Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

Pours a clear deep amber brown with a creamy tan head. Aroma is moderately sweet, nutmeg, juniper berries, chocolate and dark fruit. Flavor is nutmeg, cherry, grape, juniper and molasses. Medium bodied, stickyish texture. Very dry finish. This one just has too many contrasting flavors to be enjoyable.

12 fl oz. bottle via Lubiere, served at cellar temperature in a tulip glass. 2007 Ed., bottle #701.

App.: Very dark ruby with a moderate tan foam. Aroma: Strong ginger and burnt raisins, very dark fruit cake, strong rum smell, other warm spices, some vanilla. Palate: Medium-ish body, fairly soft carbonation. Flav.: Tangy fruits and minty herbals, some of the light warm spices, still some rum, a touch of vanilla, again notes that remind me of an over-cooked fruit cake – burnt raisins, dark crust, etc.; a bit sweet and a little bitter with some dark malts and a touch of the mint-herbal to finish.

Pretty good stuff, but somehow it feels like it needs more body and alcohol.

Bottle 2005: Pours a very deep brown with a ruby hue in the light and a dense tan head. The aroma has a bunch of ginger, as do all the other years. There’s also some dark cocoa, nice toasted malt hints, and a touch of nutmeg and spruce. Fluffy palate. Has a strong toasted ginger presence in the flavor- followed by dark chocolate, a bit of a salty middle, a touch of spruce comes through late with a nice roasted (mildly coffee-ish) note into the finish, with some tobacco character as well. Again, a well done OSA spice beer.

Bottle. Poured a dark red with a three finger tan head. Aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Flavor was caramel and spices. Good beer.

2007 Vintage. Deep ruby ale looks black except in the light. Thick frothy tan head that has nice retention lingers forever leaving a sticky coating of lace on the glass. Clove aromas, cinnamon, nutmeg reminds of eggnog. Nutty caramel and more of the previous spices. Excellent malt and spices. 2008 vintage. Pours a dark brown with red intertwined throughout and a tight lasting beige head. Aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, molasses, figs and other fruits, other assorted aggressive spices, with a malty sweet base. Taste hits first with a load of spices, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, with fruits and sweet malts that lend a strange metallic twinge to the finish. A bit nutty or vegetal. 2007 seemed better. Original rating: 7:4:7:4:14

Thanks to Sparky for sending this one my way. I’m not a big fan of spicey beers, but this one is done very well. Pours a deep purple-brown, with a thin head. Aroma is gingerbread and spice. Flavor is the same, with some nuts, carmel, and bitter chocolate. Nice notes of some dark fruit as well. A very sippable beer, I enjoyed this one a lot.

Dark brown colour, tan head. Aroma is of caramel, roasted malts and spices. Flavour has roasted malts and cloves. Nice one.

Bottle from Ibrew2or3. It says 2005 on it. Black with a small tan head. Funky aroma, not sure exactly what that is... Taste is funky as well . Black cheeries, spicy, malty cocoa, spicy. Weird but in a good way. Texture is medium and easy to drink. Overall a good beer to try. Thanks Dave!