Latte
Finback Brewery - Glendale

11/05/23 can @ home

 

 

neat beer, thanks to my brother for procuring and sharing! great early in the day brew, coffee driven as the name suggests, but with coconut and cardamom too, cool can, pretty pour, close to black, fairly viscous, short thick mid brown head, not super carbonated, good body for its modest abv in this style space. the nose on this is bitter dark roasted coffee brewed well, not acidity or acrid character, but depth like burnt wood and bitter baking chocolate, coconut might be toasted, adds nuance with the coffee but is well behind it, and cardamom is even further back, wrinkles of dark leather, licorice, and raisin in here too, not sure of there is lactose in this or not, i would think so being called latte, but it doesnt smell sweet, and it doesnt drink sweet or too creamy either. nice roast from both barley and coffee in the flavor, the coffee has some warmth to it, and the coconut factors in a bit more than it does in the aroma, great with the coffee, coconut milk latte vibes i suppose, light sweetness with it but only for a second, cardamom is really faint, floral and late, more of this would not be unwelcome, the beer overall is certainly not overly complex, its cohesive and smooth and drinkable, with decently high finishing bitterness and nice palate coating body. dark chocolate in the coffee for sure, trace smoke, maple, and permanent marker. this is listed as pastry stout but it really isnt like that, its a good robust basic stout thats not overly adjuncty and desserty, so credit these guys for keeping it beery. coffee is strong but the rest is nuance. nice beer, wintery and good, subtly clever mix of flavors.

 

 

L - poured black with a dark chocolate colored head which dissipated quickly. Minimal lacing.
S - coffee with some slight roast.
T - sweetness, but tasty.
F - full mouthfeel and pretty smooth. Semi-dry finish.
O - a bit disappointed by the look but otherwise an impressive beer.

Pours a dark brown, 1" brown head that slowly recedes with minimal lacing. Nose is black coffee, light cardamon, and roast off the bat; sweeter notes come through more as it warms; no trace of coconut. Taste is very sweet, like ultra-sweetened black coffee; there's a suggestion of roast and bitterness underneath, but it's pretty paved over by one-note artificial sweetener flavor. Subtlety of cardamon and coconut not present either. Mouthfeel is nice and drinks smooth without much alcohol heat at all. This really seems like sweet stout given how it drinks like Saturday morning cereal, and it shows no malt or roast character whatsoever save in its color.

 

 

 

Pours a deep brown, nearly jet black color, looking quite opaque. A modest head quickly dissipates and leaves rings.

Aromas of coconut, coffee and cardamom stand out. Notes of dark chocolate, toffee and butterscotch. The aroma is sweet overall.

Sweet and malt forward with notes of caramel, toffee, and buttery biscuity malts. The coconut and cardamom go well with the milk and dark chocolate flavors, while the coffee compliments the lightly roasted malts. A touch of earthy hops add some modest bitterness for balance. The finish is smooth.

Full bodied and smooth. It feels mouth coating on the palate. The carbonation is moderate to gentle.

This was a nice stout overall. It has some robust strength yet is not quite an imperial, making it easy to drink.

Dark tan colored head. Fairly small, but still dense. Oddly, it dissipates quickly and completely. No lace. The liquid is nearly black and no light passes even along an edge.

Strong black coffee aroma. There are some notes of very dark chocolate and graham crackers. No chalk.

High carbonation with a thinner body makes this beer feel thin. The flavor, on the other hand, is very strong. The taste is a little less coffee and more unsweetened Baker's chocolate. There's some booziness but it's without the warmth. The coconut is present but subtle. Do I detect some cinnamon? I do not get any cardamom.

 

 

 

 

 

Can from Vinyl Beer on the UES NYC. Pours black with two fingers of foamy mocha brown head that dissipates, minimal lacing, smell is dark roasted malts, coffee grounds, coconut, hints of charcoal, milk chocolate, dark fruit leather, and maybe some spice from the cardamom, taste is dark chocolate and sweet coconut finishes with dark roast coffee and rich chocolate milk, hints of musty spice, feel is full bodied and thick, velvety carbonation. Like drinking dark chocolate covered macaroon dipped in chocolate.