You Know Who
Finback Brewery - Glendale

Way too much foam creeps up the clear glass Imperial pint mug, making the chance of emptying the pint can on one pour impossible. Very quickly it starts to recede unevenly and unattractively. The glass lacing it left is sparse and erratic. The brew is dull and dank dirty blond. None of this looks good, almost unlike a beer. There's not much aroma to salvage the first impressions. Slight and ever so slightly, some piney or resinous hopping can be had. This has to be oat laden. There's a bready sweetness up front to taste. Then, some earthy resinous hops emerge and dominate the flavor. They are more than sufficient to compensate for the sweetness and turn this mess into something worth drinking. Simcoe hops seem to correct many flaws. The oats provide a reasonable body without adding too much stickiness. Overall, this drinks much better than it looks or smells. The combination of Simcoe and Cashmere hops brings a delightful complexity. One last negative, although minor, is the amount of alcohol within the taste. This might have been liked more if consumed unseen.