Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

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

2007. Very dry, muddled spice flavor. Hops and spice go well together. Pretty thick, full mouthfeel. I can almost taste sour milk (wtf?!) I wouln’t drink too many of these.

1/13/09 2008 bottle aroma nutmeg, sweet, malt, and fruit. flavor, picks up bitterness, light roast, underlying sweetness, coffee, and cola. smooth and warming. 1/10/08 2007 bottle poured a dark chestnut brown in color with a great rush of carbonation leaving a thick frothy tan head that had great retention. great looks in the glass. aroma has nutmeg, anise, brown sugar, malt, and a touch of dark fruit. mouth feel is medium light, smooth textured, and little bitterness. flavors are malt with slight roast and as it warmed hops came through in the finish as well as some coffee flavor. nice brew with a good spice level that’s not too much.

2007 bottle. Poured a dark brown with a tan head, not quite opaque. Aroma of pumpking, nutmeg, anise, quite bready. Flavor is anise, and roast notes. Slight burnt toast flavor. Medium bodied, creamy with a lingering bitterness.

I like this beer. I’m not a big fan of spice/herb/vegetable adjuncts, but I did enjoy this beer quite a bit; perhaps, because I couldn’t really discern the adjuncts. It tasted to me, like a solid, well balanced ale of complex character.

2005 Vintage. Poured brown in color with a 1/2" inch head that dissipated and left some tight lacing. The nose was filled with dark caramel and milk chocolate covered bananas. In the mouth it was of medium-density with good concentration and also nice verve keeping it light on its feet. The midpalate had balanced sweetness and showed off the flavors from the nose, along with some coffee. All these flavors lingered in a nice long finish that was neither dry nor sweet but well-balanced and while my notes sound simple, it was actually rather complex.

[854-20071124] 12floz (Vintage 2006, w/ jerc). Strange old musty booze aroma with dog paw and burnt grain hints. Black body with a quick creamy curry-tan head. Christmas spicy coffee malt flavour seems like it has an invisible stick of cinnamon resting in the glass. Medium-full body. Interesting but not impressive. (6/3/7/3/14) 3.3

[1893B-20081206] Tap. Mild spicy Christmas fruits and rum and sweet toasty yeast aroma. Clear, dark brown red body with a long-lasting creamy off-white head. Sweet caramelized leaves and mild spices and honey and grainy yeast bread and mild perfume in the flavour. Medium body. Repeatable, enjoyable. (7/4/7/4/15) 3.7
(Vintage 2008 @ Cole’s; Buffalo, NY)

Dark and Dense out of the bottle. This busty brew is just a lonely man needs on a cold winters night. A minty flavor that reflects the availability of the brew. Happy Holidays!

The 2007 version, on tap at Delirium Tremens in Brussels of all places. Pours thickly dark brown with a golden-beige head. Dark, bitter and malty with a light and lively mouthfeel. A touch of rye-like sourness. Dry and refreshing. The bitterness of the roasted malts melds perfectly with the reasonable hops. Delicious and refreshing result. I was very happy with this one.