Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

Poured from bottle into Nonic Imperial Pint. Dark brownish-ruby with creamy tan head that mostly recedes with slight lacing lines. Aroma of faintly sweet spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, orange and gingerbread; nice chocolate and caramel undertones. Bittersweet roasted malts with light notes of coffee, chocolate and caramel. The spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger) are subdued overall, especially compared to the smell, but provide a nice counterbalance. Slight bitter finish from the roasting. Almost seems a little stale, akin to an English Old Ale. Moderate carbonation, medium body, somewhat dry finish. This appears to be a Robust Porter with a fairly subdued holiday spice profile. This is a must purchase every year.

12oz bottle 2006 vintage cellared @ 63°F. Goblet. Nose is molasses with slight granny smith apple.
Appearance is dark brown with off-white head. Head not too lacy and thins out quickly.
Flavor is a toffee and alder smoke duet with nutmeg and juniper notes.
Palate - carbonation is crisp but mellow. Very smooth mouthfeel.
Overall I liked this cheery ale better than 3yrs ago. It cellared quite well. Too bad I don’t have any left. )-;

12 oz. bottle of the ’09 vintage. Colour... dark brown with a thin off white head. Nose... redolent of crushed juniper berries, rosemary and cola bean. Palate... generous carbonation on the pour, then gently carbonated on the palate, lots of cola flavours up front, followed by juniper needles, savory herbs and spice and a long finish. Not quite as "full bodied" as previous vintages I’ve tried but still quite nice. Here’s to happy holidays and a happy [winter] solstice!

12oz bottle from BC Liquor @ 39th/Cambie. Nose is sticky pine needle with malt back. Light spicing also evident. Crisp and bracing taste that combines sour cherry with juniper. There are some hops mixed in there but subtle and hard to distinguish. They fade off fairly quickly leaving a pleasing fruitcake and malt finish. Decent.

Flaske:Flot mørkebrun øl med et kæmpe skumhoved. Duft af julekrydderi. Smagen er urtet på en delikat måde. Tydelig old ale. Virkelig en spændende øl med et godt humlebid til sidst. Årgang 2008.

bottle (asheft) 2007 - dark brown beer with a thick beige head. Spicy aroma like cinnamon. Flavour has a lot of fruits and spices.

Not sure why but i guess i skipped this when doing all my back rating. Had in twelve ounce and magnums(Winter 08-09). Merry christmas and happy new year, pour dark with some light tan head and is great for the season. Nice spices and malts. Worth a try can’t wait for this years.

Anchor Christmas Ale 2008, 2008-12-24 AP: dark x-mas must with must head AR: weak hops F: watery this year!, dry, juniper berries! Rating 2,8 Anchor Christmas Ale 2006, 2006-12-13 More x-mas flavours and swetness this year rating 3,5!