Split the Night
Finback Brewery - Glendale

An extremely dark brown pour with garnet highlights. Black in a Spieglau IIPA glass with a one-inch, black-walnut, creamy froth. The head settles quickly to a thick blanket, leaving modest lace. A viscous film clings after each sip.

The aroma is sweet, dark-roasted coffee with bittersweet chocolate that is pleasant without being strong. The background contains some fruitiness in equal measure with nuttiness.

Flavor follows the nose, although sweetness is more prominent than bitterness. Malt is deep roasted and there is a lot of indistinct fruitiness. Chocolate is similar to BOSCO, meaning, in my memory, mild with a subtle black coffee component. The finish is long and the beer warms well.

The body is full to medium and the texture is syrupy. Alcohol is as expected and there is a fine carbonation throughout.

This is a Porter that works well with a cool shoulder season. I imagine it would compliment a sirloin or possibly chocolate cake. This said, it is more a drinking beer than a sipper. I enjoyed it with friends and casual conversation.

 

First take on Finback. Nicely made / good coffee porter. One of those yes/but beers. I let a can warm a bit and poured a full creamy lovely beige tan head(yes!)... but it was gone with no lacing after first couple of sips. Very good nose. Bold with coffee bitter chocolate and some licorice (yes!)... no buts. Great. Taste matched nose and was a fully complex porter in best sense (yes!)... but the bitterness at back end was distracting and removed most of the malt and coffee flavors. Smooth sipper and decent medium body which is what you hope for in a good porter (yes!) ... but it broke down and thinned considerably mid-mouth. Overall... all in all a very good porter at start but one that faded to just good as it was consumed. Would be interested in this Beer if malt ramped up a bit more toward an imperial version... also might be better casked.

 

 

Great porter, thanks Richard aka Mark. Dark, very smooth, with just enough moderate coffee flavour. Good mouthfeel. Mild coffee aroma. I am more liking finbacks.

 

 

 

 

A: on tap @ Huckleberry. Midnight pitch black. Served to top on tulip with no head.

S: Medium roasted coffee. A little bit of earth and tobacco. Cinnamon spice and a synergetic caramelized fruitiness.

M: Custard like body with sweet juicy feel. Hence, low-moderate acridity. Superfine carb.

T: Getting cherry notes along with blackberry. Orange sherbet, and freshly peeled orange rind. Backed by a light omniscient, vanilla roast and caramel. A sweet, fruity variation of what is typically a roasted, sharp coffee beer.

The appearance is pitch black with a small tan head. Minimal retention, it quickly dies away, but leaves a thin ring, and lacing.
The smell is medium to dark roast black coffee, fresh coffee grounds, slightly nutty, with dark chocolate. Hints of green and black pepper, pine and earth.
It tastes like medium-dark roast black coffee throughout the palate. Dark and bitter chocolate from start to finish as well. Smooth, oily, chocolate syrup sensations without the sweetness. Slight nuttiness, char, and smoke. Some green and black pepper notes from the coffee. Finishes lightly bitter with lingering coffee and malt roast, but fairly clean.
The mouthfeel is medium, well-carbonated, smooth and oily but not thick. Finishes lightly dry, but fairly clean.
Overall, a great coffee porter if you love black coffee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having on tap at Beer Shop, NYC. Happy to add it to the database.
Pours a black color with hints of ruby. A mocha colored foamy head retains nicely. Although it dissipates halfway, it yields a thin Saturn ring of lace.
The blackboard at the bar lists this as a coffee porter; sure enough, this aroma is present. Other aromas include nutty malt, dark chocolate and a hint of grassy hops.
Medium bodied, ultra smooth and with a moderate to gentle carbonation. Lightly roasted malts, flavors of coffee, raw cacao, and dark malts. Nice balance of sweetness and bitterness from the roasted malts. Great silky and smooth finish that has a touch of creamy sweetness, subtle citrus zest from the hops, and a espresso bean linger.
A real fine coffee porter. Drinkable and velvety. A nice find!