WEST OCEAN CITY– Fin City Brewing Co., based inside of Hooper’s Crab House, released a pair of new staple beers last week to the public.
The unconventional brewery, set 30 feet above a busy bar, has been working around the clock in preparation for the new releases. Angler Ale and Sneaky Wheat, two beers that had previously only been available on tap at Hooper’s, are now available in retail stores and in other locals bars and restaurants.
“Some people think we just stir some stuff in hot water and beer pops out,” said brewer Mike Glavich. “It’s definitely a lot of work and our brewery is especially challenging because everything we do is 30 feet in the air. All the grain has to be brought up; all the spent grain, which is twice as heavy, has to be brought back down.
“Quite frankly there are no advantages, except it’s out of our way and it helps the functionality of the restaurant,” Glavich continued. “It’s the only space that we have, so we use it.”
Brewed with Noble Saaz hops, the Angler Ale comes in at 20 IBU and 4 percent a.b.v.
“It has some really good flavor, but it’s a really easy-drinking session ale for summer,” said brewmaster and Fin City founder Vince Wright. “It drinks kind of like a pilsner with a little bit more body.”
The Sneaky Wheat, brewed with East Kent Golding hops and containing a subtle orange aroma and flavor hints of coriander and orange peel, is similarly light at 22 IBU and 5.4 percent a.b.v.
“It’s another easy-drinking, great for summer beer,” Wright said. “It’s good all year round, but it really, really goes over well in the summer.”
Each beer takes about 21 days to produce from boil to packaging.
Wright said the new beers pair well with fresh steamed crabs, the staple of Hooper’s.
“We started out in a crab house, so we try to prepare beers that are easy drinking that pair well with the food they have on the menu,” he said. “So we came up with some lighter beers that people could sit down and have more than one and be more of a session beer.”
Both beers, in production since 2007, will be available in six packs and cases in retail stores. The brewery is also working on an as-yet untitled IPA due out this summer.
“We’ll probably just have that in kegs for right now,” said Glavich. “We have a black IPA, which is one of our staple beers, and that’s been out for quite a while. We use a lot of chocolate and roasted malts, so it comes out jet black almost like you’d expect a stout or a port, but it’s as light as a hoppy pale ale. It’s definitely our most unique beer – there’s not a lot of black IPAs that are out there in the market today. The new IPA will be more traditional.”
For more information visit www.fincitybrewing.com.
The unconventional brewery, set 30 feet above a busy bar, has been working around the clock in preparation for the new releases. Angler Ale and Sneaky Wheat, two beers that had previously only been available on tap at Hooper’s, are now available in retail stores and in other locals bars and restaurants.
“Some people think we just stir some stuff in hot water and beer pops out,” said brewer Mike Glavich. “It’s definitely a lot of work and our brewery is especially challenging because everything we do is 30 feet in the air. All the grain has to be brought up; all the spent grain, which is twice as heavy, has to be brought back down.
“Quite frankly there are no advantages, except it’s out of our way and it helps the functionality of the restaurant,” Glavich continued. “It’s the only space that we have, so we use it.”
Brewed with Noble Saaz hops, the Angler Ale comes in at 20 IBU and 4 percent a.b.v.
“It has some really good flavor, but it’s a really easy-drinking session ale for summer,” said brewmaster and Fin City founder Vince Wright. “It drinks kind of like a pilsner with a little bit more body.”
The Sneaky Wheat, brewed with East Kent Golding hops and containing a subtle orange aroma and flavor hints of coriander and orange peel, is similarly light at 22 IBU and 5.4 percent a.b.v.
“It’s another easy-drinking, great for summer beer,” Wright said. “It’s good all year round, but it really, really goes over well in the summer.”
Each beer takes about 21 days to produce from boil to packaging.
Wright said the new beers pair well with fresh steamed crabs, the staple of Hooper’s.
“We started out in a crab house, so we try to prepare beers that are easy drinking that pair well with the food they have on the menu,” he said. “So we came up with some lighter beers that people could sit down and have more than one and be more of a session beer.”
Both beers, in production since 2007, will be available in six packs and cases in retail stores. The brewery is also working on an as-yet untitled IPA due out this summer.
“We’ll probably just have that in kegs for right now,” said Glavich. “We have a black IPA, which is one of our staple beers, and that’s been out for quite a while. We use a lot of chocolate and roasted malts, so it comes out jet black almost like you’d expect a stout or a port, but it’s as light as a hoppy pale ale. It’s definitely our most unique beer – there’s not a lot of black IPAs that are out there in the market today. The new IPA will be more traditional.”
For more information visit www.fincitybrewing.com.