Yes, I know it is 9:30 am, but it is one of my few days off, and I am very excited about these two beers. They are coffee stouts after all (a.k.a. breakfast beers, speaking of which, had I been thinking, I would have picked up a Founder’s Breakfast Stout to compare here aw well….next time…).

Anyway, Mother’s is Springfield, Missouri’s own microbrewery. They began operations in the old Butternut Bread bakery downtown this past spring. So far they have been pretty impressive, producing solid craft beers. I expect good things from them in the future. I am excited about this particular beer (The Winter Grind) because they are using a coffee blend from locally owned Mud House Coffee. Bell’s is one of my favorite producers and has yet to even come close to let me down. The only exception to that may be “Hell Hath No Fury” or the “Anniversary Ale”, both of which were good, just not the transcendent experience I was expecting…

As to the actual beers being tasted, both are, obviously a very very dark brown in color, with a little bit of head. The Mother’s has a tiny bit more than Bell’s. Naturally, both smell like coffee (being as I am not a an expert that is about as complex as my analysis on the aroma will get), the Mother’s has a much stronger coffee flavor and I think I smelled a hint of chocolate on the Bell’s. The Bell’s is nice, bitter, lots of coffee and a little burnt chocolate, but still pretty mellow and subdued. The Mother’s is much more simple, there is a lot of tasty coffee in here. It is a bit rough when paired side by side with Bell’s (but then again, most beers are). It is still very good and essentially, lightly carbonated coffee. The Bell’s is far more complex and balanced so I will have to give it the edge, Mother’s is considerably cheaper and both are a pretty good way to wake up! Both are good in their own right, the Mother’s is cheaper ($6-8 a six pack), stronger and more refreshing, as it is much heavier on the coffee. The Bell’s is more complex, better balanced and comes with a heftier price tag (around $15 a six pack). So, try them both if you can, unfortunately, Mother’s does not distribute outside of Springfield, yet.

Some other coffee beers you will definitely want to try are Founder’s Breakfast Stout is a staple as well as Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast, Brasserie Du Ciel Peche Mortel (which ages very nicely) and the upcoming Schlafly Coffee Stout. I would also consider the Southern Tier Java, this beer is a beast at 10.4%, for the really hard days at work….