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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This beer makes me feel like god loves me. Thats no joke, the combination of this beer and the holiday season was a religious experience to me.

Poured a dark, dark, brown, with a small, light tan head and light lacing on the glass. Roasted chocolate, spicy clove, cardamom, and dried, sour fruits in the aroma. The roasts and chocolate have really come through in the past 2 years. The spices have died down, which is something which swaysme away from a fresh OSA. I can also taste some dry cinnamon/nutmeg in the finish.

Ages fairly well. Dark mollases color. Sweet date, cherry pie aroma. Very full bodied with the sweet fruit flavor. Spices blend well together. Nice sharp bitterness at the end. All around great, enjoyed in the summer as well in winter.

Found some 2002 on the shelf at a liquor store yesterday, and while it was really dusty, I decided to give it a shot. Much better than it was last year, I think it improved with age. Dark burgandy with a lasting tan head, nose like sticking your head in a spice drawer. Rich in texture and complexity, starts with a roast flavor and ends with hinds of clove and cinammon. Really, really, good.

Tasted 12/2004
Aroma: strong malts, slight piney scents, little hops, little coco
Appearance: dark brown, creamy head, lacing
Flavor: malts, slight baker’s chocolate/dark chocolate, some burnt malts, some sweet grape tastes?
Palate: very smooth, slight burnt chocolate aftertaste

Anchor Brewing Company Our Special Ale--2002 12 oz. Bottle. 5.35% ABV. (4.5 / 5.0) Winter Ale--Clear dark bronze black red color. Mild lacy tan head. Nutmeg malt spice toasted floral hop front. Sweet burnt piney spicy rich dry cherry caramel body. Cloying sweet spicy roasted nutmeg mild hop end. Sampled 1/12/2003.

Deep cloudy amber brown with offwhite head. Molasses, spice, toffee and more on the nose. Medium to heavey mouthfell with light bitter dry finish. Almost like gingerbread, with molasses, malt, light hops, clean refreshing finish with lingering aromas. Wow, better than I expected!

Pours dark brown with a large (two fingers thick) tan head. Still a lively beer after 4 years cooling its heels. That head is quite lasting and creamy with just a bit of craggy surface. The aroma consists of cloves, rum cake, nutmeg, mace and hints of other unidentifiable aromas. Very intruinging and inviting aroma. <P> Fore is sweet rum cake followed by a range of spices and some cocoa, chocolate, caramel, burnt/roasted grains and a hearty baked pumpernickle finish that yields a dry sweetness in the far finish. For a 5.5% abv beer this stands up AMAZINGLY well to 4 years of age. The palate gets a touch watery in the finish and is the only real negative, but it’s not crazy thin. Damn nice.

Bottled. The rating is high, but, you just can’t beat Anchor for a great seasonal X-mas brew...at least U.S. brews. This deep reddish-brown version is full of roasted malt, lightly hopped and spicy. Rich and smooth with flavors and aromas of cider, bananas, raisins, honey and lotsa nutmeg. Not as assertive as last years, which I had on tap. Great beer in the spice/herb category.

1.5 liter bottled,shared and toasted to bring in the New Year..Dark brown in color with a large off white dense foamy head.A year old and the aroma was as spicey as I could have imagined a beer being freshly brewed two weeks earlier.Woody,pine/spruce and other trees? Essence of cinamon,giner,maybe some pepper or cloves.