Anchor Our Special Ale (2005 and later)

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

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.

Pours very dark brown, With a thin beige head. excelllent, smells like fruit and raisin bread. Almost like christmas bread. Bold full flavour. Lots of malty sweetness with a bready. Very fruity with notes of cinimmon. This is a great Christmas beer, !

Pour from a 12 oz bottle froma 6 pack bought at Gil’s Market, Cooper Michigan. Deep dark appearance with a thin tan head. Aroma of spice malt, and brown sugar. Nice flavor with clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon overtones. Spice is not overdone and is a compliment to the ale, not the primary focus. Sweet with a bit of molasses in the flavor. Sweet at the start with a pleasantly bitter / spicy finish. Very solid palate. Great for sipping by the fire or with a good holiday meal.

2009 is by far the best Christmas Ale in 20 years. The amount of spice has been drastically pulled back to create a much smoother ale. Just the right blend of clove and nutmeg. No bad aftertaste. Goes great with a honey baked ham with the fixins.