Anchor Our Special Ale (2003)

magnum bottle opened at Houston BA Tasting. Pours a dark brown with a nice tan head. Nose is of spice and roasty malt. Taste is the same roasty malt and spice, but also has some nuttiness to it. Mouthfeel is medium-to-thin.

Bottle from Richard (Irishboy) as a bonus. Thanks! Sampled 4/25/08. Very deep brown body, soft tan head with nice lacing. Nose is strangely reminiscent of Chartreuse. Its very strongly herbal and spicy, bright and almost salty. Very interesting - I’m sure it didn’t smell like this when it was released but I wish I had tried the 03 fresh so I could compare notes. Flavor is smoky, slightly vegetal and herbal. Not as spicy as the nose suggests but it does display that Chartreuse character. Caramel comes through in the end along with some pepperiness.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but I have never been crazy about this lineup of beers. Spicy, but not as spicy as in other vintages, this had a more pronounced vegetal quality all the way through, which made it almost undrinkable. Kind of has a musty fruitcake like malt body, that finishes quite dry.

Bottle from jsquire. Thanks, Jeff! Small tan head that mostly diminished, spotty amounts of lacing, opaque, no visible carbonation, and a dark brown hue. Nose was spicy, sweet, malty, and mildly hoppy. Ditto for the flavor with a dry finish. Smooth, dry mouthfeel and light in body. Quaffable, well balanced and worthy of a try.

Bottle shared at a tasting that I hosted. Pour is red. Aroma is fruit and spices, namely nutmeg, cinnamon, and some hints of caramel in the background. Flavor is slightly bitter and even a bit vegetal. This is decent, I’m just not crazy about the finish.

Thanks Curt for letting us sample this from your cellar.