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Finback Brewery

4.4 (157 reviews)
ModerateBreweries
Closed • Closed
Updated over 3 months ago

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Recommended Reviews - Finback Brewery

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Steven L.

A hidden brewery in the heart of a Queens neighborhood is like a hidden gem. They have limited parking space, and can be hard to find sometimes. Once you step in, it's a few tables and bench seating and seating at the bar. They have a pretty good selection of brews from lower alcohol percentage to highest on their mirror menu. Service was quick and if you are not sure what to drink you can ask for a sample before you fully commit to a full glass. I went with the double barrel stout and it was dark with some coffee chocolate tones. If drinking on the spot is not possible, they have cans for purchase.

Matthew J.

Founded in 2014, Finback Brewery is a craft brewery in Glendale, New York that's known for its creative, unique beers and commitment to community. They are especially known for their Hazy IPAs and Barrel Aged Stouts. Finback Brewery's beers are made with quality ingredients in small batches. The brewery's Core Rotators series features single hop selections and rotating combos of hops. I had two pours, as they didn't do small pours, but thoroughly enjoyed it so much I got a four pack to go! Every Night: A Double IPA Dry Hopped with Meridian, Mosaic, and Simcoe. Dream Team: A Double IPA with Citra Dynaboost, Citra Hyperboost, and Nelson Cryo. _____

Pop up pizza
Will M.

Low key dog friendly brewery with an old industrial feel. Bench style seating throughout. All your favorite kinds of beer on taps. Numerous types of IPAs and that all were really good.

Tameeka B.

I've been a fan of Finback beers for years and I'm always proud the beers are produced in Queens. I've always been super busy and haven't had a chance to visit the brewery and try beers that aren't sold in our local stores until a few weeks ago. Hubby and I grabbed a seat and I got a flight (sorta). There isn't an assigned flight but you can pick small beer samples and make your own flights. I really like the sour beers so I had a good time while I was there. The vibe is cool. I noticed lots of families hanging out and kids playing games. It's a chill spot for a low-key weekend date night. Heads up, they do not always have food vendors but they do sell chips at the bar.

Carolina S.

I'm a big personality and I get excited about things..hard! So now that's out the way. I was very excited to finally check out Finback Brewery. My dentist office is not too far from here. And I needed to get my 6 month cleaning. They said I could not eat anything....they never said I couldn't drink anything. So I rode my bike over, only after I hit up the TJMaxx and the Trader Joe's. I have priorities. It was still a super hot summer day. I noticed a bike rack in the actual brewery. Doors were open! No AC but more of a giant fan situation. I parked myself at the bar and the bike out front. I asked a million questions but settled on this coconut beer, "Ultimate Beats". That was phenomenal. I of course shared my stories on the gram and found out "Traze Pizza Lab" was the next food pop up. I gathered up the troops aka my sister, her husband, friends and my friend visiting from Philly and we all headed over there. The pizza was A+! Ohmygoodness. I can not recommend the falafel pizza or the pesto pizza enough. Also the cookies are out of this world. Everyone tried a variety of beers and with the pizza, it was a marriage in heaven. I will say this place does not have ice and there is no hard alcohol drinks here. If you have gluten free peeps, probably not the best place to take them. If you know a dog lover that enjoys crafty beer then bring them here! They do have roasted coffee, a new liquor line and merch for sale. It would be nice if they eventually have coffee and cocktails also for sale. hint hint! Thank you Finback and Traze for a wonderful afternoon hang with friends and family. I'll try to cut back on the coffee before coming here so I don't chew your ear off.

Finback Merchandise
Matthew L.

Finback Brewery is a craft brewery that opened in Queens, New York in January 2014. It was founded by business partners Basil Lee and Kevin Stafford. Lee is a licensed professional architect, but he had a passion for drinking craft beer. He home-brewed for a few years with his friend and fellow craft beer aficionado Stafford (a graphic artist), and then the two decided to pursue their dream of opening a craft brewery in New York City. They first tried to find a location in Brooklyn, but multiple deals fell through. Finally they were able to secure a location in the Glendale section of Queens. Originally they were going to call their brewery 'Narwhal' until Sierra Nevada Brewing Company released a beer with the same name. Then the partners were inspired to name their brewery 'Finback' after a real finback whale became beached and died in Queens in 2012. Lee and Stafford struggled for so long to secure their location that they too sometimes felt like a "beached whale". In spite of the fact that the brewery was a solid 30-minute walk from the nearest subway station, lines soon began to form around the block for their can releases. Finback's mission is to brew a variety of different beer styles with great flavor and complexity from quality ingredients and small batch artisanal brewing. A second location opened in Brooklyn in March 2020 and there are currently plans to open a third in Long Island City. I recently visited Finback's original Queens location while I was cycling around NYC. I was trying out a number of Brooklyn and Queens breweries and pizzerias and Finback was my second stop of the day. I first tasted some of their beers at DeCicco's and immediately became a huge fan. I also visited Finback's Brooklyn taproom last year, but this was my first time visiting their original taproom. The brewery is in the middle of a Glendale residential area; not quite what I was expecting. The brewery was practically empty when I arrived, but I actually prefer quiet brewery experiences to noisy and crowded ones. My passion is for hoppy unfiltered IPAs, so I decided to order a flight of four samples consisting of "Wander On" (Session IPA), "Premium" (IPA), "I See You" (Fruited Double IPA) and "Oscillation 034" (Double IPA). I enjoyed all four, but the latter two were my favorites. Overall, I had a really nice experience at Finback's original Queens location. I'll continue to drink their offerings for years to come.

Jessica L.

