Anchor Our Special Ale (2003)

pours out the bottle with little/no head. dark in color, spices and herb flavoring that comes out more as the beer settles. this is my first beer in the spice/herb/vegetable category so i dont really know what to write. this is an enjoyable beer that i found i didnt want to just chug down 6 of. i more enjoyed having one every 4 or 5 days or so. a good beer, cant wait to try the 2004.

At first taste and look, I found this beer to be very porter-like. The aroma had some mocha in it, but as it warmed there were other spices. Nice dark brown color with a beige head. The flavor was similar to the aroma, the spices came out as it warmed. It was more carbonated than I expected.

Dark brown body - hints of red at the edges - hard to see through this one. Constant ring of head around the edges. Aroma is very flowery, full of coriander and maybe clove. Taste is full of spice - as usual, it seems - same as expected - nutmeg, raisin, cinnamon. When still cool, I like the finish - chocolate/caramel with some hops. As it warms, it ends with a long lingering sweetness and more of spices. Will this improve with aging? I'll try to make room in the cellar for a bottle or two and see what happens.

Dark brown body with small creamy brown head. Aroma is chocolate, raisin, spruce. Taste is raisin, spruce, light chocolate, mild bitterness. Creamy medium-full body. Less impressed with this than in past years.

Nice tan head, dark brown body. Aroma of spice (nutmeg and coriander) and grain. The flavor mostly consists of spicy hops and that same spice flavor. There's an unfortunate lack of malt, it consisting of a roasty backflavor.

Aroma is spice and some darker fruit. Appearance is a nice dark brown with a tan head. Flavor is slightly bitter with some holiday spice namely cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Palate is a tad thin. Not an overly complex beer but a nice little sipping beer for the holidays.

Very dark redish color with a medium sized tan head. A beautiful beer! Aroma has a great balance of malty sweetness and hopy bitterness, with pine notes, caramel and brown sugar, and a faint whiff of alcohol. The bitter component dominates the flavor more than the sweetness thoughout, although there is some caramel sweetness in the finish, along with noticable alcohol warmth. In contrast to most brews I've had, this seems to start bitter and finish sweet. A solid beer and one of the best seasonals I've had.

The Our Special Ale (2003) poured a dark brown wih some dark red highlights. It had a nice creamy, light brown head that had good retention that laced the glass on the way down. The aroma was pretty strong and very pleasing - it had some nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove and maybe ginger. It's taste was a little milder than I expected. A little bitter up front with some nice maltiness, and a long finish full of spiciness. Overall, an excellent holiday brew! Already one of my faves after a first try.