Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

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

Serve in Lager glass, Tumbler

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Bottle. Clear amber / brown color with a small virtually none lacing off-white head. Aroma is modereate to heavy malty, licorice , dried fruit, vintage, alcohol. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and light bitter with a average duration and dry finish. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.

Bottled. A pitch black beer with a slight brown shine under a huge brown head. The aroma is sweet with strong spicy notes among them strong notes of spruce and cardemomme - a bit too much for me. The flavor is sweet again with strong notes of spices - especially spruce and cardemmome, but then a note of roasted malt joins in, and combines with the spices to give it an extremely dry finish.

(Bottle 35,5 cl) Vintage 2005. Pours a very dark brown with a reddish tint and a fine, light brown head. Very delicious aroma - spicy almost cola-like. Medium body with very roasted - but never burned - malt accents and some spices although they’re hard to pinpoint. The finish is dry. Lovely. 280607

UPDATED: MAR 6, 2011 35.5 cL bottle. Pours dark brown to black with a quickly diminished tan head. Dry malty, roasted and with a light spice touch and somewhat wineous wooden. Roasted malt flavoured, quite dark and dark wineous fruity too. Light bitterness coming into the finish along a mild fruity hops note. Solid bitter and roasted acidic dry finish.7-3-7-3-13=3.3

From tap as New Years at Euston Tap. Pours dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma is spiced and dark malty, slight caramelish. Slight bitter, roasted malty and dry spiced. Dry malty, slight chocolate and smooth malty flavoured into a medium dry malty finish.7-4-7-4-15=3.7

Bottled. Very dark ruby, rich firm off-white head. Spruce aroma. Medium sweet with clean mouthfeel. Spices are evident - spruce needles, cinnamon and nutmeg is what I get. Hops lay unerneath togehter wih ligtly roasty malt. Due to the clean mouthfeel the body feels light. Finishes with medium bitterness.

UPDATED: NOV 17, 2011 Bottled (2005 Vintage). Dark brown colour, small beige head. Aroma is spicy, fruity and malty. Plummy and malty flavour with spices kicking in. Spicy finish and aftertaste. 8 4 7 3 15.

Bottled (2006 Vintage). Deep brown colour, mediumsized brown fluffy head. Aroma is caramel malts, plum,some sour wood as well as mild spicy notes. Flavour is sweet malts, some fruits, mild raisins and mild smoked sour wooden notes as well. 7 4 7 3 14

Bottled (2007 Vintage, thanks omhper). Deep ruby brown colour with small beige head. Aroma is raisins, sweet malts, along with spices and some mild notes of yeast. Flavour is bready malts with some spices and raisins as well as yeastyness. Also some dark dry fruits in it. The aftertaste is fruits and quite richly roasted malts. 7 4 7 4 15.

Bottled (2008 vintage). Deep rubyish brown, close to black, colour, mediumsized beigeish brown head, that leaves some lace. Aroma is spices, caramel malts and quite strong licorice and coffeeish notes. Flavour is spices, caramel malts, mild leather as well as licorice. Feels like it needs a bit mellowing to get more balanced. 6 4 6 3 12

Bottled (2009 vintage, thanks omhper). Deep amber colour, small brown head. Aroma is fruits, spices, plum, vanilla and some mild notes of berries. Flavour is liquorice, fruits, wood, spices and some mild wooden notes. Quite sticky palate. 7 4 7 3 14.

Bottled (2010 vintage, from Alko). Very deep ruby red colour, mediumsized beigeish brown head. Aroma is lots of spices, some mild dark fruits, raisins, toffee/fudge and some herbal notes. Flavour is spices, plum, raisins, mild alcohol, some fudge and red berries. 9 4 7 3 16.

Bottled (2011 vintage, from Alko, as MC & HNY 2011). Very deep ruby red colour, mediumsized brown head that leaves nice lace. Aroma is toffee, spices, some butter scotch and mild red wine like notes. Flavour is ashes, mild sour wooden notes as well as quite strong bitterness with raisins, plum and spices as well. 7 5 7 3 14.

