Anchor Our Special Ale (2001 and earlier)

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

[Vintage 2001, BBE Oct-03, Sampled March 2005] A brown beer with a huge dense brown head. The aroma is sweet and spicy containing notes of wood, musk, lavender, and cocoa. The flavor is sweet and very spicy with notes of pine (though not nearly as much as in the newer versions), wood, lavender, and musk. The mouthfeel is a little flat.

(Bottle 35,5 cl) Vintage 2001. Thick, almost tar-like black beer with a generous brown porter-like head. When I had this the first time I wasn’t impressed. But either the beer or my tastebuds has changed! Extremely full, reminiscent of a Stout with it’s characteristic burned aroma in good balance with the more fruity notes from the ale-yeast. Spicy - but from what I do not know. Apparently Anchor changes the recipe every year. Surprising that this beer doesn’t contain more alcohol - it appears stronger.

Very dark brown. Nutmeg aroma. Malty, spicy and and rather sweet. Medium bitterness. I find this years version to be more balanced than previous years.

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: January 08, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Ale Atlanta
Vintage: 1988
Appearance: clear dark amber, fine beige head
Aroma: strong spicy aroma, sweet caramel, strong spruce, light oxidation
Flavor: sweet caramel flavor, strong sweet spruce, lots of balancing spicyness
Overall: holding up amazing well

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: December 03, 2009
Mode: bottle
Source: Ale Atlanta
Vintage: 1988
Aroma: sweet caramel and spruce aroma, sherry coming through stronger
Body: body has very low carbonation
Flavor: chocolate and caramel flavor still hanging in there, touch of spruce, light spices

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ** /4

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: December 03, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Ale Atlanta
Vintage: 1989
Appearance: clear dark brown, wispy beige head
Aroma: light sweet caramel and chocolate aroma, light spicyness
Flavor: sweet caramel and chocolate flavor, light spicyness and spruce, fairly oxidized, light bitterness

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ** /4

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 22, 1995
Mode: Draft
Source: Taco Mac, Sandy Springs
Vintage: 1995
Aroma: slight smoke aroma, high carbonation, smoke, spice
Flavor: caramel flavor, very dark

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 24, 2005
Vintage: 1995
Appearance: still pours with a thick fine tan head
Aroma: sweet allspice aroma
Flavor: a hint of oxidation in the aroma and some more wet cardboard in the flavor, very creamy, good but faded chocolate flavor with some well balanced spices, some spice induced bitterness in the finish

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Score: *** /4

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 11, 1996
Mode: Bottle
Source: Sherlocks, GA
Vintage: 1996
Appearance: very dark ruby red amber, thin tan head
Aroma: strong spicy aroma of clove, nutmeg, cinimon, and maybe a touch of spruce
Flavor: strong malt flavor with a complex spicy finish

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 24, 2005
Vintage: 1996
Appearance: still a nice pour with thin tan head and nice lace
Aroma: a bit of wet cardboard in the aroma
Flavor: nice light chocolate flavor with muted spices, only a hint of spice bitterness in the finish

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: August 27, 2006
Vintage: 1996
spice bitterness is making a comeback

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Score: *** /4

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 13, 1997
Vintage: 1997
Appearance: dark brown, whispy head
Aroma: strong sprucy nutmeg aroma
Flavor: really strong spicy flavor, lots of spruce, bitter spice finish

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 24, 2005
Vintage: 1997
Appearance: still pours with a nice thin tan head
Aroma: light sweet malt aroma with a touch of cinaman and allspice
Body: thining body
Flavor: slightly oxidized chocolate malt flavor, light spices but still a flavorful bit of spruce, nicest pre Y2K of the 95-05 vertical

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: August 27, 2006
Vintage: 1997
spices have turned into a big bitter edge

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Score: *** /4

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: December 13, 1998
Mode: Bottle
Source: Total Beverage, DC
Vintage: 1998
Appearance: dark brown, whispy tan head
Aroma: strong cinamon and nutmeg aroma
Flavor: rich malt flavor, light spices, touch of bitterness, no trees, much more subdued than in past years

