Knoll
Finback Brewery - Glendale

 

 

Somewhat of a session IPA. Peach, orange and guava. Bit of a wheat malt profile. Light and creamy feel. Semi dry. Very easy drinking. Not bad. Holding it's own even after drinking all night.

16oz can from Beershop NYC on the UWS
Pours a semi hazy endless summer golden orange with bubbly white head, smells like musty tang, sweet mild citrus zest with a mildly bitter pith finish, medium bodied to thin mouthfeel. Again, musty tang.

NO can date
Pours a huge fluffy creamy head that fades at a med pace, lots of soapy lacing, murky pale golden honey color

Nose some hops but not a ton, mild tart lemony and grassy, a little green unripe apricot, faint grape skin, a little generic citrus, mild creamy malt, a faint watery musty hop and pine notes

Taste brings a little malt touch grain but seems thin and a bit watery, mild hops again, a little generic fruit, tart lemon and passion fruit, tart generic citrus almost star fruit, fair grassy and some rind, perhaps melon rind, a bit of melon in general and maybe unripe apricot again, a bit of mild sour unhappy yeast thing not quite infection but heading in that direction, drier but light finish, a bit sticky somehow, mild bitterness.

Mouth is thin and a bit watery, decent but lighter carb too

Overall, this was a huge swing and miss for Finback, They are very hit or miss in general, they have a few homers, and quite a few pop outs or strike outs. This missed on just about every aspect, esp the body and malt base, and hops were pretty meh in general, and even yeast seems to have soured a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was yet another Finback beer that I traded for and took a while to get to. Of course, this was evidenced by the date on the bottom of the can as it read 10/5 with "PRAY 4 KI..." written above that. If you think of grass when you hear the word "Knoll", then this beer was certainly brewed with you in mind! Plenty of hops here but not the ones you'd expect in a beer from this neck of the woods; as evidenced by the relatively clarity of this brew.

The pour to this was decent as the liquid was a muted golden rod with a moderate head that quickly settled, leaving the sound of retreating sea form as it's lasting impression. Not a lot of lacing was to be seen here as well, with a few spotty sections remaining on the side of my pint glass as I worked my way through this. Weak aroma here with mostly grass, along with stone fruit, cat pee (yeah, I said it), and a combination of pith and rind all softly emerging. Those were all to be found in the taste but the flavors didn't really mesh well together. It was the smoothness of this beer and the lack of any overwhelming hops that ended up winning me over. Lots of lime, chalk, herbal notes, and truffle funk somehow combined for an odd but mildly pleasing taste that was mellow when all was said and done. The mouthfeel was that of earl grey tea as the floral hops ended up dominating in the end with plenty of spice to complement and the malt leaning towards bread, allowing for it to stay recessed as the odd flavor profile came through throughout my session.

Thankfully, the alcohol wasn't strong here as it was just a bit noticeable by the time I polished this can off. Most of Finback's beers have grown on me and this was one of them, but if I was a neophyte to the scene, this wouldn't be the first brew that I'd want to reach for. Not a typical IPA from these parts, it held up well over these months but needed more appealing bitterness and less floral earthiness to fully reach it's potential. Worth a go once if you're looking for something funky, pithy, and deep...

 

 

 

Those in favor of fruity, floral and juicy IPA need not apply. But the type of people who appreciate a little grounds in their coffee, a little dust on the seat of their pants, and a little cat pee in their beer can appreciate the hops that Finback Brewery put into this IPA.

Knoll is a grassy, earthy and herbal beer worthy of its namesake; starting off, however, with a surprisingly pale gold austere. Above a disconnected froth lies an aromatic cloud of dried citrus, herbal grasses, botanical medley and a not-so-subtle waft of hemp, chive, geranium and a freshly mowed lawn. Scant on sweetness, the tethers of biscuit and caramel malts drift away after a light grain sweetness laid on the early palate.

And as the middle palate opens up, only a memory of sweetness remains, but the creamy structure of malt supports a brazen hop-dominant display that comes fast. The peels, piths and rinds of grapefruit, orange, pineapple, passionfruit and lime stroll in ahead of the green and vegetal taste of dandelion, geranium and chive. Bitter with a grassy and peppery taste, the hops trend more and more pungent with chive, garlic and a strong cannabis-like evocation.

Dry, crisp and remarkably refreshing, the beer's strong carbonic bite and instant dryness resonates on the finish like seltzer water with a creamy grain substrate and a resinous hop bite. Trailing with the bitterness that's often associated with arugula and kale, this IPA has got to have the hipsters calling like ferrel cats to a catnip bonfire.

A: Poured from the can into a Piraat tulip/snifter-type glass. Body is clear, light-yellow with a small whitish head on top.

S: Tropical fruity hops, some pine, earthiness and a touch of cat pee. Some underlying sweetness too.

T: Tastes like a Session IPA in a lot of ways: very light malt foundation - crackery, a bit of bread dough - yielding to lighter, vibrant hops. Mosaics are seemingly in the house, with a good amount of tropical fruit and finishing with lemony bitterness.

M: Light in heft, carbonation is there, but not sharp.

O: An easy drinker with solid flavors. Certainly not worth the $4.99 I paid for the single pint-sized can, however.