Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

	Percentile
	91
	overall

Brewed by Anchor Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
San Francisco, California USA

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
Find this beer

send corrections | shelftag

Ratings	Average	Score	Seasonal	ABV	Style Pctl	Serve in
1036	3.56/5.0	3.56/5.0	Winter	5.5%	94.9	Lager glass, Tumbler

Commercial Description:
This is our special ale from the brewers at Anchor. It is sold only from early November to mid-January. The Ale’s recipe is different every year, but the intent with which we offer it remains the same: joy and celebration of the newness of life. Since ancient times, trees have symbolized the winter solstice when the earth, with its seasons appears born anew. <br /><br /> Editor’s Note: due to the significant similarity in style and strength from year to year (despite potential differences in the exact spice blend), this beer is no longer separated by vintage.

Please Enable Javascript

This site requires javascript enabled and/or approval of googlesyndication.com.

Most Recent

Top Raters

Highest Ratings

Who's Rated This?

Moggman (187), Columbus, Ohio, USA

3.4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.4	6/10	3/5	7/10	3/5	15/20

Nov 20, 2008

Bottle, 2008 edition. Pours dark brown/amber with a light brown head. Aroma is piney and ginger. Flavor is hoppy with pine notes, dark fruits.

PJClarke (620), London, Greater London, England

4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4	7/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	17/20

Nov 20, 2008

Bottle: 2008 recipe Very dark Brown with a foamy, beige head. Touch of cinnamon and fruitcake. Brown spirits and very sweet mince pies. Almost watery but very warming. Smooth and sweet finish with something of burnt pastry. I really like this. It has flavou’s similar to those found in HopBack’s Pickled Santa but paired with this darker style of ale it works a charm.

Hophead22 (1087), Redlands, by way of Wisconsin,, California, USA

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	7/10	5/5	6/10	3/5	16/20

Nov 19, 2008

12oz bottle. Real dark mahogany color, almost black, with a tan head. Smells a little like potpourri, just not so powerful. Some spicy, bitter flavor. Pretty good.

basewars (145), Albany, New York, USA

3.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.1	6/10	4/5	4/10	5/5	12/20

Nov 19, 2008

2008 Batch. Pours dark with some translucence around the edges. Fairly stout-like appearance. Aroma is pine and a bit of ginger with some malty sweetness. Flavor is underwhelming. Some bitterness but not much flavor.

dpjuart (670), Indiana, Pennsylvania, USA

3.3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.3	8/10	3/5	5/10	3/5	14/20

Nov 19, 2008

Bottle at the Coney. Pours black/brown with amber hues. Nose is cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger with mild chocolate sweetness. Caramel and chocolate notes with gingersnaps and clove. Slightly water with some fruity esters. Nice beer.

HonkeyBra (1319), Lemont, Illinois, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	4/5	6/10	4/5	15/20

Nov 19, 2008

Pours a dark reddish brown with a thick, tan head. Aroma of spice : clove, cinnamon, pines. Flavor is tart and spicey with some berry notes, and finish like chewing on a cinnamon stick. This still tastes like a christmas tree in a bottle, though maybe a bit muted from what I remember from last years. I’m going to drink a couple, save a couple, and give thedude one.

wheelz843 (205), Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

3.9	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.9	6/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	17/20

Nov 18, 2008

bottle. has a thick roasted maple aroma. pours a dark brown with a very thick dark tan head. has a very nice smoky flavor. maybe a hint of eggnog??

blutt59 (2092), Dallas, Texas, USA

3.3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.3	7/10	4/5	7/10	3/5	12/20

Nov 18, 2008

bottle, dark brown pour with thick khaki foam, nose is spicy with a flavor of malt, nuts and more spice, tasty

CONSIDER FREE RATEBEER MEMBERSHIP

Join us! RateBeer is made by beer enthusiasts for the craft beer community. Your basic membership is free and allows you to read all beer ratings. Click here to create your account... and give your opinion!

SIGN UP NOW »

View Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104

More Spice/Herb/Vegetables By Style
Cambridge Great Pumpkin Ale 72
Stone/Nøgne Ø/Jolly Pumpkin Special Holiday Ale 98
Heartland Old Red Nose Ale 72
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale 94
Mussel Inn Captain Cooker Manuka Beer 83
Jaipur Jalapeño Ale 96
Great Dane Tri Pepper Pils 60
Dum Kávové 80
Birra del Borgo Tè 62
Dieu du Ciel Fumisterie 62
Dieu du Ciel Umami 72
Alpine Beer Company Willy Vanilly 68
Shorts Bloody Beer 64
Great Lakes Brewing Pumpkin Ale 88
Big Boss Harvest Time Pumpkin Ale 82

this page requires javascript