Oscillation 007
Finback Brewery - Glendale

 

Traded for this a while ago, as the on the bottom of the can was 12/7 of last year with "THIS IS 007" written above it. I had the previous three incarnations of this and this one lived up to the ratings that I gave those as it was immensely drinkable with plenty of dankness, an overall sweetness, and a continued tendency to have the alcohol recessed in all ways.

Not a bad pour to this as the beer was a muted peach with a bit of light seeping in around the edges and a bit of sediment floating in the liquid. Lots of nectar, sticky sweetness, and lactose in the nose as others have stated on here, this was reminiscent of a Milkshake beer from Tired Hands. Crystalline sugar, orange creamsicle, and ice cream were up front as a more grassy and herbal tone came in behind that. Slick and slightly dank, it felt like there was some honey in this once the aftertaste kicked in. A light amount of carbonation kept everything lingering pleasantly and the lacing was thinner than the consistency of this beer would have led me to believe as there was one ring near the top of my glass with scattered spottiness below that.

As usual, the booze was hard to find here as the flavors didn't need any augmentation from the presence of booze. My only wish for improvement with the Oscillation beers from Finback is that all of the labels are the same. Something this unique and varied needs packaging the reflects the ever-so-changing nature of the Oscillations. Great stuff that held up well over time, while standing out from anything else that I've had from these guys.

 

 

 

 

Type: 16-oz. can
Glass: Clear 16.5-oz. Belgian ale tulip
From: My friend Charlie
Price: N/A
Purchased: N/A; Received Jan. 27, 2017
Consumed: Jan. 29, 2017
Reviewed as: American Double / Imperial IPA
Misc.: Canned on Dec. 7, 2016

Was lucky enough to get 10 pretty sweet beers sent to me by a college buddy. Had never heard of Finback until he send me a text. Looked them up and it looks like they are putting out some quality stuff. Looking forward to the four ones that I have.

Poured a light-to-medium yellow murky color with two fingers of frothy white head. Some small bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass. Excellent sporadic foamy lacing. Excellent retention. (Sight - 4.25)

Smelled juicy tropical and citrus from the jump, getting pineapple, papaya, guava, grapefruit, sugary lemon candy, orange, peach and grass. Good stuff. (Smell - 4.25)

Taste wasn’t quite as flavorful, but follows the nose for the most part. Got papaya, floral, pineapple, dry Mosaic, hints of guava, tangerine, orange, peach, nectarine, herbal leafy notes, passion fruit and fresh cut grass. Can’t believe that this was 8.4 pct. ABV. (Taste - 4.00)

Light body. Creamy texture. Average-to-lively carbonation. Long, juicy finish. Long, juicy finish. (Feel - 4.25)

Really liked this one. Still can’t believe that it’s 8.4 pct. ABV. (Overall - 4.25)

4.15 | 93 | A-

 

CAN
Loose webby off white over turbid dirty blonde. 4
Peach, lemon zest, and almost biscuit. 3.75
Almondine, peach cobbler, light lime, melon, and resiny orangeade/barleywine end. 4
Orange ice pop finish.
Creamy, soft, almost medium. 4

Turbid and soft orchard fruit - New England on target. But toned down for that - not jumping with juice. Sue: “Tea with lemon, honey, and ginger.” Nuanced, but I’ve had better. 4

First pour is barely hazy, nearly sparkling gold-yellow with a large white foam that settles to an uneven blanket leaving random arms of lace. Unexpectedly, after emptying the can into the glass, this turns into a milkshake, filling in to dark tan, almost split pea soup, fully opaque, sucking the light out of the room.

Wow, the smell is like strawberries and cream. This is as close to a Tired Hands Milkshake I've had by anyone, which is very odd because I don't get the impression that's what they're going for--I don't see any added fruits or pectin mentioned in regards to the Oscillation series online. I'm also getting some orange sherbert and a hint of pine. At full pour, mango-pineapple baby food adds some color to the aroma array.

Taste is peach-strawberry smoothie, look out Tired Hands! Finback can do this without the extreme measures Tired Hands takes? I'm not sure... In any case, I get a little bitter grapefruit rind, and maybe Flintstones vitamins on the first pour. At full pour, I also get green mango, more bitter pine, and an acidic, nearly burning yeast.

Feel is thin, crisp, yet softly fizzed and semi-wet.

I wish you could find more information about this brewery, and this beer specifically. It is really something else and seems like they've gone out of their way to do things few are doing.

Can from the brewery.

Hazy straw-yellow pour, nice head. Soapy hops in the aroma, and grainy malt bill. Very watery, with an old soapy taste, thin herbal hops, and grainy malts. Something I'd expect from an old can, but this was only like 2 weeks old. Light body, thin mouthfeel, overall just really bad.

 

 

 

 

L - pours a semi-haze murky straw brown. Dull glow when held up to the light.

S - lemonheads and a fruity citrus sweetness. Mangos and pepino melon. Juicy orange slice candy with a touch of orange cream vanilla.

T - subtle green melon and lemon-lime meringue. Similar to the nose, but a bit subdued, which is weird because usually the flavor at least overpowers the smell in a beer. Earthy orange without the mealy pith or grit. Slightly herbal, but more like grass candy than grass grass. Finishes clean and watery as quick as it came. Pretty sessionable for that- holy crap! 8.4%! Faintly buttery like Chardonnay.

F - light and fleeting. Decent creaminess, but feels not so much thin, rather that it deconstructs in my mouth. Almost like it dissolves into nothing. Neat.

O - a nice, drinkable DIPA. Clean, refreshing, pleasant "safe" flavors. Lackadaisical, yet with purpose. Flavors come out more after the beer has warmed. Keep sipping!

 

Typical FB tall can...."This is 007 12/7/16" on the bottom

Pour heavily hazed, olive oil hued lighter amber, moderate cap goes to a fine bubble film and low sheeting.

Herbal hops and cat piss notes on the nose....meh

More of the same on the palate...cat piss hops, lime...., ripe tropical fruit, especially ripe pineapple coming to mind....smooth and quite tasty with tropical fruits, a hint of cat pee/scallions in the back ground...enjoyable juice bomb from FB....go get some

 

Deity juice box