[Locally Available] Finch's Secret Stache Stout

Alright, alright, I know it's been a while since my last review. College life seems to hit like a ton of bricks, and the last few weeks have been full of exams, lacrosse tournaments, and the GRE. The drinking of beer hasn't stopped, just the writing part. However, here I am, ready to tell you about a beer that's sure to impress.

Finch's Beer Company, out of Chicago, brings a delicious stout to the table with their Secret Stache, a milk stout brewed with vanilla beans. The can has some ridiculous art, with one bird pulling beers out of the gigantic mustache of a second bird. The craft beer world is all about puns, and this one is a doozy.

Style: Milk Stout
ABV: 5.3%
IBUs: Not given, but moderate. Not terribly bitter.
Availability: Year-round, available in MN.

[Quick Notes] This massively black stout is capped with a gorgeous, thick brown head, wafting roast barley, char, smoke, and roast coffee towards the nostrils. To balance this, there are deep caramelized sugars, crispy toffee, peanut brittle, dark chocolate, cacao nibs, a hint of chocolate syrup, and plenty of vanilla throughout. The flavor starts out dry, with the roast, char, and smoke moving into crispy toffee and peanut brittle, dark caramel, dark fruits, and a touch of roasty coffee. The vanilla bean addition just blends throughout the entire flavor in a rich, but not overwhelming way. For a 5.3% beer, the mouthfeel is full and creamy, characteristic of a much bigger beer.

[Appearance] This thing pours a truly motor oil black, with almost no highlights on the edges whatsoever. The head is massive and deep tan to brown, lingering for the duration of the drink and sticking to the glass like crazy. This looks like a much bigger stout than 5.3%.

[Aroma] Whoaaaaaaaaaaa. This thing is big. It jumps at your nose with tons of roast, with burnt wood, roast barley, and a woody smokiness coming off big at the front. It is all big and bold without being too harsh. The sweetness to balance the roast can be found in notes of deep caramels, really dark and heavily caramelized sugars. There's something like a really crispy toffee combined with nuttiness, and it really reminds me of peanut brittle. The vanilla is really present without being overwhelming, sort of riding through the aroma and bolstering other elements of it. There is a little bit of chocolate, mostly dark chocolate and cacao nibs, but a touch of syrupy Hershey's works its way in at the end. The woody smoke, crispy peanut brittle, and sweet vanilla aromas all intersect to give this really unique aroma; picking out each of those characters wasn't easy, as they blend together in a wonderful way.

[Flavor] The flavor follows the aroma really closely, leading off with lots of that dry roasty flavor, woody char, and nice wood smoke. That smokiness seems very natural and woody, not harsh or acrid. The caramels are there too, both the really deep, dark ones, and the crispier toffee/peanut brittle flavors, which include a little nuttiness. A little bit of that roasty coffee comes in as well, but this is not a coffee heavy beer. There is a good amount of dark chocolate and cacao nibs that blend in with the roast elements of the flavor, along with just a faint hint of some dark fruits like figs and dark cherries. As in the aroma, the vanilla element just carries throughout, fading in and out as other flavors come to the forefront, while still remaining noticeable. It is a perfect addition, working well with the other flavors without becoming cloying and overpowering.

[Mouthfeel] This is where this beer really sets itself apart. When I see a 5.3% stout, I tend to expect the mouthfeel to suffer a bit. This beer crushed my expectations. The body is moderately full to full, absolutely creamy and luscious. A touch syrupy, but more velvety than anything, this beer just washes around the mouth like velvet, leaving every taste bud coated in its wonderful flavors. The carbonation is moderately low, but present enough that it doesn't feel flat. This thing has a better mouthfeel than some 10% imperial stouts, which is a damn impressive feat.

[Overall] This beer is a hell of a 5.3% stout. It carries a surprising array of flavors with impressive depth, hitting some notes boldly and some more subtly. The large roast character and smokiness that hits initially is balanced by deep caramels, dark chocolates and an interesting peanut brittle flavor, along with a pervasive vanilla bean character that is absolutely elegant. Not only is the flavor wonderful, but the mouthfeel is, without a doubt, the best I have ever encountered in a stout with this low an ABV. This is a cold night's companion, hitting everything I want in a drinkable stout. At $10.99 for a 4 pack of 16oz cans, this is a beer I will certainly be purchasing often, as a go-to stout.

There you have it folks, something to satiate your cravings for a stout with a bark bigger than its bite-you-in-the-ass-in-the-morning. As far as "sessionable" stouts go, this one absolutely takes the cake in my book. Pick up a 4 pack and see for yourselves!