Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

2008 bottling. A recipe that changes annually, with the only hint from the brewery that it doesn’t contain cloves. Poured chocolatey brown with thick tan head. Aromas of citrus and spice with a slight pine-y note. Slightly oily on the tongue. Flavor of spice (nutmeg?) with a citrus undertone. Slight alcohol bite at the finish. A favorite I look forward to every holiday season.

Pours a nice dark color with some dark red at the edges and a very small head. I will be damned if this beer doesnt smell and taste a lot like fruit cake. Aroma has a ton of dates, raisins, figs, and baking spices. Flavor is much the same. Dates stand out, with prunes, raisins, fig preserves, sweet malt and a hop finish to balance well. Good shit!

Bottles of 2005 and 2008 vintages side by side.

Aromas are similar with light fruits, mellow spices, and coffee. The coffee notes in the 2008 are drier and crisper whereas those in the 2005 are richer and earthier. The 2005 also exhibits strong overtones of dark fruits (plum, prune).

The flavors follow suit in a somewhat expected manner. The 2008 features the spices on a mellow background malt with sweet coffee notes. The 2005 is more complex with richer maltiness, nuttiness, earthy coffee, and spices mellower, but perhaps more interesting playing around the edges. More of a complete, well-rounded beer than the 2008.

Mouthfeel is richer and creamier in the 2005. 2008 is still pretty full-bodied, but there’s more of an airy, playful-spices feel.

A decent brew, though not something I’ll be waiting for every November.

12 oz bottle, 2008 vintage. Pours clear and deep copper with a tan head. Aroma is malty, fruity (raisin), and spicy, with lots of nutmeg and some cardamom and vanilla. Flavor is bitter and spicy with a dry woody/peaty malt profile with some fruity esters. Body is a bit thin, but smooth, with relatively low carbonation. Distinguished from most other winter warmers by the heavy reliance and influence of the spices, almost at the expense of other flavor elements.

(2007 vintage at Kaffe Filter, Trondheim, on 2009-02-15) Dark brown with hints of red. Clear. Medium sized tan coloured head. Malts, roastedness, dried plum and spices in aroma. Full bodied and dry palate with medium carbonation. Malts, some dried plum, roastedness, spiciness and hint of chocolate in taste. Malts, roastedness and bitterness in aftertaste.

# 34 2008. dark brown almost black pour with med 3 finger light brown head (good lacing). smokey and sweet malt aroma. warming taste of dark roasted malt with slight bitter after taste.

bottle. head was on the small side (fizzy and tan) into dark brown body. decent lacing present. aromas of licorice, ripe fruit, lt chocolate, cinnamon, touch of cloves, and some vinousness. flavor is lt bitter throughout. moderate finish duration. dry slightly sticky mouthfeel while remaining soft on the palate). Not bad at all.

12 oz bottle from Bev4less. Pours a dark brown with amber highlights. The head is tan, big and rocky with decent retention and lacing. The Aroma was a bit moderate in strength with sweet and spicy nutmeg, earth and malts. The taste was complex with cloves, nutmeg, spruce, roasted malts and molasses. The finish was long and sticky. The mouthfeel started a touch thin but built to a pasty conclusion. Overall: A very unique ale, every sip reveals something different, but the spices were a bit much.