Pass Through
Finback Brewery - Glendale

 

 

Pours a very cloudy bright gold color with a 2 finger off white fluffy head.Aroma is dense and pungent with both sweet orange and papaya but also a little tanginess. The flavor is just as pungent with orange and papaya, and maybe a little honeydew melon in the finish. It is a very enjoyable flavor profile that stays clean to the finish. Very little malt is detectable and this is not registering as bitter. It is very soft and creamy and has at least a moderate amount of seltzer to it.

This was sold a premium price at the local store (glad to see them in Maine btw) - I presume because of the higher alcohol content. It does live up to the cost by delivering a high quality NEIPA. Well done, I'm grabbing another afterwards :)

 

 

Three new Finbacks in one day... may be a record for me, but it's one I'm alright with breaking. Whenever a bunch of their stuff drops at my local place, I try to pick up a few of 'em to see what this interesting brewery is doing. The previous two today have been excellent, so let's hope this one follows the same level of quality.

Pours a dense orange color with no clarity whatsoever... ah, this must be an NEIPA, not really an "American IPA." Though the distinction is weird these days, this one definitely looks more like an opaque New England pale ale with zero transparency and a solid, dense foam of eggshell-white head. Some light lace and decent legs with great retention... yup, definitely looks the part.

Alright, so this beer features a bunch of hops that I like. Mosaic, Amarillo, Blanc, Columbus, and Simcoe, to be more exact. Each and every one of these hops can do excellent things, but it's up to the brewer to use them correctly. Up front in the nose I get some superb citrusy notes blending well with the lighter spicy/Noble hop notes that Hallertau Blanc can provide. Immediately, I can tell this is something special... very few of Finback's beers utilizing Blanc hops have been impressive to me, but this seems like a good use of 'em. Some slight dank notes with aspects of pine and earthy berries come out to play and I'm intrigued. Mosaic does a lot of heavy lifting here, for sure, but the floral and citrusy West Coast hop notes from Amarillo/Columbus are really well-represented too.

On the palate this is immediately very engaging, with upfront flavors of pineapple, orange, and mango alongside some light floral influences and chalky pine. Semi-earthy and a bit grassy with Blanc driven Noble-hop notes of white wine grape and subtle herbs. This beer mostly has a laid-back flavor profile without much in the way of aggressive hops, but I sometimes enjoy that. In the case of this beer, it's a welcome respite from some of the more-intense IPAs in this ABV range, though that's not to say it lacks flavor... it's just a bit more judicious about what's going on, flavor-wise. Slight juicy citrus with a touch of backing tropical fruit is the name of the game here. Combined with the slight floral/herbal element and the soft mouthfeel, this is an ideal NEIPA for every-day drinking. Another good one from Finback.