Anchor Our Special Ale (2003)

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

Right in the middle of a verticle tasting. 1997-2006 (sans 2001). Lighter body comparitively. Still a nice deep ruby hue. More of a malty sugary toffee nose. Lively effervescence. Most thus far. Plummy and other deep dark fruit. Bitter hop profile. Fruity esters. Lively with a 7-Up ness. Citrusy and thick. On the cusp between fresh and aged. Could go either way, but still retained a lot of the fresh qualities. Gold metal winner of the evening. Perfect blend between sharp freshness and mellow melded aged brew!

I caught the aroma immediately upon popping the cap - nice. After pouring it into the glass, I smelled it again, and caught the spice and chocolate scent. Nice pour, a good two-inch head of tan foam. A creamier foam remained throughout the whole glass - sort of like a Guinness head hangs around for the duration. Very nice. Lace sticks around for a while after you tilt the glass. The beer slides easily beneath the foam to your mouth - no mouthful of foam. The color is a clear dark brown with ruby red ’highlights’ when you hold it up to the light. I detect a spicy, roasty flavor. Piney in a way from the hops, but thankfully no juniper! The spiciness that I caught in the aroma tastes to me like chocolate, cinnamon, and perhaps nutmeg. Maybe even coriander? There is a bitterness there that I don’t think comes from the hops - sort of a roasted grain and unsweetened chocolate bitterness. There is more chocolate, alcohol, bitterness, and something else - maybe nutmeg again - in the aftertaste.

Vertical with the 2002 (had ’05, ’01 and ’98 in the last couple weeks). This pours thick, dark brown with a nice head. Not overly large, but while you move it a little in the glass it froths nicely around the edges. Smell is rich malt and pine. Taste is full-bodied, consistency is thick. Sweet malt with savory spices and hops. Really a different beer with some smokiness. Probably my favorite of the years.

Get a lot of smoke in the aroma.Pours dark with a slight reddish tint.The flavor is a lot like smoked beef jerkey.Mouthfeel is a little thin with a meaty finish.

Another bottle courtesy of Irishboy. This one pours with a much bigger tan head but still dissipates quickly. The lacing is pretty large. Aroma is nice with some sweet chocolate and an underlying mint pine. Taste is sweeter (I am comparing with the 02) with a hint of roastiness. This seems to have held up much better.

Bottle. Very sweet beer. Drank in 2006. Creamy flavor with a slight hint of nutmeg and cinnamon.

Draught > Gingerman. Excellent brew. Good mellow creamy palate & flavor. Good balance of all flavors; not overpowering with spice and spruce flavor. Some nutmeg flavor comes through which I totally dig. Will order another later this week!

From bottle. Pours a rich, dark brown with tightly foamed tan head. Nose is intriguing, gingerbread, spruce, molasses, and maybe some bubblegum. Flavor is lightly molasses, with some bitter pine in the finish. Palate is smooth but a little thin. Very interesting beer.