Barrel Aged Anubis

Barrel Aged Anubis is a Baltic porter from the gang at Black Lab Brewing and their Barrel Series. The beer is a massive 12% alcohol ale sold in 500mL bottles. It’s a dark as midnight brew that pours with almost no head—just a scattering of an suds.

For such a powerful beer, BAA has an unexpectedly reserved scent—it is slightly woody and sweet, with some raisin notes, but it is definitely not nose overpowering. While the aromatics are a bit underwhelming, that doesn’t seem to translate into the flavour, which is rich and robust. More than anything, this ale has loads of wood-aged sweetness and a boozy hit. The beer is quite malty, with a liquor element that I liken to brandy. Behind all of that, there are smokey molasses and cocoa expressions and a bit of raisin, too, which lends a fruitcake quality. The mouthfeel is extremely thick, and there is a kiss of bitterness at the back end.

Named for the dog-headed Egyptian god of death, Barrel Aged Anubis is a powerful, boozy bomb. It’s not exactly subtle, but there are definitely layers in this beer. However, I found that the substantial barrel-aging managed to drown out some of the classic porter elements that I was pulling for. I liked the brew, but I didn’t love it.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.