Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

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

Bottle from Systembolaget, 09 version. Dark brown, large tan head that collapses fast. Fine malt, fruit and berries. Figs, raisin, nutmeg, gingerbread. Smooth. A hint of sourness in the tail.

Bottle. 2008. Pours dark brown with persisting beige head. Aroma is herbal with pumpernickel, pine, nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander and clove. Flavors of chocolate, malted milk, toast, wood smoke, juniper berries, orange, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mouthfeel is soft and smooth. Finishes with subtle hop bite and spice. A very kind brew.

Tap at the Bell House, Brooklyn. Pours a dark, almost black maroon with a medium, off-white head. Sweet-smelling aroma: lightly roasted malts, caramel, some spices. Flavor is rich and varied with strong notes of sweet, dark fruits, candies like licorice, and some slight maltiness. Also hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Really, pretty dynamic. Medium bodied with decent carbonation, the beer is easy to drink. Quite good; stands apart from the crowd.

bottle, pours black with a tall light tan head. Aroma is mollassis and carmel. Bready malts and a sweet sherry like flavor that ends with spices that taste ruhbarb and licorice. Interesting flavors, very original.

Dark, very dark almost black like ruby red color on the pour. The aroma is giving me spices, nutmeg, juniper berry, and coriander. I taste all sorts of things, cherry, plums, juniper berry, orange peel, nutmeg. This beer definitely reminds me of Christmas. Lighter bodied beer. Nice lacing but not that much head to speak of at all. Still nice though definitely recommend this one.

Bottle, Rehills, Ncl. Fruit cake, plum pudding, spices and bubblegum are all apparent in the aroma. A bittersweet, slightly tart flavour, with a spiced, warm aftertaste. Some citrus creeps in, combined with sherbert. Has a dry finish, with some plum and cherry also noticeable. Deep red appearance with a faintly tawny coloured head. Another goody from Anchor.

2009 bottle sampled fresh. A very good year for Anchor OSA. The beer is a mix of trees, pine/spruce/juniper, spice and malt. There are really more flavors in this beer than your average winter warmer, but Anchor continues to make them all mesh together. There are notes of vanille, cardamom, nutmeg, pine needles, cocoa powder, rum, malt and toffee. The taste starts off sweet but finishes fairly dry. The mouthfeel is creamy and good. It’s one of the best Winter beers around, in my opinion.

2009 bottle from Beverages 4 Less ($2.79). Pours dark with garnet highlights and a nice layer of tan foam. Wonderful aroma includes spices (clove, cinnamon, nutmeg), forest (spruce, juniper?), sweet holiday fruits (raisins, maraschino cherries), and molasses. Kind of reminds me of a really great holiday fruitcake. Many of the same elements from the nose appear in the flavor as well, most notably the spice profile. There is also a burnt toffee flavor that is prevalent. Unlike some others, this definitely lives up to being a "Christmas" beer. And it’s sessionable! I may get another bottle and see if this ages well.