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 23, 2005
Vintage: 1998
Aroma: sweet malty aroma, hint of ripe fruit, subdued spices
Flavor: malt flavor with a nice bitter spice finish, chocolate is fading, body has thinned

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: August 27, 2006
Vintage: 1998
continues to thin and flavors fading more than prior years

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Score: *** /4

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 25, 1999
Mode: Bottle
Source: Sherlocks, GA
Vintage: 1999
Appearance: dark ruby red, whispy tan head
Aroma: rich malt and spicy malt aroma
Flavor: malt flavor with spicy bitterness, a bit more spicy on draft

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: February 15, 2004
Vintage: 1999
great spicy aroma with nice sweetness, boring one dimensional malt character, where did it go?

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 23, 2005
Vintage: 1999
Aroma: slightly bitter malt aroma
Flavor: good rich chocolate malt flavor that fades, light spices, touch of tartness on the 2nd pass but gone by the third

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: August 27, 2006
Vintage: 1999
the chocolate is continuing to fade but not gone yet

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: December 03, 2009
Mode: bottle
Source: Ale Atlanta
Vintage: 1999
sweet caramel with a fruity wine character, just a touch of chocolate, light spicyness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Score: *** /4

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 29, 2000
Mode: Bottle
Source: Sherlocks, GA
Vintage: 2000
Appearance: dark ruby red, whispy tan head
Aroma: spicy pine aroma, rich malt
Flavor: lots of bitter chocolate flavor, touch of spices that get stronger and bitter as it warms

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: February 15, 2004
Vintage: 2000
Aroma: slightly spiced rich malt aroma
Flavor: good rich malt flavor with the spices turning into a nice bitter finish

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 23, 2005
Vintage: 2000
Aroma: very light malt aroma, only a hint of spices
Flavor: great rich malt flavor, nice light spice character, hint of sweetness, a bit oxidized

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: August 27, 2006
Vintage: 2000
still some rich creamy chocolate character hanging in there

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.9/5.0
Score: ** /4

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 22, 2001
Mode: Bottle
Source: Sherlocks, GA
Vintage: 2001
Appearance: dark ruby red, whispy tan head
Aroma: spicy pine aroma
Flavor: rich malt flavor with subtle and slightly bitter spices that get stronger as it warms, keeps getting milder as it warms, chocolate malt is much more pronounced in the draft version

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 29, 2003
Mode: draft
Source: summits
Vintage: 2001
while cold it’s a nice brown ale or porter with decent chocolate character, a cight bitter finish begins to fohm about halfway through, chocolate continues to assert it’s presence without the spices ever coming on strong

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: February 15, 2004
Mode: bottle
Vintage: 2001
a bit thin with a bit too much spicyness, got out of balance

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 23, 2005
Vintage: 2001
Aroma: very light malt aroma
Flavor: nice chocolate malt flavor, only a hint of spices, very mellow, some sweetness begins to show up

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: August 27, 2006
Vintage: 2001
still nice chocolate with mellow spices, some oxidation as well, spices are starting to turn into bitterness

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Score: *** /4

The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.

So everyone else is talking about the 2001 and I’m just getting to the 2000. Oh well, I didn’t think too highly of this particular vintage - excessive ginger, burnt raisins, kind of thin.

Dark amber color. Strong malt aroma, caramel. Malt mouthfeel, very strong caramel (the strongest of all the beers I have ever tasted) just supported by some bitterness (not enough for me). Ordinary palate.

(2001) Deep dark ruby brown body, with small beige head. Aroma is ginger and malty, with some nutmeg. Flavor is malty, somewhat burnt caramel. Sweetens as it warms, but never gets cloying. Medium body and moderately syrupy.

2001 vintage. Off white creamy head. Delicious berry fruit aroma. Full bodied. Complex taste with hops, coffee, roasted malt and red berries. A little bit smokey and just a hint of sourness. What a great beer!