Clear brown coloured with a beige head. Aroma of liquorice, chocolate and spices with notes of orange peel. Flavour of liquorice and chocolate with notes of spices and orange peel. The palate is a bit watery.

Bottle. Very nice and powerful malty aroma. Very nice, dark brown colour. Very small head. Malty flavour, a bit of a citric note. Creamy mouthfeel. Very nice, but the citric notes give me a feeling of beer brewed on maize.

UPDATED: DEC 25, 2011
Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 23, 2005
Mode: Bottle
Source: Green’s, Atlanta
Vintage: 2005
Aroma: good fresh spicy aroma on top of slightly sweet malt
Body: light body
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, mellow spices, great fresh like a well aged osa, may not age well

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 24, 2005
Mode: bottle
Vintage: 2005
Appearance: very dark with ruby edges, big tan head
Aroma: nice cinamon and allspice aroma
Body: creamy body
Flavor: big spice flavor on a rich malt base, lots of chocolate, light bitterness, very well balanced for a fresh osa

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 23, 2006
Mode: bottle
Vintage: 2005
Aroma: spice aroma have muted a bit, the cinamon has faded letting the allspice take the lead
Flavor: lots of bitter spicy flavor, hint of tartness, upon warming the chocolate aroma shows up but the flavor is still spice dominated, body is thinning out a bit as well

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *** /4

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 23, 2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Pop’s
Vintage: 2006
Appearance: clear dark burgandy, fine tan head, specks of lace
Aroma: strong spruce aroma with a fleeting hint of mint
Body: body is a bit thin initially then becomes creamy
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor balanced by lots of spicey herbal character, only a touch of the traditional cinamon and nutmug but ginger is coming on strong, long light bitter finish from the spices
Overall: noticable difference between the 06 and the prior two years in a vertical lineup - much milder on the malt and a change from holiday spices to more herbal

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 26, 2006
Mode: bottle
Vintage: 2006
drinking a bottle by itself a couple of days later reveals nothing new, just a lot of rich chocolate and the herbal spices to balance, may end up aging a bit better than the last couple of years

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 27, 2006
Mode: draft
Source: Wild Wing, Marietta
Vintage: 2006
lots of nice tan lace, chocolate gets even richer on draft, showing a bit more of the traditional spices although the herbal character still dominates, the more I drink it the more that this years version grows on me, like moss on a pine tree

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: December 12, 2006
Mode: draft
Source: taco mac
Vintage: 2006
the mint is making another brief showing in the flavor,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *** /4

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 25, 2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Sherlocks, GA
Vintage: 2007
Appearance: opaque dark brown, wispy beige head, drippy sheets of lace
Aroma: chocolate aroma with a touch of sweetness balanced with spruce and peppery spices
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, touch of sweetness brings out the chocolate, nice spicy balance with a nutmeg and pepper character, touch of fresh green spruce, bitterness rises out of the spices for a light lasting flavorfull finish
Overall: continues the trend of dumbing down every year but makes it really tasty fresh

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 27, 2007
Mode: draft
Source: taco mac
Vintage: 2007
Appearance: dark brown with clear ruby edges, dense tan head, thick lace
Aroma: sweet chocolate aroma with plenty of fresh spruce
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, nice malty sweetness is well balanced with the spices
Overall: draft and bottle are very close this year

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 19, 2010
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting
Vintage: 2007
sweet chocolate, touch of spruce, light spicyness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: *** /4

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 18, 2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Sherlocks, GA
Vintage: 2008
Appearance: dark brown with ruby edges, fine tan head, lots of drippy lace
Aroma: sweet chocolate aroma, lots of different strong spices this year including sweet spruce
Flavor: sweet chocolate and caramel flavor, lots of balancing spices, touch of cinamon, allspice, long bitter finish
Overall: spices are mellower in the flavor than the aroma, a return to to more agressive

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 19, 2008
Mode: draft
Source: summits woodstock
Vintage: 2008
Aroma: sweet chocolate and pine aroma is a bit more subdued on draft
Flavor: richer and sweeter chocolate flavor on draft

