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Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

Percentile
91
overall

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
10433.56/5.03.56/5.0Winter5.5%94.9Lager glass, Tumbler
Commercial Description:
This is our special ale from the brewers at Anchor. It is sold only from early November to mid-January. The Ale’s recipe is different every year, but the intent with which we offer it remains the same: joy and celebration of the newness of life. Since ancient times, trees have symbolized the winter solstice when the earth, with its seasons appears born anew. <br /><br /> Editor’s Note: due to the significant similarity in style and strength from year to year (despite potential differences in the exact spice blend), this beer is no longer separated by vintage.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
bearbear (1), Los Gatos, California, USA
does not count click to see why this rating of Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later) does not count
2.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/56/102/58/20
Nov 25, 2009  
I am very disappointing in the holiday ale this year. The nose is similar but lighter than years passed. The beer is inappropriately light bodied and the taste beyond the spice notes is very bland.


 patrickfannon (307), Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/515/20
Nov 25, 2009  
Bottle. 12 oz. Split with James. Pours deep brown amber with a thick, quickly fading off-white head. Aroma of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, yeast, roasted malts, and hints of pine. Medium bodied with a nice, smooth, warm mouthfeel. Clean finish. Good seasonal brew.


 drjay44 (776), Salida, Colorado, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/105/513/20
Nov 25, 2009  
2009 vintage. Pours a light mocha head, with some lacing, over a clear, dark brown (SRM 35) body....nose is coffee, vanilla, nutmeg, light allspice, clove.....taste is caramel, coffee, vanilla early, evolving into mild clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger......mouth feel is thick and creamy, carbonation low. The spices are there, but done with a light hand, so that the malts and hops are not overwhelmed as in so many other of this genre.


 alagnak (335), Littleton, Colorado, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/514/20
Nov 25, 2009  
2009 version. Nose is Christmas in a glass - coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, molasses. Flavor is more of the spices upfront (like a cold, slightly yeasty chai tea), with a darak caramelly slightly roasted flavor underneath. A little strawberry shows up as it warms. Body is just a touch on the watery side. Pretty decent stuff.


philbertk (39), Seattle, Washington, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/519/20
Nov 24, 2009  
Remarks 2009 12 oz. Bottle Lacy rich foamy thin tan head.Clear dark bright rich copper bronze red color.Thick pour.Roasted toffee nutneg clove vanilla hop front.Full bodied dry sweet roasted toffee fruit complex spice body.Dry crisp spruce hop winter spice end.Classic Winter Seasonal. 5.5%


TreborWhip (83), Reading, Pennsylvania, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/57/103/515/20
Nov 23, 2009  
12oz bottle poured into a tulip glass produced a thick, foamy, tan head with almost black body. Sweet aroma of chocolate and molasses. Taste is complex with hints of brown sugar, caramel, toffee, and spices. Very pleasant and light seasonal ale.


 coldmeat23 (233), Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/56/103/515/20
Nov 23, 2009  
Vintage: 2008 Pours a very dark, amber tinted, brown color. Comes with a two-finger head of dense chocolatey colored foam. Great retention and great lacing, too. Smells almost sweet. Nice caramel malt presence. Big notes of brown sugar and toffee. Smells of cherries with a hint of strawberries (!). Holiday spices of cinnamon and nutmeg. Dryer than, and not nearly as sweet as, expected. It’s actually quite subdued, compared to the nose. Almost bland. The spice notes are fairly overpowering. Ginger is the dominant one. Light cinnamon and clove. Slight hint of peppermint. Hints of dark molasses. Malt base is buried, deep. Everything just cancels each other out, and no flavor gets its chance to shine. Medium body. Very smooth and slick. Easy to drink, but there’s not much to it. Very drinkable, because there just isn’t much going on, inside this glass. Anchor is generally one of my top christmas brews, every year. I’m kind of let down by this one. At least when it’s still fresh. I’ll try it again, later.


tennessejed420 (75), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/104/514/20
Nov 22, 2009  
12 oz. bottle, 2009. Pours an obsidian black with frothy beige / khaki head. Aroma of malt, caramel, bubblegum, smoke, butterscotch. Medium bodied. Taste is has slight bitterness, mimics aroma except roastier. Overall good, exactly what I wanted to be drinking tonight.



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