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