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
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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.

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Defreni (999), Frederiksberg, Denmark

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	4/5	7/10	3/5	15/20

Nov 5, 2009

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.

cgreb (179), Marburg, Germany

3.3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.3	7/10	3/5	7/10	3/5	13/20

Nov 4, 2009

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

vtafro (469), , New Jersey, USA

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	7/10	5/5	7/10	4/5	14/20

Nov 3, 2009

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.

Nisse666 (384), Göteborg, Sweden

2.8	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
2.8	5/10	3/5	4/10	2/5	14/20

Oct 31, 2009 Updated: Nov 4, 2009

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!

Ober (1186), Bommelerwaard, Netherlands

2.9	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
2.9	5/10	4/5	6/10	2/5	12/20

Oct 25, 2009

Version 2007. A dark brown colored beer, with a thick foamy dark beige head. There is a little aroma. Some spices and a little chocolate. The taste of caramel, fruits like a little sour cherries. There are flavors of chocolate with some bitterness. The aftertaste is a little sour with bitter.

Pinball (2718), Allerød, Denmark

3.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.1	5/10	4/5	6/10	3/5	13/20

Oct 18, 2009

2006 version, best before oct 2008, sampled 2009-10-18 dark dark brown, smooth light brown head, some lacing. very spicy aroma, also somewhat soapy. smells like a bakery. flavor is very spicy but still soft and mild. spicy cristmas cake flavor, cinnamon. licorice, caramel. Quite special but not my kind of beer, i’m not much of a cake guy.

beercamel (84), Chicago, Illinois, USA

4.3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.3	8/10	5/5	9/10	5/5	16/20

Oct 15, 2009

Pours like ancor stem beer. Very spicy and piney warmth oif christmas in a bottle. A favorite in december and love to open gifts with a few around.

bsjay (54), Oregon, USA

3.9	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.9	7/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	16/20

Oct 15, 2009

Reviewing this is somewhat misleading, as every year the flavor varies so much, and changes considerably with age (obviously). It’s always worth a shot, sometimes beautiful, others too spicy, but hardly worth complaining about.

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