I enjoy the chill vibe at Finback. For a person who doesn't drink and to be able to comfortably enjoy themselves there says a lot Big open space where there's even space to park your bikes says a lot. They really make it easy for people who do not own cars or simply don't want to drive... It's a brewery so the menu is always changing, but you can follow their Instagram for the latest updates and (special) releases They usually have a popup of some food. But the great thing is you can bring your own, or have food delivered there. They even have a stack of menu options. It's also pet friendly

In my opinion, they're currently making the best IPA's in NYC! They have 3 great locations--2 in Queens, 1 in Brooklyn. If you love IPA's treat yourself to Finback.

Smooth Miami beats coconut ipa
Christine G.

Finback is slowly becoming our Queens favorite. Girl bartender working Sat afternoon is awesome and introduced me to the Smooth Beats Miami IPA. I read coconut IPA and immediately said no. Thank goodness she assured me it was not sweet and the coconut is so subtle and perfect. She was definitely right and I had some at the bar then went home with more. We love grabbing chipotle ranch wings from Bridies and bringing them over for the perfect pairing. Last Sat tho they had a pop up serving some of the most delicious burgers we have ever had. Life ruined for sure! Finback is getting more creative with every visit and we are loving it. They just celebrated their 4th year anniversary and we look forward to more trips this summer.

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Reviews are largely positive. Visitors appreciate the friendly and helpful staff, variety of creative beers, and the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.

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5 years ago

A really cool spot with incredible beers, ambience and music. Bailey and Marcos had the place really pumping.

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Ask the Community - Finback Brewery

Is there outside seating?

Not exactly seating, but outdoor barrel tables allow you to stand and enjoy some fresh air, yes.

We almost went here. Looked for beer list to make sure we'd be happy. Website said to check beermenus but that hadn't been updated in over a month. Where can people from out of town find your draft list?

Best bet is to go bc they change it up often. Honestly you will find all awesome selections there. They just did two new releases, you can find them on Instagram if you want to see what they usually release. But as I said there is never a bad choice… 

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The Greats of Craft - Beer spot

The Greats of Craft

4.2(61 reviews)
5.0 mi•Long Island City
•$$

Rooftop area is such a nice vibe on a day with great weather! The view of the bridge is very…read morepeaceful. I like the jasmine notes in the rice lager - crisp, floral, refreshing.

Great space, friendly staff, but the food and cocktails missed the mark for me…read more The ambience is really nice, with an open, airy layout and a rooftop upstairs, and the staff were very friendly. They also have a good selection of beers. Unfortunately, the food and cocktails were pretty mediocre. I ordered two hot dogs, and both arrived lukewarm to cold. They were also heavily overloaded with toppings. The Japanese dog was drowning in mayo, while the Plain Jane was similarly overwhelmed with ketchup, mustard, and relish. The cold temperature was especially disappointing, and the buns were cold and slightly chewy, almost as if they weren't particularly fresh. We also ordered fries, which were clearly cooked earlier and reheated. The hot pretzel was the exception and was really good. I also tried the Easy Street cocktail, which was surprisingly sweet despite simple syrup not being listed on the menu. I then ordered the dry gin Martini, which the menu describes as "served ice cold on a big rock." I usually prefer a martini up, but thought this sounded interesting. However, it came with small pieces of ice in a plastic water glass. I found myself getting little ice pebbles with each sip, which wasn't particularly enjoyable. Overall, I really like the space and the staff, and I could see coming back for beers and the pretzel. But based on this visit, the food and cocktails would be a pass for me.

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The Greats of Craft - Beer spot

Beer spot

The Greats of Craft - Nacho barden variety?  Sorry in advance...lol

Nacho barden variety? Sorry in advance...lol

The Greats of Craft

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Focal Point Beer - Inside

Focal Point Beer

4.7(174 reviews)
5.0 mi•Long Island City
•$$

attended our friends' engagement happy hour at Focal Point and we absolutely loved it (and hope to…read morebe back soon!). The bartender was patient while we combed through their various options and was also so kind and provided the perfect recommendations based on our preferences. Good beer selection ranging from Lagers to IPAs and more, also great cocktail menu! Indoor and outdoor seating available, and not a terrible walk from the subway. Classic, solid brewery that we cannot wait to visit again!

On a weekend afternoon, Focal Point Beer Co, formerly IcoNYC in LIC was a mixed crowd of Manhattan…read morefinance-type overflow, local artists and their crews, young families with small children eeking out a chill vibe before kids' schedules consume their lives, Astoria hipsters, your nearby pickleball league hanging out post-game, cliques of single-and-ready-to-mingle college students before everyone is off and away for the summer. By all means it was a pleasant evening so everyone and their third cousin's brother-in-law was ready for an (almost) summer beer. My friends and I arrived around 6pm and the tables inside and out were packed, and that says a lot since there's seating for around 150 people counting the family-style, picnic tables and benches. The industrial chic inside spaciously fits a long cement bar seating about 10 bar chairs comfortably, and what looks to be about a dozen beers on tap on the wall behind the bar. We managed to find a few outdoor benches to squat with our bags and took turns grabbing drinks and food. They're strictly a brewery so no food is available directly from Focal Point, you can BYO Food from other food spots, bring a picnic, or grab something from food trucks if nearby. But beer, BEER they have a lot of, and it's darn tasty. The staff at the bar were friendly and quick to get my order to me. While I only had a small pour of the ILL Niño 7oz $5 (also comes in 16oz $9 / 23oz $11 / 64oz $32) it was a refreshing, medium-bodied lager--citrusy and a perfect complement to the warm weather and sunset breeze. Definitely recommend as an easy, low-key spot to hang with some friends. Will be back to try some other beers!

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Focal Point Beer - Our drinks for lunch.

Our drinks for lunch.

Focal Point Beer
Focal Point Beer - The bar area at Halloween

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The bar area at Halloween

Finback Brewery - breweries - Updated October 2026

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