903 Brewers Cotton Candy Slushy 4Pk

903 Brewers Cotton Candy Slushy 4Pk is a fruited Berliner Weisse style sour ale at 6.2% ABV, sold in a four-pack of cans. Aged on strawberry, raspberry, and cherry, this slushy-style sour delivers an ice-cream-like sweetness balanced by tart wheat beer acidity — a hallmark of the increasingly popular smoothie sour category.

Quick Facts: ABV: 6.2%  |  Origin: Sherman, Texas, USA  |  Style: Fruited Berliner Weisse  |  Brewery: 903 Brewers

Production & Heritage

903 Brewers is based in Sherman, Texas, a small city roughly an hour north of Dallas. The brewery has earned recognition at the Great American Beer Festival, including a silver medal for its Sasquatch Imperial Chocolate Milk Stout in 2015 and a bronze for its Kilt Switch Scotch Ale in 2018. The Cotton Candy Slushy falls within the brewery's slushy sour lineup, built on a Berliner Weisse base — a traditionally tart, low-gravity German wheat ale — then conditioned on generous amounts of strawberry, raspberry, and cherry. This fruit-forward approach, combined with lactose or adjuncts that lend a creamy body, produces the thick, smoothie-like texture that defines the style.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Cotton candy sweetness hits first, followed by ripe berry fruit — strawberry and raspberry are most prominent — and a subtle lactic tang. A faint vanilla-cream note rounds out the nose.

Taste: The entry is soft and creamy, immediately reminiscent of fruity ice cream. Mid-palate, strawberry, raspberry, and cherry flavors layer together under a distinct cotton candy sweetness. A gentle sour backbone provides enough acidity to keep the fruit from becoming cloying.

Finish: Medium in length with lingering berry sweetness and a clean, tart edge. The creamy texture fades gradually, leaving a pleasant fruit-forward aftertaste.

How to Drink Cotton Candy Slushy

Pour it cold — straight from the refrigerator into a tulip glass or wide-mouth snifter to capture the aroma and show off its vivid color. This beer drinks best on its own, though it also makes a surprisingly effective base in beer cocktails. A Berliner Shandy blends it with fresh lemonade for extra tartness on a hot day. A Beer Float pairs it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, leaning into the existing creamy character. A Sour Radler mixes it with sparkling grapefruit soda for a lighter, effervescent twist.

Best For

• Introducing craft-beer-curious friends to the slushy sour style
• Warm-weather patio sessions and backyard barbecues
• Dessert pairings at casual dinner parties
• Gifting to fans of fruited sours and smoothie-style beers

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Cotton Candy Slushy taste like? It tastes like fruit-flavored ice cream with prominent strawberry, raspberry, and cherry notes layered under a sweet cotton candy character, balanced by a mild Berliner Weisse tartness.

How does Cotton Candy Slushy compare to 450 North slushy sours? Both breweries are among the most recognized names in the smoothie sour category. 903 Brewers' Cotton Candy Slushy tends to emphasize a creamy, ice-cream-like body and cotton candy sweetness, while 450 North offerings often highlight extremely thick textures and rotating single-fruit or tropical flavor profiles.

Is Cotton Candy Slushy good for beginners? Yes — its low 6.2% ABV, approachable sweetness, and fruit-forward flavor make it an accessible entry point for drinkers new to sour or craft beer in general.

Where is Cotton Candy Slushy made? It is brewed by 903 Brewers in Sherman, Texas, located in the north-central part of the state near the Oklahoma border.

What foods pair well with Cotton Candy Slushy? Vanilla cheesecake complements the creamy berry sweetness. Fresh fruit tarts echo the strawberry and raspberry notes. Mild goat cheese provides a tangy contrast. Funnel cake or churros lean into the carnival-treat character. Lemon bars mirror the beer's underlying tartness.

What sizes does Cotton Candy Slushy come in? It is commonly available as a four-pack of cans, which is the standard retail format for this release.

Is Cotton Candy Slushy worth the price? It positions as a mid-premium craft offering within the competitive slushy sour segment, and its fruit-heavy production process and specialty style justify the step up from standard sour ales.

Why Cotton Candy Slushy?

903 Brewers has built credibility through GABF medal-winning recipes, and that brewing skill carries over to the slushy sour line. The Cotton Candy Slushy stands out in a crowded field by nailing the ice-cream-like body that defines the best examples of the style, without burying the Berliner Weisse tartness that keeps the beer drinkable. Its triple-fruit aging on strawberry, raspberry, and cherry creates more depth than single-fruit competitors, and at 6.2% ABV it remains sessionable enough for multiple pours. For fans of the smoothie sour movement, this is a Texas-brewed benchmark worth seeking out.