Anchor Our Special Ale (2002)

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

A little over a year ago, prior to rating, Beerdrenched and I did a vertical of OSA and this was the least impressive of the bunch. Now I’m going through and rating them and I think this will still be at the bottom. Pours dark bronze with a surprisingly large dark orange head. The aroma is woody (not hoppy wood), spicy and smooth with some dark malt and butter. Medium body that is smooth and crisp with some minimal sharp carbonation. The taste starts with wintery woody goodness, but there is some sourness involved. The finish is really sharp and sour. This was fine and held up fairly well for four plus years, but I wish I would have rated this one a few years back as it didn’t seem to be the best at aging.

GREAT beer i had 2002 maybe im rating in the wrong spot not sure but really good bought 3 weeks ago a 2002 bottle in burnsville MN at bluemaxx try one very strong lots of ABV very drinkalbe GRAB ONE NOW!

Part of a verticle tasting (97-00, 02-06) Deep ruby hued. Spicy nutmeg aromas. Strong and zesty. Nutty with a good cocoa flavor. Lively with a good hop profile. Piney sticiness. Slight port nuance. Long and lingering. Relatively, this was the old of the newer. Still retained alot of its original components, but was on the brink of evolution. In my opinion, I caught this brew at its zenith!

Dark brown with some red hints and a tan head that started kind of big and ended as a ring. The aroma contains some nice spice notes, a bit of cinnamon. However, the aroma also has a ton of age on it and has a rusty pipe hint to it that at some points overwhelm the aroma, and other times is hidden in the background. The body is just as I remember all other OSA’s to be, but has some graininess to it. The flavour is mixed, like the aroma, between some gross old rust and tons of Christmas spice, gingerbread, and such. I think 4 years is a but much as far as age is concerned on this one...

Pours out a clear dark brown with about half an inch of tan sudsy head. Nice lacing. The aroma is perfumy - smelling of mincemeat spice and a little molasses. The flavor is both spicy and malty, I taste nutmeg, ginger, molasses cookies, and a little white pepper. The finish is dry, with nutmeg, licorice, and a little allspice. Medium body with excellent carbonation. Overall, a bit too spicy for having more than one in a sitting, but still a good beer.

Tasted this after the 2003. Pours a little thinner, and also the head is less pronounced and with little foam. Shows age. Aroma does as well, not showing much but malt and the typical christmas tree smell. Taste is watery, with savory worsteshire sauce and sweet pine sap. Can’t help but recognize some dry dog food, mealiness here. Probably my least favorites of the style, sin gusto

Bottle. Pours a dark amber colour with a tan head. Sweet malty spicy aroma. Dry and very spicy bitter flavor. Lots of pine flavor. Dry spicy finish with a nice bitter aftertaste.

Courtest if Irishboy, thanks Rich. I am celebrating Christ-mas in my own way. Split in two into sampling glasses. Pours black with a small tan head that quickly fades into a small lacing. Aroma is pretty strong with minty pine. Taste is kind of empty with a somewhat medicinal flavor. I will say that the carbonation in the mouthfeel is still rather strong and makes the beer feel lighter. Earthy mint finish. Low Bitterness.