, I love Belgium Ales..wait....its supposed to be an IPA.. whatever I enjoyed it. Saturday, January 16, 2010
Ungstrup	2.6 Peak Brewery Cornhill Porter Bottled. A brown beer with a thin borwn head. The aroma has light notes of burnt plastic and roasted malt. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, roasted malt as well as lighter notes of fruit. The body is lgiht. Thanks Papsoe for sharing. Saturday, October 3, 2009
Ungstrup	2.2 Peak Brewery Monkey Point India Pale Ale Bottled. An unclear amber beer with a thin beige head. The aroma has notes of malt and over ripe fruits. The flavor is sweet with notes of straw and over ripe fruits as well as light notes of cardboard. The body is light. I find it boring. Thanks Papsoe for sharing. Saturday, October 3, 2009
DuffMan	1.7 Peak Brewery Drachenfels Lager Bottle. Dirty orange-amber with a short-lived white head. After three sips the head is nearly gone. Spicy, yeasty, estery aroma with hints of bubblegum. Yeast-driven flavours, marzipan, lemon, lots of spiciness. Very estery. No bitterness. THIS IS NOT A KOLSCH! Belgian ale maybe, witbier maybe, but not a kolsch. Thursday, August 6, 2009
Enjoyit	1.9 Peak Brewery Monkey Point India Pale Ale Hazy amber of color with a weak white head. An aroma of yeast, hops, malt and dry notes. A flavor of mal,t hops and dry. Thursday, July 23, 2009
Enjoyit	3.2 Peak Brewery Cornhill Porter Blak of color with a small brown head. An aroma of chocolate, liqurice and roasted malt. A flavor of roasted malt - pretty light iin taste. Thursday, July 23, 2009
DuffMan	1.5 Peak Brewery Monkey Point India Pale Ale Bottle. Pours a dark orange amber with a small and very short-lived head. The colour is lovely, but the pour is a bit of a dud. The aroma is very odd for an IPA-- very estery and yeasty, with underlying sweet toffee and marzipan. This smells like a belgian ale, not an IPA. Hardly surprising, but the palate translates the same way. As an IPA I didn’t like this beer at all. As a belgian ale, this may work. Perhaps I got a bad bottle. I d be happy to give it a second chance should the opportunity arise. Wednesday, July 22, 2009
DuffMan	2.4 Peak Brewery Cornhill Porter Bottle. My hopes were high for this beer-- I love a good porter, particularly a good old-school porter. Unfortunately this was a big disappointment. It looked fantastic-- inky, near black with a slow-to-rise brown head of fine bubbles. The aroma was a mix of dark malts (molasses, chocolate, char) and odd plastic and mushroom. The oddness grew to overwhelm any other character as the beer breathed. The same was true of the flavour unfortunately. Mouthfeel was medium-bodied and soft. Whatever porter character there was became lost under earthy chemical junk. This bottle must have been spoiled. Too bad. Monday, July 13, 2009
DuffMan	3.2 Peak Brewery Great End ESB Bottle, purchased at Regional Wine & Spirits in Wellington. Hazy amber brown, bubbly off-white head with decent retention. Aroma is mostly fruity yeast, apples and pears, with an underlying toffee sweetness. Toffee malt flavour with a lot of apple fruit and yeast flavours. Low bitterness. Tuesday, May 26, 2009
DuffMan	3.5 Peak Brewery Alb Weiss Bottle, purchased at Regional Wine & Spirits in Wellington. Pours a cloudy honey gold with a thick white meringue of a head that remained until the finish and left complex lacing down the whole glass. Aromas of banana, vanilla, subtle spices and wheat. Creamy mouthfeel with delicious banana, lemon, vanilla flavours. Finish has a tartness and mild bitterness with an aftertaste suggestive of unroasted almonds. Complex and very good. Tuesday, May 26, 2009
sdk	2.4 Peak Brewery Alb Weiss 500ml bottle. Pours a cloudy golden orange, good white head. Yeasty, banana nose with a little hint of orange. Not getting the sulphur smell. Mouth feel and taste is a little weak, but it’s a nice balance of banana and yeast. Not the best example of style but drinkable. Friday, April 24, 2009
donfardz64	3.2 Peak Brewery Drachenfels Lager Drachenfels.... Weissbier?? Pours cloudy golden like a Weissbeir. Thin white head, lightly carbonated. Aroma has subtle banana, some coriander and orange zest. Smells like a weissbier. Taste is quite bitter, hints of banana through citric hops. Quite herbaceous. Finish is warming and spiced. I was confused with this one, but still enjoyed it. Friday, February 6, 2009
