Anchor Our Special Ale (2002)

Formerly brewed at Anchor Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
San Francisco, California USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

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A black beer with a reddish shine and a light brown though fast disappearing head. The aroma is weird of spruce, oranges, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and eucalyptus. The flavor is weird too with the same notes as the aroma.

(Bottle 35,5 cl) Also in this year’s vintage the Anchor Christmas Ale is a very dark thing, close to pitch black. Nice, stable light brown head. Again with it’s burnt notes it reminds me a lot of a Stout, altthough not as dry. Spicy and pleasant and very quaffable due to the low alcohol. Perhaps slightly less character than last years brew.

Bottled (thanks Degarth!). Deep amber colour, not much head. Aroma is spices, raisins some coffee and chocolate. Flavour is mildly oxidized, caramelly, quite hoppy and mild malts & raisins.

Bottled. Mahogany colour, little head. Hoppy, spicy aroma, rich on nutmeg. Rather sweet, but with clean malt profile and notes of chocoalate. Thorouhgly pleasant and complex with lingering bitter finish.

Bottle. Pours a dark amber colour with a tan head. Sweet malty spicy aroma. Dry and very spicy bitter flavor. Lots of pine flavor. Dry spicy finish with a nice bitter aftertaste.

Brown color. Very nice aroma, mature: malt, caramel, phenol, sweet liquorice, nutmeg, nuts; harmonious and complex. But, as often happens with the Anchor Our Special Ales, the mouthfeel is too thin (dry, caramel, liquorice, roasted malts) and far from being impressive.

(12oz bottle, 2002 vintage, courtesy of Lumpy) Pours a dark mahogany body with a spare tan head. Aroma of soy, cola, caramel, cocoa, and light roastiness. Flavor of soy, roasted malt, pine, raisins, chocolate, and grass.

Very dark brown; aroma of ginger, toffee, spruce, nutmeg; intense flavour like eating a tree - acrid pine resin coats your mouth - molasses and thick dark malts also present. Interesting, but unbalanced

UPDATED: JAN 17, 2009
Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 26, 2002
Mode: Bottle
Source: Bullock’s
Vintage: 2002
Appearance: dark ruby red, whispy tan head
Aroma: heavy spiced aroma with spruce, nutmeg, allspice, and a hint of cinamon
Flavor: rich malt flavor, lots of spice, after warming the malt character really comes out with lots of chocolate, only a hint of bitterness

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 29, 2003
Mode: draft
Source: summits
Vintage: 2002
Appearance: wow
Flavor: big chocolate flavor, spices have receeded into a unique bitter finish, hint of liquorish coming through in the aroma and flavor at the end

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: February 15, 2004
Mode: bottle
Vintage: 2002
Aroma: nice mild chocolate malt aroma with a touch of spices
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, touch of sweetness, nice blend of spices

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: July 15, 2005
Mode: draft
Source: summits cumming
Vintage: 2002
Aroma: chocolate cover pine needle aroma with a wide array of spices
Flavor: lots of sweet spicy pine tree flavor, lots of rich chocolate, lots of complexity, more chocolate than bitter, one amazing brew
Overall: the pine is making a comeback being stronger than the last couple of years, unusual for the osa which usually continues to mellow

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: August 19, 2005
Mode: draft
Source: summits
Vintage: 2002
big pine aroma and flavor still present like last month, lots of spice bitterness

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 23, 2005
Vintage: 2002<br

Cloudy dark garnet, with minimal head. Aroma is weak piney/spruce. Taste is spruce/pine, malty, spicy and slightly sweet.