Tasting Axle Brewing Company’s ‘Secret Meeting,’ A Barrel-Aged Baltic Porter

The good folks over at Axle Brewing Co. let me have a sample of their new brew, “Secret Meeting.”

It’s a Baltic porter aged for several months in Detroit City Distillery rye oak barrels, the fifth release in the brewery’s Livernois Barrel Project. Baltic porters are known for their high alcohol content, and this one certainly delivers, at 13% ABV.

So right off the bat, the alcohol tingles your nose, along with the deep and funky roasty notes of chocolate, marshmallow and vanilla. The color is dark brown, opaque, and the mouthfeel is very chewy, with a slightly hoppy approach giving to a smooth, sweet finish.

It’s tasty, though definitely a sipper, and it’s probably not the kind of beer you’d want (or be able) to drink in quantity, especially at this level of potency.

If you want to try it, Axle will start serving it on draught starting at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 13 at the Livernois Tap at 567 Livernois in Ferndale.

It’ll also be available in a limited number of 500-milliliter bottles at $13 each, limited to one case per person.