Anchor Our Special Ale (2003)

Tasted May 20, 2007. Dark ruby color, almost black, with a thin head. Strong aroma of cloves with some spruce and cinnamon. A mellow bitterness rides over the flavor of cloves which seems to be very subdued in this vintage. Almost a little chalky. Dry. still tasty fine.

dark almost black in colour, decnt brown beige head. Big toffee notes with spice like cinnamon, and ginger. Taste is bitter, nice hops tend to dominate, a little sweetness still remains but it was probably more abundant when it was young.

Dark Brown Color with Espresso Head. Very Strong Cloves/Spice Aroma. Flavor is Like Drinking a Molasses Cookie. Nice Hearty Malt Flavor and Spices..Notably Cloves.. Light Dry Ending. Nice Vintage

(Bottle via trade with <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?UserID=30668 target=blank>IrishBoy, thanks Richard!) This was fantastic...Pours dark birch beer brown with one finger of light tan head that recedes a bit and stays. Rich malty-sweet aroma with notes of cinnamon, tea, vanilla and brown sugar. Mouthfeel is smooth, soft and almost silky - great. Lots of weepy rings and sheets of lacing. The flavor is a delicious blend of sweet maltiness and spice - I found tea and sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and light vanilla. Great balance. I think this beer must be somewhat modeled after Traquair Jacobite. Amazing how well this has held up for an almost 3 1/2 year old bottle! None of the sourness I found in the ’06 OSA.

Bottle, 150cl. Dark, reddish colour with a light brown head. Spicy, sourish aroma. Nutty, spicy flavour.

12 oz. bottle via trade with IrishBoy - Pours a thick brown color with a small light tan head. Nice lacing. Aroma is spice and dark malt. Flavor is quite complex. Flavor is spicey, roasted malt, light esters, and molasses. Medium to full body. Bitter palate. To be honest, I think all the OSA beers taste the same. Didn’t go over well at a recent tasting of non beer geeks. Still, worth a try. Thanks Richard.

bottle. dark brown color. nice light brown head. sweet and sugary. some gingerbread and stickyness.

Right in the middle of a verticle tasting. 1997-2006 (sans 2001). Lighter body comparitively. Still a nice deep ruby hue. More of a malty sugary toffee nose. Lively effervescence. Most thus far. Plummy and other deep dark fruit. Bitter hop profile. Fruity esters. Lively with a 7-Up ness. Citrusy and thick. On the cusp between fresh and aged. Could go either way, but still retained a lot of the fresh qualities. Gold metal winner of the evening. Perfect blend between sharp freshness and mellow melded aged brew!