Judge's Review: 92 Rating - Materfamilias by Mother's Brewing Co.

Materfamilias by Mother's Brewing Co. is a barrel-aged Imperial Stout and is being evaluated as a Wood-Aged Beer (category 33A from the 2015 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines). Imperial Stouts are the strongest of the stouts frequently displaying flavors of roasted, chocolate, and coffee from the malt. For Wood-Aged Beers, the best examples have a "harmonious blend" between the base beer and the wood/spirits resulting in a flavorful, complex blend. Materfamilias ages their Imperial Stout in bourbon, rye, brandy and rum barrels and measures in at 11 percent ABV.

Materfamilias pours opaque, pitch black with a small brown head. The aroma is a strong harmonious blend of dark malts and esters with characters of roasted, chocolate, plum and prune that melds well with prominent spirit and barrel elements of bourbon, toasted oak, vanilla, and red wine. The body is medium despite the strength; a pleasant, abundant alcohol warmth greets mid-flavor and lingers long in the finish. The flavor is a wonderful melding of dark malts, esters, spirits, and barrels: chocolate, roasted malt, plums, prunes, vanilla, toasted oak, bourbon and dark rum. The finish is lightly bittered with a light sweetness lingering long with complex roasted and chocolate malt with wonderful barrel flavors of vanilla, toasted oak, bourbon, red wine and dark rum. Enjoy! Seek this one out!