Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

Poured into Pint Glass, insane amount of thick, creamy head. A lot darker than I expected, looks like the color of black coffee with a slight translucency. First whiff gave me some spice and alcohol scent. Second gave me a huge hit of citrus and hops. Very appetizing though the hoppy scent always throws up an alarm in my neck of the woods..this may be out of my league. Finally as the head settles a little bit, I get a taste. Wow, very smooth and unexpected considering the heavy scent. Very well balanced with a fruity taste at first leaving a lingering citrus aftertaste. The hops from the scent are there, but not nearly as overpowering as I thought it would be. Mouthfeel is surprisingly thick as this has a major coating sensation. Color me impressed.

bottle 355ml from Utobeer London EXP Sep 2010. 2008 bottle. Reddish dark brown beige head lacing. Scent: dark malts spices Taste: smooth dark malts juniper ginger somewhere under there dried fruits and full body covered with bit medicin like and grapefruity hops. Tasted these first time over 10 years ago. This baby brought from London and it was very delicious re-union.

bottle, vintage 2007, mit Dank ins Ruhrgebiet! Dark red-brown colour, large beige head. Fruity nose. Intensively malty with lots of fruit flavours: berries, plums, blackcurrant. Bitter-sweet with lovely citrusy hops that add flavours of bitter orange marmalade. Lingering finish. Delicious!

6-pack from Bottle King, Dumont, NJ...2008 bottle pours dark reddish brown, beige head...sweet smell of cherries, plum, malt, and chocolate...taste also includes fig and caramel, and a touch of vanilla...smooth mouthfeel, decent lacing...tasty brew.

Magnum of the 2006 vintage. Strange beer for a hot summer day, but what the hell. When opened, the bottle still had a ton of carbonation. Pours a dark brown with a frothy beige head. Surprisingly good head retention. Aroma is of spice, malt, pine, alcohol, and tobacco. Taste is of spice, malt, tobacco, preserves, pine, and plum. It has become insanely earthy after only a few years. Lots of fruit to it, which take over the beer. Lingering taste of spice and plum. Mouthfeel was medium, and the body was very carbonated. Finish was all alcohol. This beer has aged very well, but it’s not as good as some other vintages. Definitely worth drinking, and very enjoyable.

Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. Meow. 2008 Vintage.
Smoothly poured out this latest version into my Affligem glass. It poured in total silence, flowed so smooth. Dark brown with obvious reddish hues, so-so sized brown head with really good retention. Immediate wafting aromas of gingerbread, mild pine, medicinal scents, cookie dough found in pails sold for fundraising, cola, background milk chocolate - wow - what a blend! And all that stuff is found in the mild aroma. The taste follows the same standard: mellow but packed with goodness. Nutmeg, gingerbread cookies, dull chocolate, toasted malts, mild and well portioned pine, tangy citrus hops (orange, peach, lemon in order of strength of impression). Finishes quite spicy. Medium to medium full bodied, nice soft carbonation, lasting spicy and bitter (where was this before?) aftertaste. Man, this stuff went down so smoothly. Incredibly well balanced. A massive improvement over the 2007 which wasn’t bad but just odd. I find nothing wrong with this beer at all except that I have no more in my glass.

2007 Vintage

Poured out a medium brown brew with red hues, a mid range brown crown of average size with good retention and a little bit of spotty lacing. The aroma here is pretty cool even if it doesn’t immediately appeal to you since it is odd. Roasty and fresh, the fruit is both prune like and orangy at the same time, there is also a vegetable aroma that is very squash like, biscuit and smoke. The smoke is there for sure with weak cloves. Something makes me think of chocolate but it is not chocolate.... I’ll question this next time. Some how, I give this an 8 even though it is not overly appealing - just unique and complex. The taste is of wet biscuits, a toffee roast, mild piny hops and a slight spice. Main flavor for me is the roasted malts. The mouth feel is quite nice with a very welcoming carbonation, medium to medium full bodied, ends with dark roast on the aftertaste and a bitterness that fades as the beer warms. I think this is a bit too roasted for me but either way it is an interesting beer.
8 3 7 4 14 = 3.6

Flaske 0,355l. Dyp rød på farge - nesten sort. Et høyt kremaktig skum som varer lenge. Litt brunfarge. Frisk aroma av frukt og bær. Variert fruktig smak som glir over i en bitterhet med overtoner av ristet malt. Ettersmak av kaffe og karamell. KI=5

15-JUN-2009. Bottle @Den Tatoverede Enke. Dark brown with little head. Very interesting nose and taste. I really enjoy this complex beer. loads of porter and christmas flavors blend together to form a wonderfull beer.