Non-Human
Finback Brewery - Glendale

Ya' know...... man I feel old when I read myself.
This beer can may or may not have a date on it or some indication of when it was made but instead it states - in uber tiny font - the caps don't help here, BE FRESH DRINK NOW.
What does that imply? This beer will suck if it's not fresh? Who's fault is it if I get it older than when ???? the brewery wants it consumed? Mine? Because I don't carry a magnifying glass to read incredibly small print on a sweaty beer can??
Yeah... I'm old. And have no time for marketing bs from upstart breweries.
So back to the actual beer.
I asked the guy at the store - he's worked there for years, tells me when i ask if this is a hazy neipa style that it's a double so no. I stare blankly at him, then say umm... that doesn't mean it's not hazy. Even the leader of this cloudy parade, Heady Topper is a hazy, if not as high on the floculated starch level as so many others.
But I buy it anyway in hope that I can see through it when poured.
Guess what? It's a murky unfiltered mess.
Now I'm all in on unfiltered beers since from way back, appreciating the yeast and residual protein and such that may cloud my glass of beer a bit and "chill haze" ( aka protein haze) was an issue many early converts from "fizzy yellow lagers" in the 90's forward had to have "beer 'splained" to them. It was my yob for many years.... when not many cared... yet.
But today's level of haze is outa control.
This one ain't pretty. Wheat and oat starch do not make up for malt complexity and mouthfeel and milk sugar fluffiness is NOT body.
This beer pours a murky suede tan with a nice white head of foam. Some spatters of lace trail behind but the head slumps to a ring in no time. Carbonation is good as a head kicks up easily but with no retention.
The aroma is putrid sweet and citrus forward.
Really, don't use these hops any more - squeeze the hop juice into jams and jellies it's not meant for beer, unless you're a girl used to flavored seltzers.
Juicy! It's no lie - and is only vaguely beer-like.
Sweet up front , heavy on the tongue with very rich fruit flavors of stewed oranges, melon and some guava or mango puree' thing going on. Pour it over crushed ice and stick an umbrella in it already.
The hops almost save it - nice lingering bitterness that leaves an herb and pepper bite that drowns out the fruit cup character.
Body is medium + but balance is off and it's hard to distinguish the alpha hop acids from the perceived citric acids in a wash of cotton candy sweetness.
This beer wins for most annoying and unreadable to old guys label but is just an also ran in an all to long line of over juicy, soft n cloudy beers that should be ashamed to use the letters IPA in their names.

 

 

Another terrific offering from Finback. Pour is cloudy, OJ-like, but this is no citrus bomb. Aroma is herbal, touch of spice. Taste follows, but with just the right juicy profile and much more—some candy, white wine, and a whole lot else going on. I love that Nelson is an accent, but doesn’t take over. A bit creamy on the palate. A wonderful beer.

Not doing as many reviews these days, but I do love me some new-ish Finback and engaging with their fairly well-curated hop choices. This is a DIPA (8.5% ABV) canned on 2/16/22 which features a whole bunch of hops du-jour. List is in the beer description/on the can.

A: Pours a bit less rambunctious than some other Finbacks I've had. It's definitely a haze bomb in the body, but the head is well-constructed and just overall compact. Couple fingers of bone-white head that settle semi-quickly to a half-finger ring. Solid lace. Nothing special here, but it looks nice.

S: Powerful nose with a lot of papaya, fresh passion fruit juiciness, and light dankness vying for attention and somehow all showing up with aplomb. The light stone fruit from Idaho 7 feels nectarine/plum driven, which is cool because it contrasts the bright tropical fruit elements. Slight punchy tangelo and fresh spruce once it opens up a bit. Yeah, this one seems like it's gonna be good.

T: Definitely had some fears that the hop profile would be "kitchen sink-ish," but my fears were allayed once I started sipping on this beauty. Massive tangerine rind with saturated papaya/mango/passion fruit in the mid-palate. Nelson pops a bit, too, bringing out that mineral-laden white wine aspect alongside hints of bright berries and some nigh-acidic undertones. Even the light mint of Meridian makes an appearance here, providing some herbal counterpoint to the tropical blast of flavors that are mostly driving the flavor the majority of the time. Wow, this is complex and great.

M: It drinks sliiiiightly heavier than it actually is. When I first poured Non-Human and took a sip, I thought I had accidentally opened one of Finback's 10+% TIPAs. It's kind of a beatstick, and the hop saturation will impress when taken in stride with the alcohol content. There is literally almost zero malt balance here; this is a hop delivery device taken to extremes... just the way I like it. That said, there is a bit of pillowy feel from protein-driven grains, but there are no traces of those in the flavor profile. Carbonation is modest but might feel a bit more expressive (with the beer feeling a bit traditionally "drier") due to the hefty Nelson component. This is very good stuff. Enjoyable and characterful. I'm in!

A: The beer is pale dark whitish yellow in color. It poured with a quarter finger high white head that left a thin collar around the edge of the glass and lots of lacing down the sides.
S: Moderate aromas of lime citrus are present in the nose along with notes of stone fruit and white grape.
T: The taste follows the smell and has additional notes of gooseberry, mango and passion fruit. A light amount of bitterness is perceptible.
M: It feels medium-bodied, crisp and a bit juicy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I found the taste of this beer to have complex flavors from the varieties of hops that were used in the ingredients.

Serving type: can