Four Seasons of Mother Earth - Autumn 2023
Mother Earth Brew Co.

a cocktail inspired barrel aged imperial stout with bitters, anise, and lemon peel, i think relatively subtle on all three of them, a neat recipe, i think the base stout and the barrel aspects are just okay, but i am thankful this presents neither as cheap or as way too sweet, some of their flavored beers have seemed unnatural, and a lot of them have been sugar bombs, so this is an improvement in a couple of regards, even if the base beer seems a little oxidized and the barrel aspect is way back in aroma and flavor. slick and dark, not shockingly viscous or anything, very little head holding, muted luster. the aroma is roasted barley, coal and ashen bitterness, old oak, and subtle vanilla, herbal bitterns, almost an amaro aspect, and just a hint of the lemon, cutting some of the richness this still has, complex but not overdone, which i appreciate, wonder how long this was in the barrel, any whiskey character is mellow. light vanilla in the flavor, black tea bitterness, licorice root, cooked citrus, light anise and allspice berries to me, rightly dosed there, dark chocolate, some almost english yeast to me, and more and more alcohol as it sits, light brown sugar, smoke, and molasses, the lemon peel is light but it almost gives an italian espresso note to this with the dark grain. i dont really wish for more bourbon, but that aspect is not a flavor leader, and its all on the swallow. it doesnt taste or feel new, like any additional aging of this would likely not be to its benefit, it seems past mature to almost old already, curious for a beer like this that only dropped a few months back. fun mix of flavors overall, even if the cocktail vibe as a whole is sort of lost to a generic seeming imperial stout, its subtly smart and i appreciate the effort. a really hit or miss series for me, but this is fun.

16oz can from Boise Co-op. Near black pour, a few bubbles. Aroma starts with a big hit of sweet chocolate, brown sugar. Taste is sweet, chocolate, orange peel, bitters minor barrel notes. Dry finish. Not familiar with the cocktail, but this is interesting.