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Just steps away from Queens Plaza in Long Island City, Finback LIC is a new taproom and mixed-culture studio that just opened at 29-37 41st Avenue, operating as Finback Brewery's third Queens outpost (the first location opened in Glendale nearly a decade ago and the second landed in Gowanus, Brooklyn, in 2020).
According to an official press release, this new storefront will focus on "the production of mixed-culture beers highlighting New York State fruits and other local ingredients."
Among the on-premise offerings is a golden ale dubbed Live by the Sun and Moon 2021, conditioned on merlot grapes from the Finger Lakes, and a saison made with second-use apricots and chamomile flowers called Apricot Fresh.
Perhaps most curious is the fact that the 20 rotating beer taps will be complemented by a wide range of other products as well, from cocktails (including non-alcoholic ones) to small-batch natural wines and mezcals, slushy drinks and coffee (cold brew! Drip! Matcha lattes!), alongside a Northern Chinese food menu created by co-owner Basil Lee's mother.
"Rooted in simplicity and bold flavors, the menu draws inspiration from Lee's family origins in Northern China as well as the comforting American Chinese dishes developed by past immigrant generations," reads an official press release that also mentions cold tofu and wontons as go-to snacks on premise.
Lee himself, a former architect, actually designed the new 3,800-square-foot corner space, which boasts a pretty interesting shape that allowed the owner to divide it into sections: a bar and service corridor at the front, a production and brewing area towards the back.
Upon approaching the bar, patrons will notice a beautiful mural created by Vermont-based artist Viscaya Wagner. Depicting various agricultural iconography figures, the piece references "the facility's aim to highlight local ingredients, botanical-driven spirits and a love of mezcals."
Basically, Finback LIC is an ode to all things beer, spirits and nature.