The dictionary defines “avarice” as “extreme greed for wealth or material gain.”

And to be honest, after one sip of today’s Barrel Aged Avarice (2020) from the Colorado Beer Festival Gold Medalists at River North, I’m tempted to horde our entire stash in my garage. 

I don’t care if I’m haunted by the ghosts of Stouts Present, Past, and Future — I’ve officially gone Ebenezer Scrooge for this boozy beauty!

To craft it, the brewers used Belgian yeast to enhance its dark chocolate decadence with notes of mission figs and bing cherries. Then, they aged it in whiskey barrels for 10 months, for flavors of oaky vanilla and creamy caramel.

On the nose, it’s an ambrosial bouquet of juicy, dark fruit and smoky rye whiskey that makes me want to snuggle into a well-worn leather armchair. The thick, velvety mouthfeel envelops my tongue in rich chocolate, espresso, and even more of that sophisticated, whiskey goodness.

It’s like pairing dark chocolate dipped figs with a snifter of top-shelf rye.

River North only releases this 12.2% ABV behemoth once a year, and it always flies out of the door. This year, they bottled just 125 cases — and we’ve got the only ones that left Colorado!

While I’d love to keep them all to myself, the Ghost of Stouts Future said I’d better share ‘em. Or, all of that booze would have me snoring on the floor of my garage, surrounded by empty bottles and drowning in whiskey-soaked hubris.

*River North is considered one of the Centennial State’s craft staples. They helped transform Denver’s River North neighborhood into the city’s premier craft destination!

Tavour strictly supports independent beer. River North Brewery is certified independent by the Brewers Association