Oscillation 010
Finback Brewery - Glendale

 

Traded for this a while ago, finally getting around to it tonight. I had a few other iterations of the Oscillation and this one was nearly as good as the others that I was fortunate to review on here. Plenty of flavor, hops, and booze in this one but at this point, this seems on par with the Stone "Enjoy by" series when it comes to the novelty factor, as this wasn't superior to previous variations on this theme.

Not a bad pour to this as the liquid was a waxy goldenrod with plenty of bubbles in it. Lots of Pilsener malt, stone fruit juice, citrus juiciness and slickness, and hints of urine (there, I said it) in the nose with more of those in the taste as well. Grassy and floral notes took over in the taste, along with some hints of Pilsener malt. Sour grass came on too strong as the straw and herbal notes overpowered anything that this could have constructively offered.

Thankfully, the alcohol was only discernible with the warming sensation that I felt and not in the taste or on my breath. After having quite a few of the Oscillations over the last few years, this didn't turn out to be the best of the bunch but it was just similar enough to the others that I would come back for 011; with the hope that it would outperform this version...

 

 

Pale gold and a little shy of clear, with a finger or two of lazy foam on top... Lots of sweet herbal and floral lemon-like impressions, like candied citrus and soft pith; tropical and orchard fruit notes percolate just below the surface for complexity and balance... smooth and plush - a real easy drinker...

A little older than I'd have like, being canned 7/20/17, but no harm done apparently...

7/20 can date, still tasting fresh as ever. i know a lot of the cloudy ipa types do not have a shelf life as long as this, which to me says something about quality. i think the under attenuated ones, the ones that are like half fermented, last a lot less time than the more refined hazy ipas, and this is clearly one of the more expertly done ones to last about 6 weeks and still taste this vibrantly fresh. they dont tell you which hops they use, but it really doesnt matter. this is a quintessential sort of east coast double, hazy but bright in the glass, starchy looking, like the water from washed rice, still frothy with an inch of white head in the glass, and bubbles barely visibly scurrying to join it. the aroma and flavor show a heavy dry hop, new school to me, mosaic maybe, citra maybe, amarillo, some combination, its in that family whatever it is, at least with this hop schedule, and its got notes of fresh pineapple and mango, as well as a bitter citrus element. finishes bitter too, but smooth with all this high body grain, and the juiciness does not keep this from tasting or completing itself like an ipa should. very well made and drinkable strong ipa, and a pretty neat idea for a series of beers. i like this new quick and dirty can release thing some of the breweries are doing now, it gets fresh beer into our hands in a cool new way and helps some of it get out of its own neighborhood. thanks to my brother for procuring this for me and sending it all the way out to colorado, only to have me drive up to montana to drink it! miles on this one! cheers man!

 

 

 

 

P- Poured from a 16 oz can,into a Cigar City spiegelau IPA glass.Date on the can is 7/20/17.

L- Thick foamy white colored head that stands 1 finger width tall,with very good retention and sticky lacing.Slightly hazy gold / straw colored body,with decent clarity and slightly distorted light showing through the glass.Very high amount of carbonation,and little to no sediment.

S- On the nose I get dank citrus and tropical fruit notes,with some floral and pine hop characteristics.Slight malt notes with an earthy undertone.

T- On the palate I get floral and pine hops up front,some toasty malts in the middle,and dank grapefruit citrus on the back end with a a slight bitterness.

F- The mouth feel is medium thin,with a chalky texture.Prickly sensation on the tongue from the high amount of oxidation,and a dry finish.

O- This is a pretty decent IPA,though I would like to try a fresher can.I will definitely drink this again,and recommend to all IPA lovers.

 

 

Pours a sandy gold color with just a hint of haze and a big soapy head that leaves tons of sticky patches.

The nose is Sprite, orange peel, and raw hops.

The taste opens up with an assortment of tropical and citrus flavors that lead into some not-too-sweet caramel malt notes. The finish is earthy and piney with a quick dank bite at the very end.

Mouthfeel is a bit thinner than average for the style. It's a bit boozy, but not too much considering the ABV. Moderate bitterness. Good beer overall. Nice change of pace.

 

 

 

Mango, papaya, unripe peach and melon. Not too sweet. Clean malt profile. Light to medium bodied. Fairly balanced. Semi dry, very short finish. It's ok, lacks a flavor punch though. Probably the worst batch of Oscillation I've had.