Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

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

bottle poured dark ruby with a nice tan head that fades to a thin lace Aromas of gingerbread cinnamon, nutmeg . Ya it smell like christmas. Flavors of sweet fruit spices, cinnamon exspecially. There is a light bitter to the taste, but i think it comes from the spices more than hops, it has a great mouth feel to it, nice and crisp. it is a very interesting holiday brew.

pours black with a big brown head....aroma of cookies and ginger...tastes of gingerbread...malts and hops are nicely balanced...crisp dry finish...nice change of pace for me with this one, I’m not a huge fan of spiced brew but I enjoyed this

2007 bottle from Quaffs. Deep reddish amber with a nice beige head that’s tan around the edges. Gingerbread and cinnamon came rushing out of the bottle as soon as I removed the cap but there’s some sprucy hops, milk chocolate, orange and malt underneath. Maybe it’s just me in the Christmas spirit but I get a hint of icing sugar also. A great looking beer with a great aroma, in fact, still sniffing it now in preparation for a let down. Actually, no, I quite like it. Not earth shattering but very enjoyable, Christmas in a bottle if you will. Spice initially dominates but theres a late rush of chocolate, hops and malt in the finish that lingers for a while. Could have a little more body imo but I’m still gonna buy a few of these and stick em away. Also very curious of the other vintages now...Screw mulled wine, bring on the Noels and Christmas specials...

Had this beer may times over the last 25 years or so. Dang, I’m old. Somewhat variable because they supposedly use a different recipe each year. This one rarely rings my bell. This one from 07 reminds me of years past, where the flavor of spice dominates and does not please me. Course, I generally frown on spiced beers, preferring hops to dominate. Nonetheless, this is a well-made, spiced Christmas ale that should be on everybody who enjoys this style’s short list. I’ve had these at one year age and didn’t find my enjoyment particularly improved.

Bottle, 2007 vintage, fresh.

Pours a gorgeous dark dark ruby with a nice tan head. Beautiful to look at! Nose is all spice: allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, spruce tips. Flavor is very spicy, not particularly sweet, sprucy.

I can see how this would appeal to many, but it really doesn’t do it for me. It’s too heavily spiced. This is one I can do without. Giving it a 2.9 is a disservice if rating to style, but it’s almost generous as a measure of how much I enjoyed this one.

2007 version. On tap at Lucky Baldwin’s in Pasadena. Deep and dark and delicous. A friend asked if I had ordered a guiness. very thick tan head which leaves rings around the glass. Very rich and malty, but some holiday spice present as well - nutmeg or cinnamon? It was served a little on the cold side, but warmed very nicely and ended up being just an incredibly rich and complex beer. Very tasty.

Wife brought this home, my choice would have been the Sierra Nevada holiday ale, but she did good. One of the reasons I love the holidays.

2007 AOSA is unbelievably great. every year it never ceases to surprise me. especially one thats been cellared for atleast a year.