A Deal With The Devil - Rum Barrel-Aged
Anchorage Brewing Company

(Left) Surprised at how much I enjoyed this one. Distinctly sweeter than the others I’ve had. Getting some green apple & caramelized sugar on the nose. Palate with stewed fruits, caramel, and a sharp boozy punch on the tail.

 

The big man brought out all the barrel aged versions back in October. Cheers!

From a 37,5cl bottle into a tasting glass.

37 degrees Plato
IBU 60
Galaxy hops

APPEARANCE: Pours a one finger, medium-thicker looking, light tan head with great retention. Dark maroon red or brown body with no carbonation evident. Head slowly fades to a ring leaving some dots of lacing down the glass. Beauty, just like every variant.

SMELL: This one is rather sugary compared to the rest. Some decent caramel and toffee aromas, butterscotch, some milk chocolate and coconut, and some oak as well. More sugary, however.

TASTE: This one is milder in flavor overall, and is sweeter and more sugary too. There’s some definite toffee and milk chocolate in there up front, then a bolder, sugary finish of brown sugar, milk chocolate, toffee and butterscotch sweetness, and hints of red fruits as well. A little less impressive than the others, though it’s still enjoyable.

PALATE: Medium -full body with medium levels of carbonation. Creamy on the palate, goes down silky smooth and finishes sticky. A good amount of heat lingers. Excellent feel for the style, much like all the variants.

OVERALL: This is perhaps the least enjoyable of the bunch. Definitely sugary, though that is perhaps expected in a rum barrel. Still enjoyable, but tough to consider more than a few sips. Thanks again, man! This was awesome.

 

 

 

 

L: pours very thick and dark brown, looks black in the glass. Has a small and fast fading head
S: sweet caramel covered raisins and slight rum to go with it.
T: that's tasty. Big caramel covered raisins throughout the drink and into the long finish. The rum barrel isn't huge but it is there to enhance the flavors.
F: it's smooth, very thick and syrupy. Amazing how drinkable this is for 17%

Christmas tasting at Steve's. The whole boxed set. A bit sweeter than the rest, the rum really taking hold and having an influence. Molasses, raisins.

I've had 2 of these bottles so far, and my biggest complaint is how carbonated they are. They aren't the thick, sticky barleywines that used to pour from the screen-printed Anchorage bottles. Either way, between the barleywine and the rum, this is incredibly sweet. I'm glad I split the 375 ml bottle. The whole bottle would have been difficult to finish.

 

Tick #2000

A: Dark brown/burgundy with good lacing considering the ABV/barrel treatment. Some nice swirls floating on top.

S: Rum first and foremost along with tobacco, leather, dark caramel, and some prune/fig/raisin qualities. Definitely smells the ABV.

T: Follows the smell pretty accurately. Heavy rum, caramel, tobacco, leather, and dark fruits. Surprisingly, while the rum is pretty heavy-handed, it doesn't overpower the base beer and instead accentuates it. And I'm surprised that there isn't some cognac at play here. Some sweetness, but far from cloying.

F: Washes over the mouth but finishes fairly dry. No real surprise.

O: Not let down in the slightest. I don't know that I'd say that this is superior to the standard cognac or Double-Oaked version of ADWTD, just different. The rum plays nicely with the base and makes the beer pop without stealing the show. Great job Gabe!