Blue Shift
Finback Brewery - Glendale

 

 

 

a berliner type kettle sour jazzed up with blueberries and cinnamon, seems neat here around the holidays, but i would drink this all year. i thought all the finback quick sours we tasted were good, but this one really stood out for me, the balance of blueberry and cinnamon together in here is great, such a unique combination, blueberry through the entire thing, with the cinnamon coming on much later, almost on the swallow, but rising up to meet the fruit in almost equal intensity. blueberry is jammy but also tangy, natural enough, and even seems to add some body to this. there is a sharpness for sure, and not a ton of character to the lactic souring, its just acidity, but its clean enough to let the added ingredients stands out as super pure in here. the cinnamon gives it some warmth but is neither bitter or overdone, and the bright blue color to this is exciting and pretty. some lemon here, a tannic skins thing from the fruit, i almost get port wine as well, black cherry even too. more and more interesting as it warms up. high carbonation is cool here too, its feels right. great mix of flavors in a professionally done sour. yum!

Bought a can at the Beer Shop in East Longmeadow, MA. Beer pours with a dark red pink appearance and a thin head. Cinnamon comes up in the smell with some light raspberries and other dark fruits. Really awesome flavors; could taste the cinnamon with those dark fruits combined. Lightly creamy. Overall, great taste.

 

 

Canned on 11/21. Poured to Birrateque IPA 18OZ Glass on 12/1 .
A:Looks like a grape juice. Yes, it is purple ! Almost no cloud.
S: Very subtle aroma, very weak hint of cinnamon and pine and citrus.
T:Red grape and naturally blueberry and lemon like notes with some sourness. Not too much sour. And hint of cinnamon.
M:Little bit sticky sweetness. Not strong sourness and blueberry note but brown sugar like sweetness continue.
O:Too sweet for me. Tough to drink 16OZ. 8OZ may be max.
(Sour Ale, Blueberry+Cinnamon)

Brewed in collaboration with Proof brewing. 16oz. can into Night Shift stemware.

The look is just like their IPAs. Dense and cloudy. Like a blueberry smoothie. Nose is mellow blueberry. Beer opens cinnamon and blueberry. Exactly as described. There's a mellow tartness that is noticeable at the beginning but gets more sour as the beer lingers on the palate. It's balanced nicely by a sugary cinnamon presence almost with hints of brown sugar and molasses. Simple but super delicious. Body is light with ample carbonation. Prickly and lively on the palate and goes down aggressive, quenching with a lingering, tart aftertaste.

It's not the prettiest beer and it doesn't have the aroma. But what's most important (obviously) is the taste and the feel and Blue Shift knocks it out of the park when it comes to those criteria. Probably the most drinkable and delicious creation Finback has ever put out. I hope this gets revisited in the future.