REVIEW: Finch's Secret Stache Stout

So, My plan to do three English nitro ales backfired when two of them tasted eerily similar. But I've got content to create and I can't let a small setback like that deny you fine folks my thoughts on beer. So I soldier on. Next man up, as they say. That said, today's next man is Secret Stache Stout, from a brewer I have some affinity towards, Chicago Illinois' Finch's. A 5.3% ABV stout, brewed with vanilla. Sounds good to me. To the beer!

When I popped the top to this beer I was a bit concerned. I didn't get much of that sharp carbonic fizz that we all expect when we open a beer. When I poured Secret Stache my fears were not put to rest. A rather violent pour only resulted in a thin, loosely bubbled layer of foam sitting atop a silky, inky, opaque black brew. I'm not sure if this can wasn't quite up to snuff or if Secret Stache is purposefully brewed to have a modest level of carbonation.

The aromas here are pretty straightforward. Notes of roasty bitter coffee are joined by robust notes of vanilla bean and a bit of dark chololate. As the beer warms a vegetal vanilla note grows more prominent and the aromas suffer for it.

Secret Stache falls just short of what I would call full bodied. The flavors lead with notes of bitter roasty coffee. Through the sip a chocolate sweetness emerges. The vanilla joins in toward towards the end of the sip and lingers on through the finish. Lots of big mouuth coasting flavor. For all of the big, malty, stouty flavors going on here Secret Stache is actually quite well balanced. A sticky, resiny bitterness keeps things drinkable.

Even for the couple sticking points, the seeming lacking carbonation and the funkiness on the nose, I still dig this beer. The three flavors, coffee, chocolate, and vanilla, all co-mingle in quite an enjoyable way and are so tasty that they make up for any of the shortcomings that I percieved. As this interminable winter drags on and on I find myself continuing to gravitate towards the heartier beers. This one wouldn't be a bad choice.

HD