“GOOD LORD, IS THIS BOOZE?” // FASCIST PIG ALE

“GOOD LORD, IS THIS BOOZE?” // FASCIST PIG ALE
By Brett Reid

I’ve been at home for a majority of the day today, finishing projects I had out for freelance work and what not, so I decided to kick back, watch some Miami Vice and have a beer. Out of my sixer, I chose the only full pint can I picked up at the store, because, hey, I’m celebrating. Today, I’m drinking the Fascist Pig Ale from Finch’s Beer Company. I had never heard of this beer before, and to be honest, the only reason I got it was because Kayla, my fiancé, said the can was “cute.” I will admit, the can is pretty cool, but aside from that, I was a little skeptical about a beer I had never heard of or one that didn’t even a style labeling on it. Against my concerns, I went ahead and purchased the beer.
This beer pours a deep, I mean deep, red with a thin light brown head; maybe half a finger width. There are some strong aromas coming off of this bad boy in the way of caramel, toffee and chocolate, but the toffee being the most prominent and in your face. It’s also pretty malty as well, but you can also pick up some rye too. It’s a really strong aroma, but it smells really good.
The taste is really nice, but strong. Upon first taste, you get a lot of sweetness of caramel and some rye, but those soon fade as the flavors progress. The rye gets a little stronger and the caramel starts to decrease, but the hops are continuously stronger on your tongue as you drink. There is a citrus flavor that the hops produce, but those are soon lost and flavors like pine and earthy hops start to be more in play than anything else. As it finishes, the flavors seem to “wrap up,” but there is a nice bitter, yet moderately sweet flavor, resting on your tongue. Another thing you really taste is the alcohol, and really strong. The beer is 8% and there is no hiding that level in this beer. As soon as I tasted it for the first time, I said, “Good lord, is this booze?” So, if you’re not a fan of high alcohol content beers that have a strong alcohol flavor, turn away now.
The mouthfeel is much different from any Red Ale I’ve ever had. There is a creaminess quality that is really strong all the way throughout, and there is a velvety quality that allows the beer to rest on your tongue quite nicely. I’m used to most Red Ales having a lot of carbonation and being extremely bubbly, but this was a nice change of pace. The beer was extremely thick, as I mentioned before, and, oddly enough, had a similar mouthfeel as a Double IPA in some aspects. I would definitely drink this beer again just for the feel and taste of it.
Overall, this beer is very good, if you like Red Ales. It was a different take on what I am used to when it comes to the style, but still has some aspects that remind you what you’re drinking. I enjoyed the lasting after taste and the sweetness that was really prevalent in this beer. I hope to be able to try other things from Finch’s Beer in the near future if they’re all as good as this.