Anchor Our Special Ale (2001 and earlier)

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

2000 bottle from Frumpty! 26 on cap! Nose of raisin pie like my Mom used to bake for my Dad and I with the fruit and spices; Opaque brown with a small cinnamon head, but it doesn’t last long; flavor of dates, caramel, spices, and some slight oxidized cardboard; Not bad for a seven year old beer!

you know i got comments about this beer. i like a beer that is thick and capable of any type of evening.

2001 bottle from the beer cellar. Pours murky dark chestnut brown with a creamy brown head. The aroma has woody pine, dates, murky cream and dulled toffee. Medium / thin body with minor carbonation on the finish. The flavor starts with funky caramel, pine trees and light sour traits. The finish is quite stinging and astringent with an earthy taste. An okay beer.

Big fat thanks to Joe at Corral Liquors on the IL side. Anchor verticle tasting(sans 2001) going back to 1997. 1997...Dark brown. Still lively with a molassis thick syrupy aroma. Alcohol prevalence. Sweet spices. Slight nutmeg. Full bodied and sweet with sticky spices. Nutmeg and ginger were two that I could discern. Piney sticky hop flavor. Candy sugar sweetness with a bready undertone. Definitely aged as the hops mellow and the edges get rounded off and the flavors meld together. 1998...Similar hue. Maybe a shade lighter. Sweet vanilla nose with a touch of cocoa. Definite alcohol burn in the nostrils. Sweet nose. Subtle slight fruity esters. Spicy hops. Fuller bodied than the previous. Notes of red lush fruit. Sticky cloying. Nice evolutionary alcohol burn. Lively effervescence with a cinnamon spice bitterness. Touch of brown sugar/cooked sugar. Long finish with a slight smokey ginger flavor. 1999...Livlier head and effervescence. Mellow cinnamon and ginger nose. Sweet sugary nose. Slight citrus nuance. Full bodied with more of a cocoa flavor. Dried red fruit. Figgy. Super sticky. Sharper spice profiles. Definite notes of ginger. Zesty. Most hop profile thus far. Thick dry malts. Spicy citrus hops. 2000...Deep ruby hue. Maple spices in the nose. Fruit cake aromas. Totally spicy. Rich and smooth. Dried red fruity esters. Long and sticky. Still the standard cinnamon and ginger. More spices and a bit heavier in the mouth. Wonderful opportunity that I was eager to participate. I guess that the rating will be a culmination of the multiple years. Whatever.

A 2001, aged 5 years. Chewed this more than the Christmas goose. My fiancee’s uncle spit it out on the floor, then said "I missed." What he missed is known only to him and his Special Ale. An Evander Holyfield kind of beer--not the greatest, but respectable.

I will rate the year 2000 one as I am too fucking lazy to rate every one I have had. I bought a six pack of the 2000 which I still have one. It went from a gross beer to an okay beer, to an oxidized in that amount of aging. I have had several vintages since and I would buy this product again. Page 24 Michael Jackson’s GBG only 199 Classic Brews to go.

Brune très foncée. Mousse brunâtre peu abondante. Forte odeur d’épices. Très mince en bouche. Goût de fumé. Très effervescente à l’attaque avec une pointe d’amertume.

Magnum bottle (1998). Purchased in 12/06 at Brickskellar in Washington, DC. Pours a dark, bubbly brown with a toasted head. Smells a little vinuous, malt, spicy. Taste is spicy, heavy caramel malt, and also soy sauce. Probably a little past its prime, but a nice treat nevertheless. Love the spices and the high ABV (well, it is now). Merry Christmas.