Anchor Our Special Ale (2002)

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

Bottled (thanks Degarth!). Deep amber colour, not much head. Aroma is spices, raisins some coffee and chocolate. Flavour is mildly oxidized, caramelly, quite hoppy and mild malts & raisins.

At a recent Champaign-Urbana Beer Club meeting, mamabeer and her papa provided a vertical tasting of these special ales from 2001 through 2007. Thanks Nancy and Tom. This 2002 was like a holiday fruitcake (and I love a GOOD fruitcake). Poured dark chestnut with a robust tan head. The aroma was spice, fruit, chocolate, caramel, well, as I said, a fruitcake in the best sense of the word. Same elements held in the flavor with a nice spicy finish. Nice treat.

2007 edition. Nice aroma but thin mouthfeel and bitter taste. Not as big as the inviting seasonal aroma would promise.

Dark brown pour with an off-white head. Ginger and allspice aroma with hints of nutmeg. Spicy with a roasted finish. Medium body.

Had this beer on 12/3/2002. Color is a deep rich solid brown, no light comes though. Good carbonation and thin head. Taste is rich and very spicy. WOW. Starting with a medium body that goes down with a strong spicy feel. Finish is almost too much to explain, full of coriander and spicy with a nice roasted taste. This is far more flavor than they or anyone else has put into a charismas brew.

On cask at the Gingerman in Houston in 2004. One of the best beers I’ve ever tasted. I think I would call it a porter more than an ale, because of the wonderful chocolate aromas and flavors that intermingled with the spices and citurs. Pours a deep red-brown with a nice head. Sits medium-full on the palate with gentle carbonation. Very well-seasoned, as you can imagine, sitting 2 years in a cask. Tastes of chocolate, nutmeg. Nicely malted. The chocolate really comes through with warming.

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 26, 2002
Mode: Bottle
Source: Bullock’s
Vintage: 2002
Appearance: dark ruby red, whispy tan head
Aroma: heavy spiced aroma with spruce, nutmeg, allspice, and a hint of cinamon
Flavor: rich malt flavor, lots of spice, after warming the malt character really comes out with lots of chocolate, only a hint of bitterness

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 29, 2003
Mode: draft
Source: summits
Vintage: 2002
Appearance: wow
Flavor: big chocolate flavor, spices have receeded into a unique bitter finish, hint of liquorish coming through in the aroma and flavor at the end

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: February 15, 2004
Mode: bottle
Vintage: 2002
Aroma: nice mild chocolate malt aroma with a touch of spices
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, touch of sweetness, nice blend of spices

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: July 15, 2005
Mode: draft
Source: summits cumming
Vintage: 2002
Aroma: chocolate cover pine needle aroma with a wide array of spices
Flavor: lots of sweet spicy pine tree flavor, lots of rich chocolate, lots of complexity, more chocolate than bitter, one amazing brew
Overall: the pine is making a comeback being stronger than the last couple of years, unusual for the osa which usually continues to mellow

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: August 19, 2005
Mode: draft
Source: summits
Vintage: 2002
big pine aroma and flavor still present like last month, lots of spice bitterness

Name: Our Special Ale
Date: November 23, 2005
Vintage: 2002<br

12 oz. bottle via trade with IrishBoy - Pours a brown color with a one finger thick tan head. Light lacing. Aroma is strong spice (nutmeg, allspice). Flavor is roasted malt and spice with some redsidual sweetness. Palate is slightly dry with a slight lingering aftertaste. Medium body. To be honest, I think they all taste the same. I guess I need to try a vertical to see the difference. A good beer. Thanks Richard.