Ultramarine
Finback Brewery - Glendale

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pint can - dated 04/17/19 - poured into a wine stem at about 48F

Pours a creamy, milky, turbid, banana creme yellow, with half a finfer of white head that is very quick to settle, leaving only a soapy collar behind.

Nose: Very creamy and sweet nose. Overripe stone fruits - peach, nectarine, dried apricot, melon, and mango. Sweet porridge malt base. Faintest hint of black pepper, and a slight green note. It's a caricature of a New England IPA on the nose. It quite literally smells like a hop milkshake.

Palate: Super dry hopped, super late-hopped. A lot of the hop character seems almost stripped away, leaving little nuance, but a lot of "hop" behind. Again, super ripe stone fruits, leaning mostly peach/apricot, with some overripe mango, some melon, fresh grassy/herbaceous notes that are very indicative of Mosaic,hopping, and just a twinge of pineapple that has begun to ferment. Zero bitterness from start to finish. Sweet wheat/oat/malt base that lends some creamy vanilla notes as well.

Mouthfeel/Body: This is pretty much the pinnacle of creamy IPAs. Creamy, fluffy, soft, pillowy...the works. Like heavy cream. I don't know if it's just me, or maybe I have a sore, but with every sip since the first, it seriously burns the roof of my mouth, in an acidic, fresh pineapple slice kind of way. It's quite the burn, and very uncomfortable. Like I'm putting something corrosive on my upper palate. For the purpose of the review, I'll rate this portion with the assumption that the burn is due to my own body, and not the beer.

Overall: The beer is certainly enjoyable (except for a painful burning on the roof of my mouth), but I feel like it's a bit overdone. This is the poster child for the haze-craze. Yeah, it tastes great, yeah, it's enjoyable, yeah, it's like a milkshake, but it lacks some of the nuance and complexity of hop flavours and aromas that can be achieved in a NEIPA format. Nevertheless, for a super duper haze-for-dayz double dry hopped double dong New England IPA, it certainly ticks the boxes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bought a can at the Beer Shop in East Longmeadow, MA. The beer poured with a pale, murky yellow appearance, thick lacing, and a thin head. Very nice tropical aromas to the beer including a very strong orange peel aroma. Excellent flavors; very tropical with its orange, lemon, and grapefruit tastes. Good carbonation. Overall, excellent beer especially with the taste and aromas.