Level Up at Finkel and Garf
Want to have a blast? Visit Finkel and Garf and ask for Taylor the bartender. He filled us in on the background of the brewery and made sure we had an amazing time during our visit. Plus, it's a video game themed brewery. How could you not have fun here? Our initial motivation for visiting was all thanks to their website. Yes, we are marketing majors so let us geek out for a second. Seriously though, the website is clean cut with their personality shining through. From the scrolling animation on the home page to the gamer animations added throughout, the website truly shows the spirit of Finkel and Garf.
Finkel and Garf isn't just a taproom. They do all the canning and distribution out of this Boulder location. The team does an excellent job of carrying the brewery's branding all the way down to the can labels. Just take a look at the wall behind the bar, it's designed with Finkel and Garf beer cans (obviously not actually filled with beer). If you take a step back, you can even see a specific video game character depicted in the design. The brewery also offers crowlers! We had the pleasure of meeting Crowler Nation representative, Tim. Crowler Nation's 32 oz aluminum cans will allow you to enjoy a crisp and fresh Finkel and Garf beer in the luxury of your own home. A huge thank you to Tim sitting down with us and teaching us the ins and outs of his industry. If any brewery is interested in offering crowlers, check out Crowler Nation!
Brew Babes Featured Beers
2019 Vintage BBA Imperial Stout: 10.9% ABV
This one is a sipper, not a fast drinking beer but every sip you get a warm cozy feeling. For this brew Finkle & Garf teamed up with Breckenridge Distillery and aged this Imperial Stout in Bourbon barrels for a year! The Bourbon vanilla hints unite to a create great Colorado collaboration.
Blueberry Brazilian Guava Maltshake Triple IPA: 10.8% ABV
Lactose free malt shakes were something we have never tried before- so of course we had to get both. The Blueberry Guava was amazing. Like an alcoholic smoothie you can taste all the fruity flavors come together and smell the blueberry. Right at the end a sweet vanilla flavor overtakes the brew and it is meant to be there- the perfect ending to the sip! This was another favorite of Alisa as she loved the uniqueness and smell.
Red IPA: 6.5% ABV
This Finkel and Garf Core Beer is the trusty that you want to order. The brewers added a little sweet and spice to it by including three different hops: Azacca, El Dorado, and Chinook. The Azacca hops bring more of the citrusy or tropical flavors. While the El Dorado hops even the flavors out with their sweetness. Chinook, on the other hand, it more of a mainstream hop that are very well-known in craft beers.
Rye Saison (back for a limited time): 6.5% ABV
This brew has a fresh pine smell, and Stephanie and Alisa both really enjoyed the light taste, but substantial finish to it. It is easy to drink but the finish is strong! This is a great beer for people trying to explore new brews! Finkle and Garf sometimes bring back limited time beers, and we were lucky enough to catch this one.
Blackberry Pineapple Maltshake Triple IPA: 10.8 % ABV
Stephanie has upgraded to TRIPLE IPAs now. Plot twist! She had two favorites of the night and this Maltshake tied for first. Anyone who knows her, knows how much she loves pineapple so not really a shocker. It's truly a Piña Colada in beer version! So if your man loves girly drinks but doesn't want to be embarrassed by ordering them, give him this beer. He will have that same girly feeling just with a beer in his hand.
Dry Hopped Amber: 5.2% ABV
We had another Core Beer for you! Finkel and Garf took a regular amber and made it fun by adding pine and grapefruit notes in every sip. Like all the other Core Beers, you can purchase in a 6-pack. The cool part is that all the canning takes place right at this location! Support local business all you can!
Reese's PB Puff Imperial Porter: 9.7% ABV
A huge fan of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Pieces, and the Puffs Alisa was ecstatic to try this. Who knew beer could be aged on cereal?? Taylor explained to us that they put the cereal in a bag and soak with the beer so that the flavors marry together. Beer and Reese’s Puffs make the perfect couple. This Imperial Porter is still creamy. But the peanut butter does not overpower the beer. That was Alisa’s favorite part was the delicious hints of the cereal flavors.
Pomegranate Blonde: 4.4% ABV
NEW RELEASE ALERT! Let us tell ya, the blondes dig the Pomegranate Blonde. This beer finished the night tied as one of Stephanie's favorites. Before even ordering it, Taylor (the bartender) brought us a sample just because he had an inkling we would enjoy. And boy, was he right! So much so, we bought a crowler to take home. Pro tip when ordering crowlers, pick a beer that isn't already sold in can form or in the core beers section. You'll get more bang for your buck with the specialty beers! 😏
Want to visit Finkel and Garf?
Website: https://www.finkelandgarf.com/
Location: 5455 Spine Rd, Unit A, Boulder, CO 80301