Barrel-Aged Dusk Trill Dawn
Trillium Brewing Company

 

 

Pours inky thick jet black beer with very little brown head that fades almost instantly, no lacing, decent legs that stain the glass

Nose is quite nice, super dark malt character, roasted malt but not burnt or acrid at all, big roasted coffee, a fresh nutty and mild smoky coffee note, lots of nougat and marshmallow like candy character, fair nutty, some mild caramel, biscuity sweet toffee, chocolate ganache and a bit of fudge, baking spices, into vanilla ice cream and vanilla barrel, hint of dark fruit, baking spices and and coconut from the barrel, quite a bit of coconut as it warms

Taste brings more of the dark malts, some roasted slightly charred malt but again not burnt or acrid, loads of dark chocolate, cocoa, fudgey, chocolate ganache, quite a bit like hot cocoa mix, fair coffee, med roasted coffee with some nutty notes, plenty more vanilla with vanilla barrel and ice cream notes, into a hint of possibly whiskey but hard to tell, a bit of dark fruits in the background, with more baking spices, nougat, caramel, toffee, but not too sweet, raw cocoa late, a bit of bitterness from the roast and mild hops, hint of smooth alcohol, semi sticky sweet finish, loads more cocoa and vanilla lingering, faint smoky note with roasted coffee as well

Mouth is very rich, full bod, creamy thick viscous and a bit velvety, lower carb but OK for the style, light warming alcohol but hidden well


Overall great beer, not sure what type of barrel but likely not first fill, it imparted some characters but nice vanilla overall, good coffee, loads of nice cocoa, no burnt or acrid character, well done enjoyable sipper

 

 

 

Drank from a 1 pint .9oz (500 ml) bottle purchased at Trillium Brewing Company, Boston, MA
11/17/22

Really dark and foreboding appearance. The beer poured a glossy, oily looking, complete pitch black with an ultra thin cap of swirly, saddle brown froth. A few tiny streaks and dots of lacing trickled down the sides of the glass.

The aroma was impressive. Boozy bourbon notes came through big time. Loads of roasted malt character too. Some sweet caramel malts were also noticeable. Dark roast coffee and/or espresso was apparent as well. Bit of vanilla. There was a nice savory raisin character too. Subtle dark chocolate notes were also detectable.

The flavor profile was somewhat similar to the nose but definitely rougher around around the edges. The bourbon presence was intense and came across as rather hot, and the malt profile was fairly roasty and bitter. Espresso was noticeable in the center. Some vanilla was detectable too. Roasted malts and booze dominated on the back end and in the finish. More sweet vanilla and lactose notes lingered after the swallow.

Excellent rich, oily, viscous mouthfeel. Creamy, slick and smooth on the palate. The liquid contained a super fine, mellow effervescence that worked nicely for a beer of this style.

While most aspects of this beer were impressive, the flavor profile was excessively boozy and roasty. All in all, this was an enjoyable barrel-aged take on the original beer but not something that I would actively seek out again.

 

 

If raisin juice is your idea of a good time then you'll love this beer.

Look: It was a viscous dark pour with next to no head. Typical of a high gravity beer but I would have liked to see at least some head. The look was not overly appetizing but not bad either.

Smell: Like a bag of raisins punching you in the nose. My wife on the other side of the table felt the need to comment on the unpleasant aroma. Just heat and overdried fruit with some caramel.

Taste: Unbearable raisin juice. It was like drinking a fermented version of fruit soup (for those with Scandinavian roots). There was some roasted grain and caramel but I couldn't distinguish the coffee from the overpowering raisin.

Feel: It had a decent mouthfeel. Full bodied but a little overly syrupy. There was a small amount of carbonation.

Overall: Run, don't walk, away from this beer. I wish I could get a refund. They bottle was over $20 and I had maybe four sips before I couldn't stand it anymore and poured the rest down the drain.