Anchor Our Special Ale (2003)

Bottle. Pours dark reddish brown, with a thin light brown head. Aroma of root beer, ginger, musty basement, pumpkin spices, sour stout, and cinnamon raisin bread. Flavor is very mellow, more than expected, a little dusty and dry on the palate; rich chocolate malts, ginger and spices run through this beer. Not very smooth after 1 year of ageing. A touch of brown sugar sweetness, which keeps the bitterness away, but the beer still finishes very dry, and somewhat parching. All in all, very tasty with many levels of flavor swimming through this beer. “Think I could drink eight more?”

Deep, murky brown color. Has nice dark malt presence along with some dark fruitiness, spiciness (I thought I picked out ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg), and a good citric/piney hop presence. Nice winter warmer brew.

tap. dark cloudy root beer color... nice lacing... stronger candied yams, brown sugar, thick, woody... rip fruit, figs aroma... milky mouthful... tastes a little like a watered down oatmeal... nice mix of flavors, but not really my favorite batch of brew

Delicious spicy aroma and flavor. A new spice is detected with each sip. It just wouldn’t feel like Christmas without Anchor!

This was the first year that I tried their christmas brew and now i’m addicted. Wonderful flavor and smelled of malts and nuts. A very full bodied beer poured to an off white head and a dark brown color. Went down very smoothly with very little bitterness. I’m absolutley pumped to try the 2004 vintage.

creamy brown head with an almost fully brown body.its funny it smells just like christams trees.it has a beautiful flavor including ginger bread,christamas trees,malts,and a very even finish.excellent stuff.

(Draught) Very dark brown color with small head. Very spicy, malty aroma with spices pretty much dominating everything else. Strong, flowery-oaky-hoppy, moderately dry flavor. A quite pleasant, very strongly spiced brew. Easily forgotten, though.

Pours a light leathery brown, settles a fairly dark russet-like brownish red with deep ruby highlights when held up to the light, very thin spongy tan head appears quickly and leaves as so, lace very minimal in whispy strings. Smell is mostly ginger with some touches of nutmeg, molasses, and a bit of malty sweetness. Quite a nice nose. Taste is more of the same with a nice gingery spice, some darkened caramel sweetness thats lightly mixing with some chocolate, notes of molasses and nutmeg; bitterness is of a cocoa-like drying and light; some light burntness and smokeyness comes through in the finish with a lingering gingery dry smokened wood. Overall very mild and much more softer and mellow from OSA 2002 in both smell and taste. Feel is a bit thin in places but favors a close to medium body with a light creamy texture that makes for easy drinkin’ and the finish is quite nice with a complexing little dryness. Not bad, and may grow on me, but I don’t know how anything will beat the 2001?