FIN CITY NEW TAPROOM RELEASE
This Thursday (July 11th) Fin City Brewing Company of West Ocean City will release its newest craft beer, Reel Haze. Reel Haze is a New England India Pale Ale (IPA). This new IPA will bring together that perfect blend of malts and hops to give you your new favorite beer for this summer season! New England IPAs are known for their hop aroma and flavor without the bitterness. It will have a bursting juicy and tropical taste. Come try it out tomorrow!!
REEL HAZE CRAFT BEER
In keeping with its tradition, all Fin City beers are dedicated to the fishing industry. Reel Haze will contain a 6.7% alcohol count with 35 IBU. This beer will complement other Fin City craft beers at its new Taphouse location. Fin Cityโs Head Brewer, Zack Lucasโ thoughts on this new craft beer:
โReel Haze is my take on what a New England IPA should taste and look like. After brewing in New England, I learned the style and had the ability to try new hops; even the experimental hops. Reel Haze uses classic hops for this style Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe with some new innovated hops to help with yield. We used Mosaic incognito, which is a 100% all-natural, full-spectrum hop product crafted to deliver highly concentrated flavor while maximizing brewing efficiency and reducing process loss. This was used in the whirlpool along with Citra pellet hops. Then, during primary fermentation we dry hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe. These hops and our house yeast, give off that classic citrus, tropical fruit, and slight dank flavors you want in a hazy IPA. I wanted our first hazy IPA to be a classic representation of the style to open the door for the next creation in the future.โ
THE RELEASE
This Thursday, July 11th Reel Haze will be released for tasting and sale at the Fin City Taphouse in West Ocean City. This beer will be available in five-, ten- and sixteen-ounce pours. The Retail Release (in cans) will be available starting July 15th. Six packs and crowlers (32 ounces) will also be available for purchase for to go customers.
FIN CITY BREWING COMPANY
Fin City was started in 2012, making it the oldest brewery in the Ocean City, Maryland area. Formerly housed in Hoopers Restaurant near the Route 50 Bridge in Ocean City, Fin City Brewing Company has its own location now at its Taproom facility in West Ocean City at 12911 Ocean Gateway, unit 206 in Ocean City, MD 21842.
Its Taproom hours are:
Monday thru Thursday: 4 pm to 9:30 pm
Friday: 3:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 11 am to 9:30 pm
Fin Cityโs new Taproom is located next to Pancho & Leftyโs Cantina in the Westside 50 Plaza. The new Taproom has a seating capacity of about 45 plus standing room. There are 12 taps serving Fin Cityโs core beers as well as tasty experimental brews only available at the Taproom. There are TVs for the big games and food is available from Pancho & Leftyโs Cantina (will deliver) and any of the local restaurants within close vicinity. Fin City will also have the opportunity for small events for parties, gatherings, and other social events.
The beer lab at its Taproom, includes a small batch brew house. Similar to where Fin City started in the loft at Hooperโs Crab House, the brew lab will be viewable from the taproom. Its small batch brewing philosophy allows for constant innovation of traditional brewing. Fin City currently partners with Oliver Brewing Company of Baltimore for its larger craft beer production, but will have its own brewing facility in Easton, Maryland. These craft beers are produced using Fin City beer recipes.
Fin Cityโs mission from co-owner Vince Wright, โWe strive to source the highest quality ingredients from local farmers and suppliers whenever possible. This not only supports our local community, but also ensures that our beers are made with the freshest and most flavorful ingredients available. Whether itโs a refreshing IPA or a rich and complex stout, we take pride in crafting small batch beers that are truly one-of-a-kind. We are looking having a few pints with our loyal customers!
Fin City Brewing Company was born on the water in Ocean City, Maryland. All our beers are dedicated to the fishing industry.โ
MEET NEW HEAD BREWER – ZACK LUCAS
Zack Lucas has been brewing professionally for the last seven years and started his career at Four Quarters Brewing in Vermont. Zack states, โThey gave me the opportunity with only homebrewing experience but I worked my way up the ladder becoming head brewer in a year and half. There I was able to create beers freely and to this day they still produce them with my recipes.โ Zach moved back to Maryland in December 2021. He has worked at three different local breweries but it never felt like the home feeling he had at Four Quarters, until he was hired as Head Brewer at Fin City. Zach adds, โI have that creative freedom again and pleased to be able to build out a brewery from scratch for our Easton location. That is a brewer’s dream to be able to buy and build out a production space with the trust of your owners. I am looking forward to this chapter in my life and the growth of Fin City Brewing.โ
FINAL THOUGHTS AND WHAT NEXT?
Fin City Brewingโs Taproom is located in West Ocean City Maryland. In the Taproom is a 1-barrel brewhouse by SS Brew Tech so small batch one-off beers for taproom draft pours only. According to Zack, โThis gives me the creative freedom to use different malt, hops, and yeast companies to figure out who we want to use in the production facility next year. Our next one-off will be a Peach American Wheat Ale that will be available in the taproom next week. COME CHECK US OUT!โ
