Anchor Our Special Ale (2003)

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

very spicy, with flavors of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, very winter. Full bodied texture. Spruce and pine in the aroma as it warmed up. Very nice XMAS beer. maybe the best I’ve had.

Parallel tasting of 2003, 2004 2005. Thanks to Enniskillen for this bottle of 2003. Nose of malt, cloves, plums, and bananas; Very deep brown but transparent body; quicly disappearing small tan head; Flavor of malts, spices, and mocha.

Bottle: Deep black in colour with a long lasting, large tight tan head. Nice ruby highlights when held to the light. Lovely spice nose, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice etc. Some molasses there too. Sweetish chocolate notes in the start, along with some dry roast malt. Finish is long and full of spices. Some light caramel notes too. Silky smooth. Really tasty stuff. Cheers to Papsoe for this one!

tasted vs the 04 and 05. no contest, this was the best. very balanced spice-wise...ginger, cinammon, nutmeg. much more drinkable than 05, but with a fullness of body that 04 lacked.

I had this one after it aged for about two years. The aroma was nice with hints of hops, nutmeg and some cinammon although the nutmeg was most present. A rather sweet beer but very sublime in the mouth and silky. I think aging it a year helped it become a bit more complex and I’m sure it’s better now that it was in ’03.

This tasting speaks volumes for the value of aging a beer of depth and character. Tasted this alongside the 2005 version in late December of 2005. The same recipe, it seems, but 2 years mellowed out the sharpness and made for a smooth, creamy, spicy, well balanced delight. Aromas of clove, malt, nutmeg, citrus, banana, and vanilla. Somewhat thicker (tan) head than the 2005. Dark ruby-chestnut-brown in color. Flavors of clove, vanilla, toffee, licorice, molasses, raisin, hops, and pecan, with a bit more pronounced vanilla and licorice than in the 2005 (aging seems to have created the difference). The flavors blend well and the maltiness lingers satisfyingly. Warms up well, too.

Poured dark brown with a creamy/frothy light tan head. Aroma of gingerbread, cinnamon, butterscotch. Taste is slightly sweet buttery gingerbread, molasses, cinnamon, some acidity with a slightly dry biscuit dough finish. Somewhat restrained but balanced spicy ale.

Bottle
Pours a rich red/brown, with a nose of sharp herbs and vegetable. Flavor is like the ’05, but less intrusive on the tongue. Very sweet aftertaste, with hints of melon and berry. Palate suits. Overall, much better than the ’05.