Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

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

Bottle (2008) from Kegs and Barrels in McKinney, TX. Pours a deep brown, red hues, and a beige head. Aroma is somewhat odd, can’t put my finger on it, spicey, also has a presence of berries and possible lemon. Flavor was pretty different as well, some dark malt, berries, faint astringent, piny, root flavor, some bitter. Medium body with high carbonation. Overall, not bad, a little strange, but pretty decent.

2007. Very strong and complex spicy nose, fresh of some herb I can’t figure out, perhaps cardamom as Ungstrup suggests, some chocolate, rhubarb, piney. Too bad has so thin a palate. Dry finish.

[2006 Bottle - almost 2 years old] Pours a dark thick murky reddish brown with a small thick creamy beige head. Smells like christmas spice cake & eggnog, cinnamon, raisins, tons of nutmeg and a touch of oxidation. Rich flavor, dry nutty caramel malts, touch of coffee, hint of dark molasses, the spices blend seamlessly with the malt and are surprisingly not overpowering. This is a beer to be reckoned with; pecan-pie in a bottle. I love the nutmeg. Faint hint of oxidized hops that give it a brandy like richness, decadent. Medium/full body, lightly chalky/creamy with very smooth fine fluffy carbonation, great mouthful. This is one of the better beers I’ve had in a while.

2006 edition in a 12 oz bottle courtesy of Mr. Lemur. Dark red pour with a big off white head that fades slowly. Big aroma of spices and fruit and flavor of much the same with some sticky essence of molasses in the back end. Finishes bone dry with a pleasant burn.

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.