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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Version 2007. A dark brown colored beer, with a thick foamy dark beige head. There is a little aroma. Some spices and a little chocolate. The taste of caramel, fruits like a little sour cherries. There are flavors of chocolate with some bitterness. The aftertaste is a little sour with bitter.

Pours dark brown with ruby high lights,large tan head.Aromas of malts,cocoa,coffee and hops.light hop flavors and bitter dark chocolate coco are most noted.Over all good beer but no great.

2009 Version: My first review of 2011. The house is calm again, so I can relax and have a quiet beer, slowly. My football team won 6-1 today and 7-2 on New Years Day, so this is my celebratory drink for both games. Poured into my Westmalle chalice, the brown 355ml bottle had a best before date of 20 Oct 2011. Imported into the UK by James Clay and Sons. The beer was a lovely ruby red when held up to the light, darker in the dull lighting of my living room. The full cream coloured head soon left, leaving behind a small wisp and nothing else. The beer seemed to be in good condition, so I was suprised the head ’did a runner’ so swiftly. No great smells, some hints of coffee and malty molasses, expected more. The taste was all malt, well carbonated (again, why the disappearing head), with a hop roughness more than bitterness in the aftertaste. The 5.5% ABV sat nicely within the brew and could be found easily as the beer warmed in the glass, not so obvious when the beer was colder. I was expecting more to be honest, not a bad beer by any standards, but not the rich, creamy special I hoped for!

2012 version. Aromas of dark cherry, cinnamon, and corriander....some citrus notes. Dark red-wine in color, thick tan head. Strange lack of flavor initially. Barely there cinnamon, with some spiciness, finishes with slight cherry, then very dry at end. Tastes like a very weak stout with cinnamon. Wonder if this is a bad bottle.

(2012) Weird, interesting beer. Indeed, almost every aspect of the beer surprised me! Much darker than expected, though a lightly colored head. Necco wafers (!), berried hard candy and a touch of juniper in the smell, along with some mellow but certain root beer action. Summarily, smells like a root beer Necco wafer. None-the-less, not too sweet, nor junipery in the flavor. That being said, definitely on the sweeter side, but even as a guy who shies from such, I’m enjoying this one. Actually a pretty enjoyable flavor, if not a bit confusing. Indeed, this is a good example of a beer with a heavily accented flavor that is still well-balanced in it’s overall taste. Mouthfeel was a bit sparse, and aftertaste suffered in comparison to the flavor, but these weren’t detriments. My only complaint is that it never really occurred to me what I was drinking. Which, come to think of it, isn’t necessarily a complaint. Off to work on this very large bottle.

Malzig-fruchtiger, etwas scharfer und sehr würziger Geruch, der mehr verspricht, als das, was das Bier dann tatsächlich auch zu bieten hat. Malzig-würziger, aber noch milder Antrunk, minimal bitter. Später malziger und süßer, besonders die starken Gewürznoten, die im Geruch prägend waren, fehlen mir hier. Zum Ende hin etwas grasig und röstmalzig. Fast schon entäuschend. Test vom 27.6.2007, Gebinde: Glasflasche Noten: 11,8,8,9,10,8 - 8,55

Thanks Beer_Hawk!!! Pours a slightly cloudy dark brown color with no head or lacing. Aroma is slightly fruity yet roasty with strong hints of cranberries and spice. Flavor is roasty and bitter and reminds of an old (and very cold) cup of dark black coffee. The only thing that seperates it in the flavor from the old coffee is the slighty spicy/cranberry like flavor. The beer is smooth on the palate but is just to bitter for my liking.

Have had it a few times and never really got into it. Brownish pour and an interesting earthy, spiced aroma. Flavor is like an exploded spice rack with way too much earthiness. Still haven’t tried any really old ones yet.....

12oz bottle pours dark brown. aroma is of spice notes and i get anise as a flavor...the first taste was like the last one i had a few years back a licorice pine tree. i do not like this beer but others will disagree...

Appearance: Very dark brown. Little bit of head. Aroma: Spices, cinnamon. Malt. Even chocolate and fruit (dark). Taste: Spices. Malt and chocolate. Strong. Bitter aftertaste. Info: 355ml bottle, 31/1-2007, 140/500