Reaching Skyward
Finback Brewery - Glendale

oak aged mix culture brew here with peaches, a stunning package and beverage, thanks to my brother for the gift, glad we got to share this. these guys have always been amazing, and they do a lot of things really well, but their funky beers have hit another level! this is clear and golden, delicate looking for its sneaky strength, almost looks like white wine, holding a short white head but with a heck of a sparkle to it, very pale. the aroma is fresh yellow peaches, peak of ripeness, high summer, vinous too, subtle hints of pineapple, honeydew, and white grape here behind the juicy peach, great funkiness, pretty sour too it seems, clean though, gorgeous, high degree of refinement for sure. the peach is special in the flavor, even better than in the nose, so authentic and real, and pretty robustly dosed, must have used a ton of fruit here, and its fermented near dry but without killing the full spectrum peach profile, masterful. the higher alcohol is well hidden but maybe brings the most out of the fruit, to me its almost like a peach wine or something, especially with the oak. i love the fermentation profile too, a little more acidity than some of their others have had, but the funk is there too, a great mix of both elements, bretty and bacterial, wild but clean somehow too, again highly professional and dialed in. its fizzy but not explosive, the body and the grain profile are both extremely light, simple pils type complexion to me, almost thin feeling even, as much wine as beer here, interesting but it works with the summery peach. drinkable, delicate, fancy, unique. this is amazing stuff, as true a peach showcase as anything in the game, fully glorious!

 

Drank from a 1 pint, .9 fl. oz bottle purchased at Fenway Beer Shop, Boston, MA
Served in a tulip

The beer poured an ever-so-slightly slightly hazed, pale golden yellow hue. Even with a fairly aggressive pour, only a small film of bright white bubbles topped the liquid. The head quickly dropped to a fine collar. A few small patches of lacing trickled down the sides of the glass after each sip.

The aroma was impressive. Crisp and Bretty. Slightly musty and funky. Light peach skin notes were apparent. Touch of sweetness. Hint of lemony tartness. As the beer warmed, the peach notes intensified, as did the overall sweetness.

The flavor profile was solid, but the peach was almost undetectable here. Dry, crackery malts appeared up front. Big tart, lemony notes came through as the beer moved along the palate. The sourness and acidity crescendoed on the back end and in the finish. Hint of barrel and oaky tannins. More lemon was noticeable here as well. On the second pour, faint earthy hop notes appeared.

The mouthfeel was fuller bodied for the style but definitely seemed to be lacking in carbonation. Slightly creamy on the palate.

Reaching Skyward is a solid wild ale by Finback though nothing exceptional. The peach came through nicely in the aroma but was hardly noticeable in the flavor profile. I wish the barrel character was also more prominent.