Anchor Our Special Ale (2001 and earlier)

Formerly brewed at Anchor Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
San Francisco, California USA

Anchor Christmas 1988! 20 yr old bottle. Now I know what my son is in store for...bland old beer. Haha, JK. Actually not bad. Amber color. No oxidation. Mellow flavor. Drinkable. Held up very well. Cheers, and a huge thanks to whomever brought this old gem.

A light and thin, yet potent beer. Lots of bittering hopes and also sweet malts.At first I wasn’t so sure, but as I finished the beer I grew to appreciate it. Overall a different and tasty brew

1994 Vintage thanks to Paiste2002 (Drank January 1, 2009). Pours with a muddy brown body and a wisp of off-white head. Murky, red highlighted, brown body. Aroma of sherry, raisins, plums, more raisins and toffee. Taste is leather, tobacco, raisins, sherry and jam. A bit thin on the mouth, with light carbonation. Still quite drinkable!
AR:8; AP:4; F:7; P:3; O:15; TS:3.7
2000 Vintage thanks to Paiste2002 (Drank January 12, 2009) Pours with a small, off-white head that fades over a murky deep brown body with some red tinges that leaves some lacing and film on the side of the glass. Aroma of port, chocolate, oxidation, toffee, and light spice with a hint of licorice. Taste is port, oxidation, caramel, and spice. Very easy to drink compared to some other vintages (even more recent). A bit thin on the mouth, with light carbonation.
AR:7; AP:3; F:7; P:3; O:15; TS:3.5
1997 Vintage thanks to Paiste2002 (Drank January 12, 2009). Pours with just a trace of head over a murky dark brown body (Darker than the 2000 by a noticeable amount). Aroma of port, honey and raisins. Taste is nuts, raisins, oxidation notes, sherry and tobacco. Light bubbles and a bit thicker mouthfeel than the 2000 Vintage.
AR:7; AP:3; F:6; P:4; O:14; TS:3.4
1992 Vintage thanks to Paiste2002 (Drank January 23, 2009), Shared with the Dallas Crew. Pours with a small off-white head and a murky brown body. Aroma of plums, yeast, unmai, sherry, cobwebs and a touch of smoke. Taste is menthol, raisins, smoke and plum. Oxidized, but still very drinkable. Very thin mouth but still some carbonation. Great amazingly old beer!
AR:8; AP:4; F:7; P:3; O:15; TS:3.7

1992 bottle, courtesy Paiste2002. The cap pops with little carbonation and pours a deep red with no head and leaves a gunk on the bottom of the bottle. Has lost no aroma, with a powerful cinnamon, nutmeg and malt, very good. No real carbonation, has a thin body and more holiday spice and ginger flavor. Even without carbonation it is still drinkable and quite tasty. Thanks again to Wayne for this! 2000 vintage. Reddish brown pour with a thin tan head. Cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate and toffee aroma. Light chocolate toffee, sweet malt Xmas spice taste. Finishes with a slight bitter bite. Very flavorful and aged perfectly, outstanding.

1996 bottle I got to taste at Heritage Liquor last night. Poured a very dark, almost dirty red color. Overall aroma was rich and warm. Flavor was amazing, very full of spice and richness that held up well over the last 12 years. Thanks for sharing this aged gem guys!

Bottle from 2000. Pours dark brown with a frothy brown head. Still has plenty of carbonation after eight years. Aroma is of malt, spice, ginger, & bread. Light oxidation in the smell. Taste is of strong spice, malt, cinnamon, & yeast. There is very light oxidation, but it is covered by the strong spice. Very thick malty taste. Held up well in the past eight years. Has a nice earthiness now, with only the lighest amount of sediment in the bottom of the glass.

Very nice holiday offering from Anchor! Pours dark brown with a thin white head and a little lacing. Very nice complex aroma and palate. Lots of bread, but with a nice hoppy bite on the finish.

boy howdy. this is a holiday beer done right. lovely and complex, and not one of those syrupy concotions with overblown nutmeg and cinnamon messes that most holiday beers usually are. i taste the clove and ginger, but some pear and apples and even coffee and breadiness with some dark carmelization overtones. it has a hoppier bite than most holiday beers, but it doesnt drown out the other flavors. its been beautifully balanced. the mouth is left with a buttery finish and bit of the hops, but some warm banana and vanilla and a mild spiceness. i bought just one bottle on a lark, but i will need to go back and buy some more as this one is a keeper to stow away for later tastings. seriously quite impressive.