Anchor Our Special Ale (2003)

Bottled. Gorgeous dark ruby, black unless a light is directly behind, smallish lasting creamy meringue head. Wonderful, very characteristic OSA nose: allspice, fresh pine, anise, lavender. Flavor seems much more bitter this year, very dry and heavily carbonated, brackish hops at the front, malt only prominent towards the finish. Strong roasted character to that finishing malt also .. almost no sugar at all. It's interesting, but not my favorite vintage.

Dark brown with a thin tan head. Heavily spiced toasted malt aroma. Bitter roasted chocolate, ginger, and allspice with a very dry finish. This definitely could use some sweetness to it and a little more balance with the spices. A decent spiced ale though.

A little out of balance, but an enjoyable occasional ale. It was a heavier and darker than I remember last year's being. The spice was masked by the burnt. It could have used more hop and body malt.

Pours very dark brown with a minimal head. Spicy flavor seems quite unbalanced and confusing.

Smell is immediately spicy, mostly anise. Roasted malt then comes up in the nose along with the usual baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, etc.). Color is deep brown with a reddish, mahogony tint. Carbonation is medium but produces a large, pillowy, dense tan head that clings to the side of the glass. Taste and mouthfeel is a tad lighter than in past years, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I get a strong malt impression right away, followed by spices. A little coffee and root beer as well. The finish is long and spicy. After 4 or 5 sips, I'm starting to get a little spruce in there as well. Body and mouthfeel is medium to big and a little lighter than previous years, as I stated before, but I think that is ok. This beer is a perennial favorite, one of the most highly spiced beers out there. You either love it or hate it. I'm of the former, although one or two bottles a year will be plenty for me. I cellar the rest of the six pack and I'll eventually have to do a vertical tasting!

Beautiful black colored brew with a foamy hazelnutbrown head. Malty and weak spicey but not quite as nice as the other years vintages. It will be a RERATE definetly in a couple of years.

Good deep color with light brown hugh head. Nice spicey nose to it. Flavor of years past, but not over the top. Much more palatable than the past few. Really enjoyed it after a hard night on the rail.

Brick-like deep red color; minimal head. Aroma is vaguely eggnog and gingerbread; specifically nutmeg, butterfat, slight cinnamon, and egg white. Also some molasses. Flavor is at first sharply astringent and a little sour, but quickly becomes rounded and relaxing. Bready flavors and some dark fruits accentuated by the spicy notes described above. Finishes a little sharp. Fine stuff: I'll definitely buy it once a year (and would even if it wasn't different), but I wouldn't buy it at all if it was always available.