Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

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

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

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Not exactly what I expected. 2007 batch. Very spice-driven, almost the way a pumpkin beer might be. Of course, it’s spiced as a a winter and the taste is very much all spice, coriander, and what else? It doesn’t entirely come together well.

Bottle. Dark brown, beige medium head. Spicy malt aroma, i sense ginger, clove and juniper. A litle sticky and thin mouthfeel, surypy sweet, balanced by a bitter aftertaste, which also holds a hint of salt liquorice which is a bit disturbing.

It’s not a bad beer but DAMN THAT NUTMEG!!! Sweet, yet dry at the finish. A nice ale, RUINED BY NUTMEG!! I guess I can still drink this. It’s not horrible. It’s just, well too laden with nutmeg.

2007 bottle. Fading beige head with a slighlty hazy brown body. Smells of ginger, clove, and brown sugar. Tastes the same with some chocolate notes. A bit thin.

2005 bottle - Pours deep, dark mahogany with a small creamy tan head. Licorice, wood, soy sauce, brown sugar, and light spice on the nose. Pretty much the same flavor--all the OSAs I’ve had so far have that really rich flavor that oscillates between savory and sweet. It’s odd as hell, but interesting. This one doesn’t linger quite as long, and seems to be a bit more mellow. Still, not entirely my thing.

Bottle 2009 with a Cupressus macrocarpa on the front. really deep brown/red mahogany colour. sort of sap aroma, taste is sharp grapefruit, pine, cinnamon/cloves, bitter after taste, dry(ish). Very christmassy i think, a good one for xmas morning, but just one.

Pours a near-black, reddish-hued body with a thin and quickly disappearing off-white head. Smell is mostly characterized by a strong herbal licorice scent very similar to the German schnapps "Unterberger". Taste is pine, spruce and roasted malts, with hints of coffee, cough syrup (again the herbal schnapps theme) and that particular kind of American hops that I don’t like, but don’t know the name of yet. Slightly bitter finish, with a small singe of burning herbal licorice. Not really my cup of tea, and very, very far from my conception of a Christmas brew. Still, for a 5,5 % ABV this is an enormously complex beer, and I gotta give props to Anchor for this accomplishment.

These spiced beers are not for me, I can take one but usually don’t want to drink more than one. Spiced quite a bit. Sweetness as well.

Dark brown. spicey smell. Spice and malt aroma. Some off-tastes. Should be a lot fuller. Good nonetheless.

Dark brown beer, off-white head. Some spices in the aroma, can’t put my finger on it. Taste is overpowered by mint... kinda weird. Interesting . Light body and pretty good carbonation.