Joe’s Favorite
We’re squeaking two posts out of the Mother Earth “Silent Night” release virtual tasting and using our favorite beers from the set as our new release post this week. For my choice, I went with “Silent Night Grand Reserve.” This barrel-aged beast was aged for a total of 24 months in Mother Earth’s very own whiskey barrels. If you have ever had Mother Earth whiskey, you know this is a good thing. This differs from the “Reserve” as it is aged for an additional year, earning it the title of “Grand Reserve.” Despite being the same beer aged for an additional year, there was a dramatic change in flavor and perception of the beer. Keep reading to see my full notes on the beer!
For the tasting we used a couple of tulip glasses that we rinsed between beers so as to not cross contaminate flavors/aromas. “Silent Night Grand Reserve” looked a lot like the other “Silent Night” releases; it was a super dark beer resembling well-used motor oil. No light could penetrate the beer and it was completely opaque. Head was minimal on the brew and when it was released from the beer it was tan and disappeared quickly.
I really enjoyed the nose on this beer as it was complex and different from the previous beers in the lineup. There was a spicy estery note that wasn’t present in the other beers that reminded me of rich banana bread with notes of chocolate chips. I enjoyed the varying smells I perceived during the tasting and got additional notes of cinnamon and dark fruits. I perceived less coffee notes than the other beers in the lineup and didn’t get a lot of alcohol aromas.
The mouthfeel of this beer was smooth and velvety. It was a full-bodied beer that had some viscosity. The carbonation seemed to mellow out with aging and the beer had a bit less bite than the previous iterations. There was little drying or mouth coating left by the beer as it exited the mouth.
Taste was where “Silent Night Grand Reserve” won its top spot with me. It had a deeper, more complex flavor profile than its boozy brethren and picked up a bit more barrel-aged goodness. When I first tasted the beer I was hit with a spicy and fruity note that bordered on banana-like esters. The first thing I thought of was banana bread. Combined with the evident chocolate notes, it seemed like I was drinking some liquid chocolate chip banana bread. Talk about dessert in a bottle. As I progressed further through the tasting, though, those notes faded and became more congruent with sweet dark fruit. This is when I started to pick up some of the oak-like tones that came from the barrel itself. Unlike the other beers in the series, I lost some of that vanilla and sugary sweetness, and these flavors seemed to transition into the ones I described over time. It is amazing how barrel aging can have such an effect on beverages, be they distilled or brewed.
For food pairings with the beers in these series I have to say have a light snack beforehand and be prepared to skip dinner. I think the flavor of these beers speak for themselves and can be enjoyed alone to get the full experience. You may want to have some palate cleansers handy though, as to not let the unique flavors run together. Also, I want to emphasize the snack part as these beers pack a hefty ABV punch coming in at around 9-10% each.
As we stated in the last post, the virtual tasting hosted by Mother Earth was a great way to interact with a brewery in pandemic times. Special beer releases are always fun and the work the brewers put into the beers is evident in every sip. They are full of flavor, complexity, and unique expressions of the brewer’s style. I can’t wait to get next year’s release (you know we already finished the bottles from this year).
Cheers!
Appearance: Dark brown, completely opaque, no light penetrates. Thin brown head, quickly fades. (4/5)
Aroma: Spicy and fruity. Banana esters and hints of chocolate. Similar to banana bread. (5/5)
Mouthfeel: Smooth, carbonation mellowed with aging. Not stinging or biting. Full-bodied. (4/5)
Taste: Sweet with age, not overwhelmingly alcoholic, dark fruits, rich chocolate, oaky/earthy barrel flavors. (4.5/5)
Drinkability: Definitely a slow sipper. Sit, sip and enjoy. (4.5/5)
Total: 22/25
Nick’s Favorite
I cannot overstate how much of a pleasure it was to participate in Mother Earth Brewery’s virtual tasting for their 2020 “Silent Night” release. Since it was a unique experience, it could not be contained to only one post. Like Joe mentioned, we are each reviewing our favorite of the bunch, and let me tell you, this was not an easy choice. I thoroughly enjoyed all four varieties, but I had to go with “Noche Silenciosa” for my review. It was certainly the most unique out of the four, and I haven’t had anything quite like it. This variety of “Silent Night” was aged 12 months in Blanton’s Bourbon barrels, and was brewed with some additional ingredients to mimic a Mexican hot chocolate. This provided a unique experience in contrast to the other three varieties, which were all the same makeup but aged in different barrels and for different lengths of time.
