A Deal With The Devil
Anchorage Brewing Company

A Deal With The DevilA Deal With The Devil
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From:
Anchorage Brewing Company
 
Alaska, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
17.3%
Score:
100
Avg:
4.53 | pDev: 8.61%
Reviews:
155
Ratings:
1,133
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 25, 2023
Added:
Jan 29, 2013
Wants:
  812
Gots:
  305
Barleywine style ale brewed with Galaxy Hops. A starting gravity of 37 Plato. Aged eleven months in Cognac barrels.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Damian:
Photo of Damian
Reviewed by Damian from Massachusetts

4.97/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Drank from a 1 pt. 9.4 fl. oz./750ml bottle purchased at Craft Beer Cellar, Belmont, MA
Batch #2
Dec/2014
Served in a tulip

Uber thick and viscous appearance. This poured thick like maple syrup. Hazy, ruddy crimson with orange highlights in the glass. The liquid was capped by a barely-there film of tan bubbles that quickly dissolved. The beer looked rather still and somewhat cordial-like.

The aroma was amazingly rich and robust. Super malty and sweet but not overly so. Loads of caramel and dark fruit notes. Sticky toffee pudding came to mind. Boozy. Really rummy. Very raisiny. Booze soaked raisins perhaps. Plummy. Maple notes also came through big time. There was a bit of a port/oxidized character. All in all, incredibly complex and intense. While I probably would not peg this beer for being aged in cognac barrels, it would not surprise me.

The flavor profile was outstanding and very similar to nose. Boatloads of rich, sweet caramel malts. Here too, sticky toffee pudding came to mind. Tons of maple and toffee character. Good amount of port-like complexity. There was a light aged/oxidized character. Boozy but not hot. This drank amazingly well for 17.3%. The booze came through a bit more on the finish. Light barrel notes. Perhaps a touch of bourbon. A hint of piney hop bitterness appeared as well.

The mouthfeel was spectacular. Uber thick and viscous. One of the fullest bodied beers I have ever tried. The liquid contained a fine, frothy effervescence. Pillowy soft on palate.

I sampled the same vintage of this beer fresh after its release and it definitely lacked depth and complexity. The year of age on this bottle however did wonders to it. This is unquestionably the most intense barleywine I have ever tried and one of the most impressive beers in general. Despite its steep ($42) price point, it was definitely worth the splurge. I would love to buy another bottle or two and see how they mature with even more time in the cellar.
Dec 28, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.51 by Pro_Magnon from Texas

Apr 25, 2023
 
Rated: 4.47 by hopley from Massachusetts

Apr 23, 2022
 
Rated: 4.32 by not2quick from Missouri

Apr 13, 2022
Photo of jb_4226
Rated by jb_4226 from Texas

4.9/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
#99, so good!
Dec 31, 2021
 
Rated: 4.66 by Cubatobaco from Virginia

Dec 23, 2021
 
Rated: 4.29 by Filabee from Michigan

Dec 10, 2021
Photo of GreatStoutman
Reviewed by GreatStoutman from Texas

5/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
2014 blend 2 is drinking amazing. First time with this beer so I can’t compare it to drinking fresh, but it doesn’t seem to of lost anything. Thick and viscous, slightly boozy, and just tons of dark fruit and toffee flavors. Really incredible
Oct 13, 2021
 
Rated: 4.68 by bret27 from California

Aug 08, 2021
 
Rated: 4.67 by Hopelessly0 from California

Aug 08, 2021
 
Rated: 4.5 by mush from Illinois

Aug 07, 2021
 
Rated: 4.51 by smithj4 from New York

May 04, 2021
 
Rated: 4.79 by mrtomatohead49 from Georgia

Mar 08, 2021
 
Rated: 4.99 by Jkolls from Ohio

Feb 08, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by mrmsmith from District of Columbia

Feb 02, 2021
 
Rated: 4.5 by mdg2358 from Massachusetts

Jan 11, 2021
 
Rated: 4.95 by SveNss0N from Massachusetts

Jan 11, 2021
 
Rated: 4.75 by DraftDaddy from Illinois

Jan 05, 2021
Photo of Eyedoc27
Rated by Eyedoc27 from Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
2014 edition
Dec 06, 2020
Photo of Siriusfisherman
Reviewed by Siriusfisherman from New Hampshire

4.24/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
L: A dark ruby red with very little head and no lacing. Slight alcohol legs.

S: Fruity, deep, rich caramel, raisin, prune, vanilla, coconut, and cognac.

T: Very rich caramel flavor, similar to aroma, raisin, vanilla, coconut.

F: Thick, full bodied, very smooth and creamy finish.

Overall: One hell of a strong beer, but very smooth considering. It drinks like it has lower abv, very little alcohol burn, although five years in the bottle certainly helped. Highly reccomended.
Dec 01, 2020
A Deal With The Devil from Anchorage Brewing Company
Beer rating: 100 out of 100 with 1133 ratings