Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

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

Bottled. A pitch black beer with a slight brown shine under a huge brown head. The aroma is sweet with strong spicy notes among them strong notes of spruce and cardemomme - a bit too much for me. The flavor is sweet again with strong notes of spices - especially spruce and cardemmome, but then a note of roasted malt joins in, and combines with the spices to give it an extremely dry finish.

(Bottle 35,5 cl) Vintage 2005. Pours a very dark brown with a reddish tint and a fine, light brown head. Very delicious aroma - spicy almost cola-like. Medium body with very roasted - but never burned - malt accents and some spices although they’re hard to pinpoint. The finish is dry. Lovely. 280607

35.5 cL bottle. Pours dark brown to black with a quickly diminished tan head. Dry malty, roasted and with a light spice touch and somewhat wineous wooden. Roasted malt flavoured, quite dark and dark wineous fruity too. Light bitterness coming into the finish along a mild fruity hops note. Solid bitter and roasted acidic dry finish.

Bottled. Very dark ruby, rich firm off-white head. Spruce aroma. Medium sweet with clean mouthfeel. Spices are evident - spruce needles, cinnamon and nutmeg is what I get. Hops lay unerneath togehter wih ligtly roasty malt. Due to the clean mouthfeel the body feels light. Finishes with medium bitterness.

Bottle. Clear amber / brown color with a small virtually none lacing off-white head. Aroma is modereate to heavy malty, licorice , dried fruit, vintage, alcohol. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and light bitter with a average duration and dry finish. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft.

Bottle. Very nice and powerful malty aroma. Very nice, dark brown colour. Very small head. Malty flavour, a bit of a citric note. Creamy mouthfeel. Very nice, but the citric notes give me a feeling of beer brewed on maize.

Bottled (2005 Vintage). Dark brown colour, small beige head. Aroma is spicy, fruity and malty. Plummy and malty flavour with spices kicking in. Spicy finish and aftertaste. 8 4 7 3 15.

Bottled (2006 Vintage). Deep brown colour, mediumsized brown fluffy head. Aroma is caramel malts, plum,some sour wood as well as mild spicy notes. Flavour is sweet malts, some fruits, mild raisins and mild smoked sour wooden notes as well. 7 4 7 3 14

Bottled (2007 Vintage, thanks omhper). Deep ruby brown colour with small beige head. Aroma is raisins, sweet malts, along with spices and some mild notes of yeast. Flavour is bready malts with some spices and raisins as well as yeastyness. Also some dark dry fruits in it. The aftertaste is fruits and quite richly roasted malts. 7 4 7 4 15.

Bottled (2008 vintage). Deep rubyish brown, close to black, colour, mediumsized beigeish brown head, that leaves some lace. Aroma is spices, caramel malts and quite strong licorice and coffeeish notes. Flavour is spices, caramel malts, mild leather as well as licorice. Feels like it needs a bit mellowing to get more balanced. 6 4 6 3 12

Clear brown coloured with a beige head. Aroma of liquorice, chocolate and spices with notes of orange peel. Flavour of liquorice and chocolate with notes of spices and orange peel. The palate is a bit watery.