We saved “Noche Silenciosa” for the end, as was recommended by the brewer and tasting guide, Matthew Hart (also Mother Earth’s Executive Vice President). After giving my tulip glass a final rinse (I had just enjoyed the “Grand Reserve” variety, which Joe detailed above), I poured a generous amount of “Noche Silenciosa” and noticed a more pronounced head than I’d seen in the three beers prior. It had a rich tan head, that resembled espresso crema, and of course sported a very dark, almost black body.
The foam stuck around for a short while, which allowed me ample time to seek out the aromas. For an imperial stout that is at least 9% ABV and was aged in bourbon barrels, this beer was very easy and sweet on the nose. I detected almost no harsh or boozy aromas, whereas the other “Silent Night” varieties emitted smells that reminded you that they were barrel-aged and contained a higher alcohol content (which is not a deterrent for me). Most notably, I smelled a lot of cinnamon, vanilla, coffee and some lighter chocolate tones. Of the four stouts, I found “Noche Silenciosa” to have the least distinguished chocolate or cocoa aromas, which was a bit surprising considering that it is inspired by Mexican hot chocolate. This didn’t bother me a bit, as I enjoyed the diversity and complexity I was finding in this brew. I spent more time smelling this beer than I typically do when doing a formal tasting, but that’s a testament to how exciting it was.
When I took the first sip, I anticipated a difference in mouthfeel from the other three brews based on the added ingredients. It was not particularly carbonated, had a medium to full body, and was quite viscous (all of which were par for the course in comparison to its counterparts). The main contrast was I felt a bit of “kick” that the others did not have, and I chocked that up to the added spice in “Noche Silenciosa.” It was extremely palatable and left a nice coating on the tongue and roof of the mouth.
I essentially went straight for tasting on this one, and came back to evaluate the mouthfeel after. I think the first words out of my mouth were, “Oh wow.” I was almost speechless (almost). What an incredibly complex, sweet, delicious, intoxicating profile. There’s cinnamon sugar, there’s vanilla, there’s semisweet chocolate, there are some malt and bread flavors, and just at the very end, there’s a peppery finish that gives it the aforementioned “kick.” A beer this complex could really be overwhelming or not cohesive, but Mother Earth really accomplished something special with this Mexican hot chocolate-inspired imperial stout.
It’s no surprise that I’d note “Noche Silenciosa” as very drinkable, but I do have some caveats. This is, in fact, a boozy imperial stout at ~9% ABV, and it is very complex. For those reasons, I highly recommend that you enjoy this beer slowly and in moderation. However, because it is so sweet, delectable, and exciting, it has to receive high marks in drinkability. Just be sure to follow Joe’s advice and have a little something in your stomach prior to uncorking a bottle, and really, this should not be paired with anything in my opinion. Desserts might add too many conflicting flavors to “Noche Silenciosa” and it’s too sweet to want to pair with a savory dinner.
This ended up being one of the most highly rated beers in my Untappd history, and I will be searching for another bottle or five before this limited release is gone. I may even have to store one for a year to see how that additional bottle aging affects the product. Do yourself a favor and buy a bottle of “Noche Silenciosa” from Mother Earth or your local bottle shop (if they are lucky enough to have some in stock). I also highly encourage you to seek out the other “Silent Night” varieties while they last.
Thanks for reading!
Abbreviated tasting notes
Appearance: Dark, dark brown. A pronounced tan head, like espresso crema. (4.5/5)
Aroma: Delightful. Cinnamon, burnt sugar, vanilla, cocoa, coffee/roasty malt. (5/5)
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium to full body, viscous. A little mouthcoat and a kick on the back end. (4.5/5)
Taste: Cinnamon sugar, vanilla, semisweet chocolate, malty/bready, light pepper spice. (5/5)
Drinkability: Too easy to drink. Great balance of sugar and spice. A true dessert in a glass. Enjoy/savor this treat slowly (mind the ABV!). (4.5/5)
Total: 23.5/25
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