Four Seasons Of Mother Earth - Winter 2018
Mother Earth Brew Co.

Pour at brewery. Dark and black, small creamy beige head. Aroma and taste reflect more of the cinnamon and less of the coffee. Rich, oily and smooth, lots of savory notes.

its always fun to track down some of the older beers in this series, every time i think i have missed one forever, i get lucky. they had this on tap at the new downtown location last weekend for their grand opening, so i feel thankful to have caught it. an imperial stout in bourbon barrels with coffee and cinnamon, definitely appropriate for winter, and holding up quite well compared to a lot of coffee stouts with this kind of age on them, maybe a little fade, but its not oxidized and its not green peppery or acidic, nice! inky black from the tap with a short tan head on it, looks deep and roasty but not as viscous as a lot of them do at this strength. the nose is good espresso, a little licorice spice setting up the warming cinnamon, and some brown sugar and vanilla richness from the bourbon, but to me more oak than whiskey, really pretty impressive, and without any signs of it being as old as it is, other than the softened edges, i dont smell hardly any alcohol at all. the flavor is similar, coffee from start to finish, low acidity, deep roast, milk and dark chocolate nuances, a little raisin, a hint of smoke, beautiful. the cinnamon is mostly on the back half, natural and not overdone, great with the coffee and the whiskey alike, and it hangs on the little bit of booziness that creeps in as this warms. smooth texture, earthy grain base without a big caramel malt center or anything, on the dry side for being barrel aged too, just very well made (and cellared) beer here, to me better than most of their more recent offerings in this series, although i continue to look forward to all of them, definitely the most exciting beers happening at mother earth. the new spot downtown is great, get in to check it out and to try some of this rarity before its gone forever. this is a triumph.

Dark chestnut with a moderate creamy, tan head with good retention and spotty lacing. Aroma is coffee and cinnamon. Initial impression when tasting, was that cacao nibs or chocolate were one of the ingredients. Apparently not, but chocolate still shines through the delicious coffee and cinnamon. Slightly sweet with a mildly sticky mouthfeel. Alcohol is well hidden.

 

 

Agree with the other reviews on this one. Best four seasons I've tried. Cocoa, figgy, cream and coffee. I did nurse this bottle for a long evening and felt that it lost a bit towards the end as it went completely flat. Fantastic stout though, nearing the feel of a milk stout.

 

This beer is the fourth one I have drank from Mother Earth. All of the beer has been part of the Four Season series. This beer is the 2018 winter with coffee and cinnamon. The beer is 50 degrees and served in a tulip glass. A hard pour on the beer produced a one finger creamy dark tan head. The heads retention is poor, probably due to the high alcohol content. The head dissipated quickly leaving no lacing on the glass. The head receded to a thin ring around the glass. The color of the beer is SRM 38 dark brown nearly black and opaque.

The aromas in the beer are dark roasted coffee, cinnamon, dark roasted malts, char, anise, molasses, toasted sugar, bready, figs, earthy, vanilla, oak, bourbon, oranges, nutmeg, brown sugar, nutty, dark chocolate, and floral esters.

The flavors in the beer are dark chocolate, cinnamon, with medium roasted coffee, molasses, toasted sugar, bready, figs, toffee, caramel, earthy vanilla, bourbon, smokey, fire, char, brown sugar, nutty, anise, dates, dark stone fruit (like cherries but not), floral, oranges, and resin.

The mouthfeel of the beer is chewy and dry.

The body of the beer is full, low carbonation, and a full finish.

I enjoyed drinking this beer. As the beer warms up, the coffee bitterness emerges. The bitterness from the beer is maintained with the other flavors within. The beer, in my opinion, gets better as it warms up past 54 degrees. I could sip on this beer all night if I had another.

 

 

 

$ 12.74 (Including shipping)/22 oz capped bottle ($ 0.576/oz) from Tavour, Seattle, WA. Reviewed 1/8/19.
Undated bottle other than “Vintage 2018” stenciled on the side label. Stored at 42 degrees and served at 57 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 4.25.
Body – Dark brown/black, opaque, slight effervescence. When held to the light, slight penetration occurs around the rim.
Head – Average (Maximum three cm, controlled center pour), tan, high density, average retention, diminishing to a scalloped eight to twelve mm ring and a thin complete layer.
Lacing – Excellent! Wide bands of tiny to medium bubbles resembling the lace doilies my grandmother used to have about the house.
First pour – Medium brown, clear.
Aroma – 4.5 – Coffee dominates, chocolate, and cinnamon follow.
Flavor – 4.5 – Well-balanced coffee, chocolate, and cinnamon. Very light coffee bitterness. Bourbon barrel not obvious. It ends with light coffee bitterness with a long hang time. No alcohol (12.5% ABV), no diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide. When allowed to warm in my mouth, some alcohol burn occurs but still no ethanol flavor. At no point does gastric warming occur.
Palate – 3 – Medium, creamy texture, soft carbonation.
Impression and interpretation – 4.25 - A very tasty, easy drinking (12.5% ABV!) take on the American Imperial Stout style. The flavor profile is excellent, even without any noticeable bourbon barrel contribution. As it warms above 57 degrees, the coffee bitterness becomes more pronounced. Still, an excellent brew at a modest price – I’m glad I bought a couple.