Anchor Our Special Ale (2003)

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

Bottle. This was a little better than past years, due to the fact that it was thinner and not as overpowering with the spices. This was one of the better OSA's that I have tried.

Bottle from Liquid Solutions. Pours extremely dark with a small beige head. Aroma of sweet xmas spice. Very mellow. Full bodied with creamy carbonation. Flavor seems a bit evergreen, with lots of mouth coating stuff. Nuts. Maybe chocolate. Pretty malty, but something like juniper cuts that right down. Lots of spice. Xmas type stuff. Finishes somewhere between sweet and dry. Maybe ending with a mild toffee note. Complex as all heck.

Draught at D’s Six Pack. Light aroma of herbs, spices. Ginger and nutmeg, pine cones, raw buckwheat honey comb ripped from the tree. Sweet malt & floral spicy hops. Dark reddish-black clear with thin off-white head. Medium watery body with medium carbonation. Starts dry and roasty with mild malt sweetness. Light roasted bitterness and ginger-nutmeg blend. Finish is crisp and dry, with nutty dry bitterness. After is herbal and spicy, with a perfumed soapy note. The aroma and taste gets better as it warms. Seemed a little stale, so maybe it doesn’t age that well?

Recieved as a bonus in a trade with Kevin. Poured with no head topping the dark brown and ruby body. The aroma was bread and ginger with cinnamon and apples. The taste is light and smooth with a base of caramel and milk chocolate. Then you get the spicy ginger and warm peaches backign up the base. Nicely done.

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.

Theanks Beandip. This a beer that I’ve had in many vintages. The problem is that I don’t much care for spice beers. Can’t beat the appearance, little darker that the color of the bottle, moderate brown head. Nose is cinnomon, carmel and maybe a little ginger. Flavor is pretty much like the aroma. Finish is carmel and spice.

Super dark brown in colour (85% opaque) with a medium-sized dense tan head. Aroma of spruce, pine, honey, vanilla, molasses and a strong roasted malt essence. Medium-bodied; Sweet brown sugar taste with honey and vanilla definately present with some slight oakiness noticeable. Some herbe and spruce quality in the taste also. Aftertaste somewhat bittered from coffee and roasted malt, but left complex from the herbes and spices. Overall, a nice beer-a bit better than the 2002. This is going to be interesting to see how this ages! I got this twelve ounce bottle from Haddon90, which he purchased at Whole Foods in Vienna, Virginia and sampled it on 23-December-2003. Thanks again Phil!

Cinammon cookie/ginger snap aroma, with flowers (tulips?) as well. Dark brown/red color with a light tan head that left a little bit of lacing. Spicy taste, mainly ginger. Hoppiness bitterness at the end. Clingy mouthfeel with a bitterness that lasts for a while. Pretty good.