Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

Brewed by Anchor Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
San Francisco, California USA

2007 - Slight black cherry and cloves on the nose. Some spice and burnt sugar, but not quite enough sweetness to balance the bitterness. Seemed thin. Not terrible, but there are much better winter/holiday ales out there.

Pours almost opaque. Tan head. Very perfume like nose. Very full. Flavor is smooth with a nice earthy edge. Mild and beautifully bitter tones. Smooth feel on liquid and carbonation. Very nice drinker. Smooth, great character, and easy to drink. What more could you ask for?

2005 I was looking forward to this one since purchasing it last winter as a closeout. I drank one right away (I should have reviewed it looking back) and it was great. Nice and hoppy. Since this is supposed to age well, I thought, why not. Let me tell you why not. Pours Dark brown with decent carbonation and a strange colored head- almost a hint of green(?) to it. Aroma was way too much juniper. I couldn’t figure out what I hated about it until reading a few reviews after tasting and then it hit me. That’s all I could smell and it was hard to get anything else but there were the usual dark fruits and other spices. The flavor didn’t offer much more than the aroma. Too much juniper on the nose. The mouthfeel was nice though. Lighter than expected and lively carbonation. All-in-all, a dissapointment. Next time, I’ll drink them fresh. Live and learn.

Absolutely delicious. Other "Christmas" beers I have had can’t compare. Aromas and flavors of everything one would expect from the season, alternating with each sniff or taste. Aggressive, yet soothing.

Tastes like Christmas in a bottle….Christmas of 2007 that is….. Poured into a snifter with an espresso like appearance, a light brown head topped off this impressive looking beer. Smelled like warm gingerbread cake with hints of candied orange peel. It’s what you’re kitchen should smell like, at least once in December, preferably on one of it’s coldest days. The same gingerbread found in the nose, translates well into the taste as it mixes wonderfully with holiday spices, finishing with a subtle bitter orange and hoppy trail. The rich, velvety mouth feel was definitely substantial, but that’s ok. This beer was made for sipping. The holiday spicing and subtle sweetness of this ale makes it a great pairing with a holiday ham. Aged white cheddar or Port-Salut cheeses make a great accompaniment. Enjoy…..

2007 bottle. Pours a dark brown with a foamy tan head. Aroma is spicy with cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon. Chunky mouth feel and way too much clove taste. Not my thing at all – didn’t finish it.

I’m sure this would be great if you like the flavors they used, but I just couldn’t stand it. Liquorice, cloves, and some other spices I couldn’t distinguish.

Poured into a snifter. Nice dark opaque color that appears black until you put it in front of a strong light, in which case piercing garnet hues emerge. Exemplary 3 finger head of fluffy tan foam reaches up to the rim of the glass and as it recedes, leaves tons of intricate lacing. A distinct Jagermeister/licorice note in the nose, along with a nice spiciness, maybe cinnamon. A medicinal herbal flavor comes through a curtain of dark peaty malt, a bit like Jager and a bit like cough syrup. Some hop bitterness complements the spices. Notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. Dry finish on the tongue, but the rest of the mouth is syrupy. A nice warmth comes through as the glass gets shorter. It would be easy to drink several of these on a cold winter night.