Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

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

Pours mahogany red, with a nice lasting head and lacing. Nose is pure pie spice with some vanilla, and s’mores. The body does not quite match up and fails to substantiate the aromas. There is weak backbone and a body that could be stronger and bigger.

2007 ~Pours into a dark, reddish, black colour. Big 1 inch brownish white head. ~Smells like nutmeg and cinnamon. Smells spicy and good. Reminds me of warm egg nog.~ Taste is creamy with a bit of spice and a touch of malts.~ A great holiday brew! Looking forward to this one for years to come. 2008 ~Pours black with big fluffy off white head. 4 ~Spicy nutmeg scent, some vanilla. 8 ~Spicy flavor. Bitter. 3 ~Good brew, but not as good as last year. 16 Tried an aged brew from 2006 in 2009. Gets more malty and brown sugary with age. Still delicious.

Listed as the 2007 Christmas ale. Pours very dark brown, with a thick tan head. I’m not sure what style this beer falls under. Sweet and malty. Very heavy. Finishes cleaner and dryer than anticipated. Not too special.

I’m not a huge fan of this beer when it’s fresh. After a bit of age on it it comes around nicely, but aside from that issue it’s not a bad beer. Aroma is holiday spices, like cinammon and nutmeg, some clove and allspice wrapped up in a caramel bow. Appearance is dark brown, cloudy with some red edges coming thru the light, a nice one-finger thick head. Mouthfeel is a touch watery. Flavors were mostly an uncharacterized sweetness, perhaps caramel but the spices really make this hard to distinguish. A tasty beer for sure, but as I said after 1-2 years this beer really hits it’s peak. Looking forward to trying the ’07 in ’09.

Great brew! Dark brown pour with a huge thick head and great lacing. Holiday spice of cinnamon and ginger and a decent amount of hops. A very good winter brew.

2007 12oz bottle. Nice winter ale, medium body, complex flavor, ginger with a touch of cinnamon. Slightly minty bitter finish.

Poured an attractive dark brown with slightly off-white head that dissipated fairly quickly. Aroma is a bit spicy and also malty. Taste was okay, nothing really stood out to me, except there seems to be a mint flavored finish to it. Beer is very smooth and easy to drink, but the flavor is just not really my cup of tea. Not bad, but I have to say I’m a little disappointed.

2005 Vintage This beer pours a dark brown color with a bubbly tan head. Lacing stuck around for the entire glass. Aroma was nice with hints of all kinds of spices, nothing over the top. Has strong taste of ginger and spices, and tasted a bit like eggnog. I was hoping for a little more of a punch out of this to help warm up the night. Beer was fun to sip on during a cold night, but one was enough.