Anchor Our Special Ale (2004)

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

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

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Bottle. Dark mahogany with a fluffy beige head. Nose: licorice, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, coffee, prunes and raisons. Flavor: nutmeg, coffee, chocolate, walnuts, hazelnuts and cinnamon. A yummy dark holiday fruitcake in a glass.

Appearance: Nearly clear, deep crimson coloring, shining ruby bright around the edges, beneath a most attractive cookie-ish cushion of foam, toasted tan, creamy and inviting. Aroma: yeast and malt are thrust forward, matched well with spices, and sweet toffee-ish, cookie-and-cake associations. Sweetness, but not cloying. gingerbread, raw cookie dough, cinnamon, ...more will enter my mind, as we turn to the Taste: Full in the mouth, massive, malty mouthfeel, very tasty and smooth. Finish hangs in there for a while, leaving traces of ginger and clove, creamy and just about lush. Thoruoghly satifying texture, richly rewarding flavor. I’m usually pretty content with this beer from year to year, even overjoyed at times, but this one will probably get more purchase from me than usual. Definitely the best winter warmer I’ve had so far this season, and it could still be beaten, but I doubt it. Really does the trick!

Very beautyful appearance, dark mahogany coloured and a big foamy cappuccino-like head. Complex aroma with many hints of pine, spices, dark dried fruits and roasted malt. Flavour is spicy again with a nice licorice finish. Light body and very drinkable. I love it.

UPDATED: NOV 20, 2005 On Tap. Dark brown with a frothy brown head. Strong aromas of caramel and pine. Smells almost like a Christmas tree. Many different flavors show up; pine, caramel, coffee, pumpkin pie spices, and even some sweet fruitiness. Nice hoppy finish with more of the piney flavors. This beer tastes like Christmas. Outstanding.

MMM, nice beer. Aroma smells like christmas spices and gingerbread cookies. Tastes the same, and a bit sweet. Easy going down. Yum

Deep red color with generous tan head. Spicy pine aroma with citrus and ginger aroma. Chewy palate though bit flat. Smoky roast flavor with orange, ginger and crisp hopiness.

12z bottle. So I’m going through a bunch of Anchor 31st cases, when I come across something different. This tree is completely different than the others. What a serendipitous discovery. And of course, I bought the whole case. Anyway. Opaque hue with a lingering tan head. Raisins and pine in the nose. Fruitcake, bread, plums, slightly vinuous, sugar and spices. Wonderful beer! Just as good, if not better than I remember (which was a magnum last new year’s eve). Terrific oily, full body. Thick rich coffee flavor that turns into a sherry, port sweetness, and wrapping it up in a resinous, piney, chocolate and raisins lingering flavor. Toasty. Pruny. Jammy. F’N’A.

Bottle 33 cl. Label Merry Christmas 2011. Black with a large lightbrown head. Aroma of nice christmas spices(carnation), gløgg, chocolate, grapes and plumb. Nice sweet taste with a soft spices end, best christmasbeer i have had, waiting 1 year was worth it.

Pungent spicy aroma, over a nice dark brown body, flavor is spicy, ginger, chocolate, fruit, and potpourri, interesting as usual. Finished slightly bitter and warming. Good.

Cola-like appearance with a much thicker lasting head on top. Aroma has notes of caramel, pumpkin, nutmeg, ginger and more pumpkin. Flavor is a bit chocolatey with a decent heft of spice The aftertaste is well roasted with a little bit of lingering spice with it as well. This has an exelent blending of spicy aroma, warm malty taste and a pleasing distinct aftertaste. Quite an outstanding winter brew.