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: March 13, 2009
Mode: draft
Source: summits woodstock
Vintage: 2008
draft is actually getting a bit more agressive as it ages, sweet pine is coming out stronger,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *** /4

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 16, 2009
Mode: Draft
Source: Summits - Woodstock
Vintage: 2009
Appearance: opaque dark brown with ruby edges, creamy tan head, spidery lace
Aroma: sweet spicy aroma, sweet chocolate, pine, complex array of spices
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, caramel and vanilla sweetness, lots of balancing spicyness, mellow spruce hangs tight and becomes a dominant character, hint of cinnamon, balancing bitterness follows the spices
Overall: a bit more of the caramel sweetness this year changes up the chocolate character and puts it ahead of the spices except for the spruce that comes on strong in the end

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 27, 2009
Mode: bottle
Source: hop city
Vintage: 2009
Appearance: clear dark brown, lasting creamy beige head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet chocolate and spruce aroma, lots of spice and cinamon
Body: creamy body
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, balancing spicyness, touch of spruce and pine

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *** /4

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 25, 2010
Mode: Bottle
Source: Total Wine, GA
Vintage: 2010
Appearance: opaque dark brown, fine tan head
Aroma: big chocolate and spruce aroma, black pepper and sweet licorice, allspice
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, lots of spices, plenty of spruce brings out a sweetness, a bit of undesirable bitterness emerges from the spices

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: **+ /4

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 27, 2011
Mode: Draft
Source: Taco Mac, Woodstock
Vintage: 2011
Appearance: black, creamy beige head, heavy lace
Aroma: big sweet pine and cinnamon aroma
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, cinnamon and nutmeg, touch of traditional spruce, caramel sweetness yeilds to a light ginger
Overall: less of the tree and more of the traditional spices this year, biggest divergence in years

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *** /4

UPDATED: AUG 8, 2010 2010-08-08, vertical tasting, vintage 2008, 2 years old, 7-4-4-3-10=28
The color is very dark, no light passes through; generous, compact head. Good aroma, chocolate cake, cedar peel, chinese spices. The body is lean, the mouthfeel quite dry; it has some roasted malt flavor, heavily roasted nuts, not very good. The final is dry, with the black, roasted malt only, dusty. Not pleasant.

2010-08-08, vertical tasting, vintage 2006, 4 years old, 6-4-6-3-12=31
The color is very dark, no light passes through; generous, compact head, a bit more brownish than the 2008; immediately evident that it has less carbonation. Strange aroma, mild, gingerbread and soap, almost metallic; some chocolate. The body is a bit rounder and less dry than the 2008; chocolate and roasted malt flavor, also here the malt is heavily roasted, but better hidden; there are traces of a starting oxidisation and of metal. Balanced, better than almost all Scandinavian Julöl, but nothing spectacular.

2010-08-08, vertical tasting, vintage 2005, 5 years old, 6-4-6-3-13=32
The color is very dark, no light passes through; generous, compact head, more similar to the 2008 than 2006. Delicate aroma of roasted malt, chocolate and spices. The body is round enough like the 2006, but a bit more dynami, probably because of a light sourness; the flavor is again chocolate and roasted malt and roasted nuts; it shows less oxidization than the 2006, and it doesn’t have the metallic trace. Balanced, as well not spectacular.

2008-02-15, vintage 2007, 6-4-6-3-11=30
Dark chestnut color, almost back, with a reasonably big head. The aroma is strange, with soap, meat, sweet nuts, spices and cookies. It has a medium mouthfeel, with a medium flavor of roasted malt and some spices (nutmeg and maybe cinnamon in the front); the almost roasted malt feeling is more evident at the end. Boring, unbalanced, not very pleasant. I won’t come back on this one soon.

2005-12-12, vintage 2005, 7-4-7-4-15=37
Dark brown color; creamy beige head. I’m quite disappointed by the first impression (too dry mouthfeel) so my recommendation is to leave it to breathe in the glass for 20 minutes…
The aroma is nice, with malt, caramel, spices, light gingerbread or cookies. The taste is round, well malty, with a brandy touch, caramel, spices and raisins (a light Christmas pudding). And the hopping is quite good as well. Very pleasant.