Demise	3.2 Peak Brewery Drachenfels Lager Was pleasantly surprised with this one. Pours a cloudy gold with thin white head. Banana aromas are quite strong, but a hint of herb, orange and vanilla also on the nose. Quite a bitter beer from earthy hop characters, with banana and orange flavours to sweeten and a good malt smoothness on the finish. A bit grassy. Bitter aftertaste. Similar to a weiss beer in both the aromas and flavour. Tuesday, February 3, 2009
beerledgend	1.3 Peak Brewery Drachenfels Lager Lot no. 20081107 I think the previous beer brewed was the weiss beer and this has infected this beer. Hazy yellow colour with fluffy white head, corriander esters on the nose. What a shame. Tuesday, January 6, 2009
fonefan	2.8 Peak Brewery Monkey Point India Pale Ale <b>Bottle 50cl.</b> Unclear hazy medium grey orange color with virtually none appearance, fair lacing, fully diminishing, white to off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, moderate hoppy, orange, moderate yeasty, leather, chemistry. Flavor is moderate sweet and bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. (100908) Sunday, November 30, 2008
fonefan	3.2 Peak Brewery Cornhill Porter <b>Bottle 50cl.</b> Clear dark brown color with a average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, beige head. Aroma is moderate malty, roasted, cold coffee, light acidic malt, peatt - fag. Flavor is moderate to light light heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a long to average duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. (100908) Friday, November 28, 2008
Papsoe	2.9 Peak Brewery Monkey Point India Pale Ale (Bottle 50 cl) Slightly hazy amber golden with a small, rough white head. Lightly fruity and citrusy nose. Medium body, a little low in carbonation with caramel and some leathery accents. The finish is dry but not overly bitter. 100908 Saturday, October 25, 2008
Papsoe	3.4 Peak Brewery Cornhill Porter (Bottle 50 cl) Pours almost black with a reddish hue and a dense, beige head. Burned aroma with some peaty smoke. Aroma of hard roasted malt and a little sweet licorice. Medium body, a little low in carbonation, hard roasted malt and again some peaty smoke. Lightly malt bitter finish. Not overly refined, but quite okay. 100908 Saturday, October 25, 2008
TheGrandMaster	2.4 Peak Brewery Drachenfels Lager Bottle, pours a darkish gold with a slight haze and no lasting head. A heavy whiff of corn in the aroma. It drinks better, relatively smooth with the hops coming through nicely in the swallow. Thursday, October 9, 2008
donfardz64	3.5 Peak Brewery Cornhill Porter Pours very black, fully diminishing head. Aroma is dominated by chocolate, vanilla and some weak hops as well. Citrus flavours initially, odd. Chocolate comes in after and overtakes, then lingers for a while after. Dry finish. Wednesday, October 1, 2008
donfardz64	3.9 Peak Brewery Monkey Point India Pale Ale Hand pump at Beervna 2008: Pours a deep reddy orange, no head by the time I got back. Strong nose of vanilla, spices, citrus, herb. On tasting; the herbs, spice, malt, hops on a base of vanilla throughout. Very complex and unique, still taste the hops like an IPA but has some wheat beer character to it as well. Tuesday, September 30, 2008
yespr	3.8 Peak Brewery Cornhill Porter 50 cL bottle. Pours dark brown with a diminished chocolate brown head. Fruity and chocolate malty aroma. Smoked and towards tarish base flavour. Smooth chocolate and fruity with a smoke note on top. Light bitter and smooth into a light sweet finish. Tuesday, September 16, 2008
KimJohansen	3.2 Peak Brewery Monkey Point India Pale Ale Cloudy amber with tiny off white short lasting head. Sweet aroma with caramel, hoppy and piney notes. Sweet flavour with dusty hops, caramel and citric notes. Ends bitter. Monday, September 15, 2008
yespr	3.3 Peak Brewery Monkey Point India Pale Ale 50 cL bottle. Pours hazy orange with a fully diminished white head. Mild hoppy and towards fruity aroma. Flavour is bitter and slight bitter with a mild fruity note. Bitter and dry finish with a mild fruity and towards a lasting herbal note. Friday, September 12, 2008