Finch's Beer Co Chimera IPA

The Stats
Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.0%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.83/5
- RateBeer: 3.38/5 (5 ratings)

Brewed with Simcoe, Centennial, and Columbus hops and then dry-hopped with over a pound of hops per bbl, Chimera is my 2nd foray into the world of Finch's Beer Co. I previously reviewed their amber ale which I thought was a safe and merely ok example of the style, but maybe the IPA can make a better impression.

Pours a completely transparent light orange with a nice three fingers of frothy white head.

A floral aroma on the nose with some mint, pine, resin, and a touch of black pepper.

Up front is a slight fruity quality with grapefruit juice and even the smallest bit of strawberry. It switches over with a smack of tree sap and heavy resin, but still not overpowering enough that it overwhelms the palate because the fruit juices from the front are still retained. I'm also getting a little bit of garlic/onion, but no flowers from the aroma. The finish goes back to the large hop resin with lingering malts.

Mouthfeel is nice and full and at times feels bigger than 6.0% with even moments where it feels like a syrupy DIPA instead of a single IPA. Alcohol is completely hidden and those sap and resin notes linger.

Chimera isn't a mind-blowing experience by any stretch, but it serves its purpose as an easy-drinking IPA that puts a lot of its weight in the syrupy pine and resin department. For me personally, a stronger kick of citrus and hop juices would have helped balance this out, but it's still solid enough as is.

Rating
7.5/10

Finch's Beer Co Fascist Pig

The Stats
Style: American Amber/Red Ale
ABV: 8.00%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.66/5
- RateBeer: 3.34/5

All Red Ales seem to be the same. Ideally you want big hops and caramel malts, but most of the time breweries settle for a by-the-book recipe which leaves the consumer with a bland, uneventful beer. I will be diving into my first Finch's beer with their own Red Ale and hopefully they can bring a change of pace to the style.

Pours a transparent dark orange/dark amber with a finger of yellowish head.

The aroma is dry, caramel malts with some hop juice, resin and hints of pine.

While I didn't pick up any fruity hops on the nose, the first sip in yields some fresh pineapple. After that the presence of sticky resin and bitter pine work your tastebuds over. The back end has a significant amount of rye and malts. Actually, the sheer amount of malt taste would lead you to believe this is a Black IPA.

The malts and rye really linger on the tongue after the finish. Speaking of the finish, this is noticeably dry, almost desert-like. I will say I was surprised to see that this was 8.00% as it drinks much smoother and lighter than its abv would suggest.

At the end of the day, Fascist Pig is your typical, everyday Red Ale. Admittedly this example of the style does let the caramel malts shine through better than most, and the addition of the pineapple on the taste was as welcome as it was unexpected. Hops are present, but I was hoping for a more hoppy offering instead of the abundance of malt and rye. Still, I'd have no reluctance in picking up a 4-pack to enjoy.

Rating
7.9/10