Fascist Pig Ale

Pigs have become an important part of popular culture. Whether it be the eponymous diminutive sheep-herder in 1995’s “Babe,” George Harrison’s classical-leaning White Album contribution “Piggies,” or main protagonist Wilbur (“Some Pig”) in E.B. White’s classic children’s novel “Charlotte’s Web,” our pink porcine pals have become ingrained in our collective consciousness.

Of course, as it goes with swine, there are negative connotations as well. Finch’s Beer Co. – out of Chicago – go with a more undesirable aspect of the word with its Fascist Pig Ale.

Fascist Pig is a cloudy, translucent amber ale that gives off a faint caramel aroma as it swirls around my glass.

The pig on the can looks a little too jovial for the fanatical and autocratic reputation fascists have been given over the years (though with his hat, I suppose he does bear some resemblance to Francisco Franco [but the aviators make him look a bit more like Hayao Miyazaki’s 1992 animated invention Porco Rosso]).

Either way, this rosy, malt-forward brew left me in an Orwellian mood. With a pig on its label and 8 percent ABV couched in its curlicue tail, I couldn’t help but wonder if “pigs are friends beer, not food” (though in some cases, they’re both).

– Chris Guest