Anchor Our Special Ale (2004)

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

Pours a muddy brown, with a rocky tanned brown head. Heavy malt and loaded with winter spice. A little too overly hopped and piney. Not a great combo with the dark and heavy malt texture of this beer. Felt it was too heavy, especially given that I bought a 1.5 L magnum of this for a Christmas party. No one, including myself, was impressed. I did buy a second one of these, however, my cousin accidentally drank it during a drunken binge while house sitting my flat. Owell. Sampled from a 1.5 Magnum bottle purchased in Washington, DC

A 2004 bottle opened at Plan B in Copenhagen. Jet black and viscous, with thick tan head and sticky lacing. Smell of soy sauce, liquorice and pine needles from the Christmas tree. The festive theme carries through to the taste, with distinct piny notes, aged wine, bitter chocolate and soy sauce. However, like a Xmas present from your grandmother when unwrapped this beer disappoints, with a rather non-eventful palate which left thinking this may have been better drunk fresh. However, this beer did inadvertently lead me to Plan B’s owner Nils, who took me down his cellar to dribble over his collection of vintage Rouges, Averys, Thomas Hardy Ales and Cantillons from 99 (to name but a few). For this alone I will remember this beer with affection.

12 oz bottle. Dark red brown body with a thick, light brown head. Roasted malt and vanilla aroma. Sweet, bitter and roasted flavor with well balanced character of herbs. Dry bitter aftertaste. A nice harmonic beer for the winter season and whenever you feel for it.

Aroma: sourish sweet malt, rich yeast, dried spices, chocolate, wort, vanilla, dried strawberries.
Appearance: extremely dark brown. Brownish, porter-like head, diminutive bubbles.
Flavour: mm, very mature, good bitterness, wortbread, old raisins, pretty dry but full-bodied, slightly burnt, some sourishness, some mineral aftertaste, slightly vinous
Palate: good body, round, soft.

Thanks papsoe. Dark, intenst brown color with light brown head. Chocolate, roasted malt, licorice, some blackberry and coffee. Nice body and complexity.

Bottle at Plan B. Very nice - I like it a lot. Very dark brown - offwhite head. Chokolate, malty, roasted, bread, some spices. Light finish.

Bottled. Pours almost black with a medium sized head. Nice roastedness with notes of malts, oranges, cloves, ryebread and pines.

Havde i mellemtiden drukket noget dejligt øl som jeg glemte at rate, dag jeg snakkede for meget. Vi er nu nået til Plan B, der er stopfyldt med svenskere som Jacob forsøger at drikke under bordet. Der var også et par andre øl-gale. Farven er sort med råhvidt skum. Dufter af jul og lidt rugbrød. Der er også appelsiner og grantræer. Smager brunt og brændt og også af tørrede frugter. Denne juleøl kan jeg lide. Tak for anbefalingen til Dixen.