Anchor Our Special Ale (2003)

Formerly brewed at Anchor Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
San Francisco, California USA

Dark cinnamon-brown body with a velvety tan head. Aroma of anise, nutmeg, and pie crust. Flavor of licorice, rum, and spices. Thick and rich with almost stout-like qualities. Last year's version was like a nutmeg shake. This one is more subdued and clearly superior.

Ahhh, anise! Poured dark red-brown, with a thin light tan head. Strong spice (anise) aroma deterred my tastebuds. Some malt complexity in the flavor, including hints of chocolate and coffee, but the anise is too strong.

Deep ruby red color with a tan head and a beautiful aroma of orange, ginger and spice. I love this beer and look forward to it every season. 2003 is a good year. Lots of nutmeg, clove and ginger on top of a strong malty sweetness. Sharp on the tongue with a nice bitterness in the finish.

very piney. Dark color. Nice head. Rich and full bodied. Its ok if you like spices like clove.

From a wine glass at room temp (65-70 deg F - nearly mandatory, coolness ruins this beer). Dark brown, minimal head. Light aroma of chocolate and herbs. Flavor is clean! Spices are very under-stated this year. Chocolate notes with a dry finish. Not sweet at all, with a surprisingly light body. I'd take a little more body in a winter seasonal. Nutmeg flavors skirt around the edges in this one, providing accent. Nicely done with the spices this year.

Rich, full, heady and spicy aroma, some dark brown sugar, nutmeg, allspice, flowery hop, pine, faint chocolate cake-like maltiness, dark berry fruits and behind it all a loamy earthiness. Dark garnet color, with a creamy, lasting tan head. Malty and bittersweet to start, further developing some dark fruity tanginess, and towards the drying finish notes of spice, cookieish malts, leafy hop and earth. Moderate amount of bitterness this year, wonderfully supportive body and smooth mouthfeel. This year's search for this beer has proven significantly more difficult than in years past; either the demand has increased in my area or the supply has diminished...

12oz bottle from Liquid Solutions. Thanks for hooking this one up Matt! Pours a deep, cloudy rusty amber color with a 2 finger beige head that left some spotty lacing. Nose was quite deep and complex, reminds me of a milder version of Sam Adams Triple Bock. Nose has that kind of BBQ, Worcestershire action to it. Flavor was very rich and really coated the tongue. A little different than I expected, then again, I never really expected to try this brew.....

Bottle: Deep black in colour with a long lasting, large tight tan head. Nice ruby highlights when held to the light. Lovely spice nose, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice etc. Some molasses there too. Sweetish chocolate notes in the start, along with some dry roast malt. Finish is long and full of spices. Some light caramel notes too. Silky smooth. Really tasty stuff. Cheers to Papsoe for this one!