Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

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

Always a nice anchor beer for its time of year..spice,malt.. some smoke in the beer..

Aroma is predominately malt, with some hops. Flavor has some hints of spice, but it is mainly malt. Another typical winter beer with little spice. Not much else to say.

2007 edition. Interesting flavor, spicy and malty with some vanilla. Sweet fruity flavor too. A lot going on in this beer. Something strange in the flavor to me, maybe some smokiness, that didn’t mix well with the other flavors. Needed something to balance. Not the most drinkable beer.

Dark pour with a tan head. Interesting aroma of pines, spices, and dark fruits. Smells kind of like potpourri. Flavor of roasted malts, caramel, pine, spices, and some earthy flavors. Really nice.

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.