16 Feb Fetching Lab Bound & Determined by Nick B

Bound & Determined

Fetching Lab Brewery

Alvin, TX

Chile Stout

ABV: 6.02%

IBUs: 77

Packaging: Draft, 22oz. Bombers

During my weekly trip around the beer aisle while my wife shops for groceries, I noticed there were a few labels I hadn’t seen since the last time I searched the bomber wall. Some of them were beers I know that got fancy label makeovers and others I had not come across yet. One of them was Fetching Lab’s Bound & Determined Chile Stout. I was intrigued by this brew from the other side of the world and took a bottle home to give it a try.

The label for Bound & Determined has a lot going on with the wood fence background, the adorable chocolate lab with an oversized bone inside of a yellow doghouse circle, and the blue ribbon emblazoned with the beer’s name in the foreground. You can find a short description of the beer on the left side and “Proudly brewed in Alvin, Texas” down on the bottom. I am hoping that there is as much going on inside the bottle with regards to flavor as there is on the label visually.

Bound & Determined had about a finger and a half width of tan head. The aroma is milk chocolate and a hint of vanilla. It’s kind of like when you used to douse your vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup to the point that it was barely vanilla ice cream (I know that wasn’t just me that did/still does that).

Upon the first sip, Bound & Determined had a big chocolate taste up front and I immediately felt a very subtle heat on my palate from the chiles. Vanilla swirls in midway, as well as a sweetness that I can’t pinpoint personally. The label says “fig and plum” and that is probably what I’m experiencing here. My hopes that I expressed in my comments about the label were completely met with the complexity that this beer offers. The only shortcoming for this beer to me is the body feels light, but that’s probably more just a personal preference for stouts.

I’m giving Bound & Determined 4.5 stars because it really surprised me for its low ABV (comparatively, I drink stouts that are typically 10+% on a regular basis) and its complexity. In previous experiences, lower ABV stouts just tend to lack on being “stout,” but this was really tasty! If you are looking to get into stouts, this is a good introduction.

Based on the information from the brewery’s website, Bound & Determined is just a seasonal release bottle and maybe something you can find beyond the season at the brewery only. So get out there and get some if you see it! Beers to you, Houston.