Shadowless
Finback Brewery - Glendale

 

A top-notch stout! I don't think in a million years I would have guessed that it had sesame and matcha in it, but whatever the ingredients, they worked. Rich without being too saccharine or syrupy, a touch bitter without overdoing it. A really well-balanced stout.

Pours a viscous dark color, almost black and with hints of ruby and mahogany. A moderately large mocha foam head retains well and yields a frothy latte like film once it recedes.
Aromas of robust dark malts, with roasty notes of cofee, dark chocolate and caramel. Notes of toasty and biscuity malts along with a hint of cherries. The hops aromas evoke leafy and minty hops.
Taste opens sweet with bright flavors. There are notes of milk chocolate, almond, caramel, vanilla and a cherry finish. Minty and leafy hops flavors develop, as well as roasty, espresso like, dark chocolate and acrid black malt that add some bitterness. Alcohol spice throughout, not overly hot but slightly medicinal.
Full bodied but with an amazing drinkability. There is a lightness to it that drinks like a pale ale. The mouthfeel is smooth, mouth coating and with moderate carbonation. The finish is long with notes of roasty bitterness and clean alcohol spice.
A tasty stout whose complexity and full body approaches imperial stout levels, yet easy drinking overall.

 

 

A- Pitch black pour from the tallboy into a tulip. The head is a nutty tan with a foamy consistency. The cap peaks at a finger high with fair retention and lacing is rare.

S- Dark chocolate and cocoa powder are the first things to come to mind and this aroma suggest the beer will be bold, dry and bitter. 80%+ dark chocolate bars, slight licorice, roast barley, deep dark caramel, brownies and toasted nuts.

T- Much like the aroma the beer has a ton of very dark flavors from the grains but the adjuncts become stronger here and contribute to the flavor profile quite a bit. Dark chocolate once again leads the way with a very dark fruity and nutty cocoa flavor profile before opening to burnt and roast barley, savory black sesame, charred toasted nuts, raisins, caramel, cherry truffle, blackstrap molasses and brownies. This beer is bitter and dark on the taste buds.

MF- Super heavy and slick overall brew with a fluffy and fairly creamy texture. A high level of carbonation but the brew stays silky smooth. Ends with a dark roasty bitterness.

Dark grains galore with a ton of dark chocolate in the flavor profile along with charred grain, a touch of sweetness and a nice addition of black sesame which is enough for a well rounded flavor but not overwhelming as it definitely could get out of control.

Can dated 10/26.18 into pint glass. Pours a =n inky - yes, shadowless - black with a nice tan head. Initial impression is miilk chocolate, dark roasted malts, really thick and creamy. Feels like a much higher ABV stout. Really really good!

Dark stout with black sesame and matcha. Rich body with tastes like fudge with quite a bit of bitterness as well as rye on this brew. Aftertaste like semi sweet chocholate.

Deep, dark brown color--no light passes. The beige head is minor and quickly dies to nothing--no lacing or spots on the glass.

Chocolatey and chalky to the nose. Light bitterness, probably from black patent malt, but it might be the presence of hop.

The body is quite rich which makes the taste remind me fudge. Lightly sweet with darker chocolate in the background. There's an element of liquor to the swallow, but there isn't much alcohol warmth. No coffee and no cherry/brandy like some stouts. The aftertaste is like a semisweet chocolate bar.

 

 

 

definitely one of the most interesting beers we had in new york this week, a big stout brewed with black sesame and matcha tea, a crazy combination of things i have not seen in beer before, and while they seem somewhat subtle in here set with such robust dark malt, roast, coffee, and black intensity, they do come through and make this extremely unique, even if part of me, the curious part, wants more of both of them to come through. its a hard beer to critique though, amazingly good and one of a kind through and through. i am immediately surprised that this isnt like 12% abv or something, its thick and leggy and viscous in the glass, intimidating even, but i am glad its not stronger in abv, it would be too much if it were i think. the nose is curious, a licorice and a tobacco note in the dark grain, a syrup richness too, and then some molasses, i get a little smoke, maybe from the sesame, a coffee hit too, and a bitterness both from the dark barley as well as from the matcha tea, which doesnt smell like much until the end. the flavor is great, and i think i get the tea over the sesame actually, a greenness, an additional fermented element, odd in a dark beer like this, but definitely distinctive, especially on the finish. its so cohesive and delicious i dont want to pick it apart much. smooth and fancy feeling, i think a context would be cool, japanese food obviously comes to mind, but so does dessert. i love what they did here, like the weird ingredients, and would be stoked to seem them reemerge together in a lighter beer like a saison or a kolsch so we could continue to learn about how they interact with each other in a beer. fun stuff, nothing like it!

 

 

16oz. can into Night Shift stemware.

Great looking beer. Dark mocha head. Dense, nice lacing. Nose is coffee, roasted malt, dark chocolate, liquorice and cocoa powder. Some lactose and cream also. Aromatic. Pungent. Beer opens chocolate, lactose, cocoa powder and liquorice. Some heavy cream in the middle with deep, coarse coffee notes in the middle. A touch of molasses and milk chocolate sweetness at the finish. Delicious! Body is medium with moderate to low carbonation. Thin but smooth on the palate and goes down dry with some bubbles. Lingering, sticky palate.

This one drinks a lot bigger than the ABV would suggest. A dense, dark, flavorful stout with a feel to match. Excellent.

 

 

Enjoyed from can at bottle shop/brewpub, printed date 10/24/18

A: Beer pours a gorgeous, silky pitch black. Completely opaque but not too viscous. Very little head.

S: This is probably the best smelling beer I have ever encountered. The sesame is immediately apparent and provides a new and wonderful complement to the rest of the standard stout aroma. Absolutely captivating.

T: Malty chocolate is prominent, some coffee, but the hint of chalky matcha flavor near the end makes the taste remarkable. Sweet enough to balance but not too sweet.

F: Good carbonation at first, flattened somewhat quickly. Creamy but not as thick as it looks.

O: This beer tastes good, but it smells spectacular. Would have again if for no other reason than to smell that first smell after the can is cracked.