Finback Brewery (2018)

I had wapatoolie, big papi and papi chulo from Commonwealth while we vacationed in VA Beach last Summer...all great beers. All pretty close in quality to what we get around here. Not quite Veil-caliber, but above average for sure.

 

Stopped in yesterday for a few drinks and wound up having a Fat Mango...and damn is that not a delicious beer/smoothie/whatever. I have had a few lactose beers before from OH/HVB, but this was something else. Big mango nose and creamy coconut taste, with a little punch of Citra to remind you that it is actually a beer.

It seemed that every other person yesterday was ordering either a glass or cans of it. If you see it on tap I would recommend giving it a taste.

 

Awesome! Was thinking of swinging by the taproom this evening to grab a 4-pack. Did you get the sense they were short on cans yesterday?

 

It did seem that way, yes. There were a few "sorry we just sold out" jokes being played on eager customers.

 

Oy, that's harsh lol! I'll keep an eye out for it on draft! Appreciate the recommendation!

 

Stopped by around 12:45 today and was surprised to see bottles of both wine BA Faster Than Light variants available. Tried the red variant on tap and thought it was really nice. Definitely more oak and wood than wine, but the light fruitiness they mentioned definitely came through on top of the great roast- and chocolate-forward base. Highlight for me, though, was the new Alvarado collab Freshly. Wonderful blend of hops at an intensity that reminded me of Other Half (but with the cleaner malt and water character that I typically associate with Finback).

 

Where is that Kane collab?

 

Talking about this:



2 of the best stout makers in the Tri-State area IMO

 

That one comes with patience

 

Have a 4-pack of Smooth Beats in my fridge and I cannot WAIT to crack one next week when it's 75 and sunny.

 

last one for Saturday.

 

other 2 releases for Saturday...

 

Anyone who has been to their anniversary releases in the past care to share when people tend to show up and how big the crowds are? I've never been to the brewery before but I love their stouts and Between the Dead sounds fantastic. Also, do they tend to not impose limits on their bottle releases? The IPAs sound great as well, definitely the most appealing of the NYC/BK/Queens releases this weekend for me.

 

Even the biggest Finback releases only draw 50 or so people at opening. They do impose limits on in-demand bottles, but I don't anticipate much of a line or requirement for strict limits on Saturday. Given the big releases at Other Half and LIC, you should be able to roll up 30 mins after opening and get whatever you'd like without a wait!

But yes, I agree about the appeal. Visible Spectrum is a terribly overlooked--probably the best fruited IPA I've ever had. And they do stouts better than anyone in NYC, for sure.

 

Perfect, thanks for the info! Looks like this will indeed be my first trip to Finback.

 

I've been to a few stout releases and I will say, you should get there not long after opening if you definitely are going for stouts. They always sell out quickly. Cans are no problem, I don't think people line up for cans at all there anymore, but the stouts will go quick.

 

I went to the Between the Dead release last year..got there about 45-50 mins before opening and was probably 15-20 inline..got there a little earlier than I normally would because Finback is/was notoriously slow with sales (1 POS)..that was the last Finback release I went to, so hopefully they improved..also BTD is my favorite Finback stout I've had (even better than BQE) and arguably the best stout brewed in NY

 

Soooo Finback then LIC or LIC then Finback...?