Anchor Our Special Ale (2003)

Rated 11/23/04 Aroma: Caramel, Sherry and Spice aromas dominate with faint cinnamon. No hop. Appearance: Very dark brown, quickly disappearing head. Flavor: Some roast in the finish. No hop. Sweet malt with a tinge of sourness in the finish. Light spicing-may have faded. Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel, carbonation adequate. Overall: OK beer. Nothing really stands out. Maybe if I had it fresher?

Draught at Stuffed Sandwich, San Gabriel. 2000-2004 Vertical tasting on 11/19/04
Beautiful chestnut coloured body with an ample, fluffy, lasting tan head. It is my opinion after doing a vertical tasting that the ’01, ’02 and ’03 were based on the same basic recipe that was slightly modified over the years until the brewers at Anchor felt they got it right, resulting in what I feel is the most balanced, perfect example of the three. Much less tar and anise (Jagermeister), more nut and malt.

this 03 addition is so damn good, definently the best winter brew I’ve had to date. This beer has an amazing amount of smells and taste. Cinnamon, nutmeg, roastiness and sweet spices all engulf your nostrils as once. Taste is much like the aroma, sweet well balanced with a little bitterness to finish, roasty warmth. This brew is something special, try the 03 if you can.

Anchor OSA is absolutely my favorite winter brew. This thing just assults your nose with tons of warming spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, and fruit. Pours a nice brown with a small off-white head. Taste is very spicey just like the aroma, warming, with a sweet start, toasty quality and easy bitterness in the finish. Just such a great warming brew, that improves with age. Thanks to Gromit, this bottle was aged one year and just really hit the holiday brew feel perfectly.

Purs a wonderful muddy brown body, with a fine small and very creamy tan head on top. Very spicy aroma, cinnamon, oranges, dark fruits. Very fruity and spicy brew, hints of malts, nice sweetness. Ends in a herbal kind of bitterness. Very nice brew.

Poured brown, almost black with thin but long lasting tan head...smell is all cinnamon, gingerbread, and candied fruits...fantastic...taste is all of the above in large quantities...finish is a touch too sticky and sweet...this beer is the best Christmas beer ever made...it really tastes like Christmas...I had to actually go outside to drink it (and it is 57 degrees here, so it isn’t even that cold)...fantastic!! However, I probably could not stand it if it wasn’t winter time...if this was July, I would find all of these things over the top and extremely cloying...

Deep brown color, heavy spicy caramel cinnamon aroma, medium fruity taste, medium body, medium spicy finish.

Top notch. Chalkboard black and ruby tan head fill the glass. Sticky tracled head. Gingerbread, gallons of gingerbread. Juniper, the color blue prevade in the nose. Along with a slight burboun vanilla and spruce. The spruce comes alive on the palate. Blue firweorks explode on the horizon. Less worstecshire this time around. Excellent. Gooey and yet carbonated. Excellent ying and yang there. Wonderful brew. Seek this out! G-rat