Barrel Aged Fest
903 Brewers

 

2023 vintage

This is a beer from my very first Tavour box that I somehow forgot about until now. I was grabbing more truly random stuff back then, as I’ve never even heard of this brewery. I’m honestly not super excited for this one but I just found it and figured I’d drink it now. Let’s see, maybe it’ll surprise me

Pours almost completely pitch black with a finger of frothy tan head that slowly fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing

The nose is definitely sweet but not overbearing in any way. I’m picking up on aromas of sweet caramel, molasses, milk chocolate, smooth oak, marshmallow, sweet whiskey, cinnamon, and toasted coconut

It unfortunately gets quite a bit sweeter in taste, but it’s still decent. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting sticky caramel, vanilla frosting, chocolate fudge, sweet bourbon, molasses, raw coconut, light oak. The swallow brings notes of vanilla frosting, sticky caramel, chocolate fudge, dry oak, toasted coconut, brown sugar, light roast coffee, and sweet bourbon

A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a rich beer. Finishes mostly dry but quite sweet

This isn’t great but it’s fine. A little less sweetness would’ve improved it a lot

500 ml bottle into a snifter. Had 3/24/23.

Pours an opaque dark brown, with a half inch foamy head and light foamy lacing. Aromas of whiskey, caramel, chocolate, vanilla, malt, some coconut, light oak, a little marshmallow. Flavors of whiskey, marshmallow, chocolate, malt, vanilla, caramel, some coconut. Smooth, a little creamy, a very good full body, well carbonated.

A nice blend that’s not overly sweet. Tasty barrels, the marshmallow explodes in the flavor and a solid base. All the add- ins show well, the coconut maybe a little less so. Well worth a purchase.

Pours black with a thin head. Aroma is a delightful mix of chocolate, marshmallow and coconut. Caramel is also very much present. Taste is a very well balanced, easily drinkable chocolate, caramel and marshmallow blend. Coconut is much less present with the taste than with the aroma. Still, this makes a very enjoyable brew.

 

This 500ML bottle is only my second taste of 903 & I really enjoyed the first, so here we go.

Black & fizzy. Like Coke, just darker. The nose is malt quickly subsumed by an explosion of marshmallow. My fillings hurt already.

903 Barrel Aged Fest is liquid marshmallows. The wild-eyed sweetness is scrubbing the skin off the top of my mouth & tearing up my gums. Seriously.

Painful. What were the brewers thinking? This is so unbalanced it must be 94% marshmallow. I hoped it might moderate as it warmed. No dice. Fed most of this to the drain; disappointing doesn’t cover it. Very bad beer.

 

New brewer to the area distro. Poured cool to a snifter. Color is deep, clear chestnut brown. Head is a fizzle with a scant perimeter ring. Aroma is complex: you can smell the marshmallow on the back end, the caramel in the middle, and a hint of whiskey up front, oddly in that order. The taste is quite interesting. I can find all the listed flavors, mostly chocolate, caramel, and marshmallow, with the coconut being a whisper on the back. On fast, big sips, I get an orange liqueur overall flavor, ala Grand Marnier. 13% ABV hides well on burn and warming, but it induces mellow vibes quickly. I don’t know how time on a shelf would treat this, but fresh is excellent. $19/500ml.