All this talk of porters and stouts has gotten me thirsty.
Finch’s Beer Company supposedly makes a tasty stout – their Secret Stache stout scores 88 on Beer Advocate. It’s infused with vanilla, but doesn’t come with any mustaches. You win some, you lose some.
Secret Stache had an odd collection of smells, most notably one of root beer that I simply couldn’t shake the entire time I drank the beer. When I think “stout,” I think notes of roasted chocolate, maybe espresso if I dare to get wild. But it’s the smell of root beer that dominated my nostrils.
That’s not to say there weren’t other aromatics. Creamy vanilla was most definitely floating around with hints of chocolate (from what I assume is chocolate malt) hiding behind it all. It wasn’t until the beer had sat for about a few minutes that I really started to pick up secondary smells aside from the root beer.
While Secret Stache has a smooth mouthfeel, there’s an acidic dryness on the front and left my mouth feeling chalky on the finish. Unlike the smell, there weren’t traces of root beer in the taste, which was more geared toward a light mocha. Chocolate or vanilla wasn’t nearly as present as I’d thought it would be, especially given the fact that “vanilla” is plastered on the front of the can. Earthy/grainy tastes of corn popped up every now and then.
The characteristics of this beer all felt a little muddled. Secret Stache could probably use a little fine tuning. A handlebar mustache wouldn’t hurt, either.
Secret Stache stats:
- ABV: 5.3 percent
- Brewery: Finch’s Beer Company of Chicago, Illinois