Anchor Our Special Ale (2002)

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

Cold 12oz bottle: Pours a clear dark red color with a minimal amount of tan bubbles that totally dissolve and leave no trace. Cinnamon and other spices, rich malts, notes of dark fruit (plums?) and some alcohol. Smooth, with medium carbonation and a medium to full body. Ending is of subtle earthy hops, some spice and sour notes.

Bottle from Richard (irishboy) from a long time ago. Pours out just like any other Anchor OSA - brown with a reddish hint and not much of a head on this one. Smell is spicy, cinnamon, some nutmeg, and a tad bit of malt. Hops are gone from this one. Actually I felt it may have been a tad past its prime but it was still decent, like every other OSA. Thanks Richard.

Thanks to ross for sharing this! Poured dark brown with little to no head, ross had to pour fairly agressive for the beer to come to life at all with a head. Aroma is a whole spice rack of cloves, nutmeg, and cinnimon. The taste is very sweet with all the spices coming out and mild bitterness to finish. Still, for 4 years of age not bad at all.

Pours dark brown with a large (two fingers thick) tan head. Still a lively beer after 4 years cooling its heels. That head is quite lasting and creamy with just a bit of craggy surface. The aroma consists of cloves, rum cake, nutmeg, mace and hints of other unidentifiable aromas. Very intruinging and inviting aroma. <P> Fore is sweet rum cake followed by a range of spices and some cocoa, chocolate, caramel, burnt/roasted grains and a hearty baked pumpernickle finish that yields a dry sweetness in the far finish. For a 5.5% abv beer this stands up AMAZINGLY well to 4 years of age. The palate gets a touch watery in the finish and is the only real negative, but it’s not crazy thin. Damn nice.

Pour is a deep brown color with smallish tan head. Aroma notes of chocolate, cloves, vanilla and dried fruits were apparent. Flavor profile were much the same as the aroma but it had a spicyness that I found very likeable. Excellent beer.

Pours a dark, dark brown with a light tan fizzy head. Aroma of caramel, spices, hints of bubblegum and tea. In the mouth, it starts strong with more caramel and spices, maybe morphing to butterscotch. Reminds me a little of Celebrator. Finish is a little thin.

12oz bottle via trade with irishboy! - Thanks Richard! - Pours dark brown with a creamy tan head that stays well and laces down the sides of the glass in layers. Aromas of spice, chocolate, caramel, and roasted malts. Flavor is good smooth chocolate, nutmeg, pumpkin and some mild hops on the finish. Medium body with a fair amount of carbonation. Pretty tasty brew here..

Again, dark brown and clear. Creamy tan head. Well put together alcohol, chocolate, spice, wood. Sweet butterscotch hard candy. Not so dry sweet spice. Again pretty good.