Four Seasons Of Mother Earth - Spring 2020
Mother Earth Brew Co.

 

 

 

a massive brew with a ton of flavor, its crazy and cool they can these now, making them a little more accessible than the bombers for solo drinking i suppose, but it was rad to encounter this on tap too, a unique take on the style and very well done overall. its paler in color as these go, a light amber with a little haze and a short but sturdy khaki head on it, looks nice in the gold rimmed snifters they use at their newly redesigned taproom. the aroma here is deeply earthy and nutty, caramelized and concentrated, malt driven for sure but with a classic yeast element too, maybe not identifiable as pecans right off the bat to me, but certainly nutty and layered, very compatible with the grains here and well integrated overall. plenty of whiskey character too, a sweetness from it, the booziness of course, and a luxurious and attractive creamy vanilla waft. the flavor is equally well integrated, i didnt know this was pecan when i was drinking it, and although i got some neat earthy and toasted nuance and even a sweet floral note, i didnt recognize it as such. i am excited to break into a can with the knowledge they are in here and to see what i get from them now that i am looking, but suffice it to say they add some obvious complexity to this. smooth and layered, wooden, rich, but not overly full body and not as residually sweet as a lot of these are. slightly buttery, well carbonated for the style, and with toffee and breakfast bread qualities to finish, very enjoyable, nice as a fall and winter sipper even though this was their spring release. this series continues to impress!

edit: i revisited this in can format last night and think maybe the pecan is an artificial flavor, certainly not real nuts, its almost more pie than nut, sweeter than the draft seemed to be, and perhaps a little more pervasive now that i know what i am looking for. still delicious, but also sort of candied, a share beer for sure, i definitely prefer the draft format as well...

Dark brown pour with a decent head that slowly fades away. Smell has the big barley, decent toffee, pecan, oak and brown sugar, dessert anyone? Taste is very sweet, like pecan pie filling injected into a barleywine with toasty oak depth, delicious. Warmth of the booze balances the sweet just enough in the feel, a big beer with a tight finish. The wife loved it

This is a nice enough barrel aged barleywine but I fear that, five months post canning, the pecan character has been largely lost. Previous reviews mentioning big time pecan aromatics and even complaints of overly assertive artificial pecan flavoring had me both anticipating and apprehensive but what I experienced was a pretty straightforward, sweetish barleywine with minimal hop character, so less American in style than English, and a moderate contribution from the barrel. It’s there but it’s not super prominent and I would have enjoyed it turned up just a notch. Nice full bodied and smooth feel.

 

Pours a mahogany color with a medium khaki head that leaves a small ring around the perimeter when it fades with no lacing.

Smell is caramel, vanilla and artificial pecan. Pretty much on the sweet side.

Taste is caramel, and a lot of pecan but not in a natural way with some toffee and vanilla. Just short of cloyingly sweet, no hint of ABV except for a slight internal warming as you sip.

Feel is medium thick and sticky with slight carbonation.

Overall not bad but definitely a sipper, Sweet to the extent that 8 oz is probably enough, 16 oz was a challenge.

 

A: The beer is very dark brown in color. It poured with a quarter finger high beige colored head that left a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Sweet aromas of nutty pecans are present in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste is both nutty and sweet and has some hints of oak. Only a slight amount of alcohol is noticeable in the taste. No bitterness is perceptible.
M: It feels full-bodied on the palate and has a low to moderate amount of carbonation. The alcohol lends a bit of warmth to the mouthfeel.
O: I couldn't believe how much aromas and flavors of pecans this barleywine contained!

Serving type: can

Dark reddish-brown, but clear, with a short khaki head that fizzles out quickly to nothing.

Smell is intensely potent of metallic pine resin, with unflattering hints of sweet cherry and toffee.

Taste is sweeter, as its medium, slick but crackly crisp body comes to a semi-dry finish exhaling artificial pecan with amaretto and woody marizpan notes to it. It's cloying and off-putting, while at the same time not intolerable if looking for a buzz. Unfortunately I'm not, and it's kind of disgusting, with a prickly heat that comes out on the swallow.

16 oz can from Boise Co-op. Dark amber, clear, small foamy head. Sweet, nutty aroma. Malty taste, dominated by the pecans. Sweet enough to recall pecan pie filling. A bit of a boozy kick. Very well rounded.