Clearing
Finback Brewery - Glendale

 

another fine ipa from these guys, hazy and heavy for what it is, kind of the par with a lot of their hoppy stuff, but this one seems a little less refined to me, maybe it was the long trip from new york to colorado slowing it down a little bit, but it seemed not quite as punchy and fresh on the hops, and the weight of the grain and the cloudiness was more than some of the others. its got a sweetness through it, wheat malt and confectioners sugar, not dried out all the way, but still really pleasant, and i think needed, at least to some degree, to balance the bitterness that this finishes with. some pine here, grapefruit peel, and oils, juicy and sturdy at the same time, pleasant in aroma and flavor, but smells a little fresher to me than it tastes. the lesser carbonation also makes this one a little more heavy, but that might be part of the difference between cans and kegs, this is one of the very first i have had from them on tap, so maybe that has something to do with the different mouthfeel. i like the beer a lot, but this is not even close to my favorite of theirs...

 

 

Had it on tap at Beer Shop NYC. I know I've had stuff from Finback before, yet I'm surprised to see I haven't reviewed any yet. Time to change that.
Clearing (that's the name of the brew) ironicaly pours a cloudy and hazy turbid golden/beige color. I guess the NE IPA look is part of the ironic title. There is a moderate bubbly head that shows good retention.
It does not have the strongest or most pungent aroma in that it is rather clean at first. Some mild fruity sweetness slowly emerges; I'm thinking a combination of mango and apricot. As the drink warms, a more pronounced citrus twang kicks in, reminding me mostly of grapefruit and settling to tangerine.
The citrus hops flavors are showcased. I'm thinking they use acidulated malts in order to showcase this. Lots of grapefruit pith with mild pine. The thin malt texture makes it feel like a session IPA except that the body is a bit fuller, more on the medium side. The finish has a slightly acidic lemon twang. The palate is dry overall.
Overall, a refreshing and citrusy iPA, albeit nothing earth shattering.