Mother Earth Brewing Silent Night
I’ve crossed paths with a few Mother Earth brews in my travels to their home state of North Carolina. Finding this bottle of their Silent Night on shelves down the road from my office — in Virginia — was a bit of a welcome surprise. I don’t recall seeing any of their products in the area before and it quickly made its way into my cart
This 9% ABV imperial stout has been aged for a time in retired bourbon barrels, but it has much more than just wood and whiskey to offer once it hits the glass. Raisin and molasses make a bit of an appearance as you sip on this big brew. It’s not the most potent in terms of barrel influence, but its subtleness and smoothness more than makes up for it.
Appearance
Silent Night pours an opaque black in color with a thick, but short-lived cap of brown foam.
Aroma
Raisin, coffee, whiskey, light wood, cocoa, a soft roast, molasses, a hint of anise and a peppery tingle fill the nose fully.
Taste
This beer carries a smooth and subtle barrel influence on the palate as soft whiskey and wood notes flow over the tongue. Cocoa, a moderate roast, dark fruits, molasses and licorice all join in throughout. It’s definitely a drying stout, perhaps a bit too dry in the finish. The brew has a solid, full body and a moderate sweetness.
Overall
Silent Night is an excellent beer. Perhaps I’m spoiled by other varieties of this barrel-aged world in which we now live, but I’d like to see a bit more whiskey and wood here. It’s super smooth and perhaps a bit too subtle of an influence. The finish is also a bit drying — not quite chalky, but certainly more so than other stouts of this nature. That all said, I enjoyed just about everything this beer had to offer.
Rating: 3.75/5
