Finnegan Keller
Ørkenoy

Draft at the brewery. Bright glistening red, ample foam, sticky lacing dripping down the glass. Subdued malty aroma.

Pleasantly and firmly bitter with resinous hops that evoke a west coast impression. Lightly bready malt sweetness, flash of dried fruit. Medium bodied and slick, big hops. Reminds me of Tongue Buckler back in the glory days.

Bought direct at Orkenoy, canned yesterday. Need I say, FRESH !!?

First, I choose the American Strong style because this is how UnTappd listed it. (At 7ABV, Finnegan certainly is at the lowest end of the Strong spectrum. But, I went with the program.) UnTappd also repeats the brewer's description from their website which, while whimsically entertaining, doesn't help put a round peg into square holes.

Second, this is Orkenoy's first-time holiday beer. So I thought they might benefit from an aspirational side-by-side comparison... so I choose the grand-daddy of all holiday ales, Anchor's Our Special Ale. (Mistake, as this nano has next-to-nothing in common with the Grand-Daddy now owned by a global brand manager ... and my mistake showed pretty quickly.) So, Finnegan is on his own; compared to no one except this rubric style/category for which Finnegan is not even strong.

Third, my review of Finnegan is that it has a great start in the winter seasonal niche... particularly when its auburn Looks had a 3pm sun hit it just right and create an explosion of red-brown... along with some college-age partakes that now seem like fantasies. Anyway... Smells had less allure, actually common malt with hops in the back nose. If you like hops, you will score Taste better than me. And Feel is light at 7ABV given the stylistic competition is mostly heavyweights.

I like Orkenoy. Their gastropub is on Chicago's 606 trail where I ride my bike several times weekly, so that makes them a largely neighborhood dig. I had Keller with Orkenoy's house rye (also yeasty and spicy and better with butter.) I suppose my only problem with Orkenoy (which offers Baltic inspired brews and kitchen) is that I'm a Belgo-phile and they have, for centuries, figured out the whole gastro-brewing culture much better. Skoal !