Anchor Our Special Ale (2001 and earlier)
Our Special Ale, a dark, rich, heavily spiced ale with a recipe that changes with each passing year. -
The enticing ruby color is topped by a dark creamy head that emits both malty and spicy aromas with ginger being a prominent one. The full body is matched with complex dry and spicy flavors that produce a nice favorable combination before finishing on the dry side.
The enticing ruby color is topped by a dark creamy head that emits both malty and spicy aromas with ginger being a prominent one. The full body is matched with complex dry and spicy flavors that produce a nice favorable combination before finishing on the dry side.
3.6
444 reviews
San Francisco, United States
Community reviews
Pour from tap had little head. Smell like nutmeg, and taste like lots of nutmeg. Reminded me of toxicology class where i learned how bad nutmeg is for your liver. Or kidney?
Anyway the flavor let some hop taste thru, and some sweet.
1994 poured out if a bottle
Small tan head that lingers
Nose is malty with hits of prune and fig
Taste is slightly sweet, mellow, with a hint roast on the finish
No hop aroma or bitterness
Overall this beer has aged 18 years very nicely.
This beer says retired?? I had the Anchor Christmas Ale on draft at Mad Mex in Robinson. Black pour, small brown foam head. Aroma and taste of spices, ginger, heavy cloying sweetness, medium body. The spices really take over the brew, to me, it seems unbalanced. I know a lot of people enjoy this beer, it’s just not for me. Ignore my ratings on this brew.
Bottle 2012..pour darker than expected..fairly shocked by color and aroma..nose is quite intriguing with vanilla..pine tree..faint booze..bourbon undertone..shame that the taste is not on the same level as the nose..fairly bland and uneventful on the finish..thinner taste profile than expected..
nice spruce flavor with some cinnamon. red spruce like berry flavor perhaps a cranberry a bit tart and somewhat juicy but refined into the taste pattern. mellow with some toffee in vanilla. charmingly appropriate.
Aroma smells like gingerbread. Very dark mahogany black with a thin foam. Big ginger, resin and bread overtones. Some hops and caramel are noticeable in the back. Overall, it’s pretty straight forward. It literally taste like a gingerbread beer. It’s basic, but good. I’d give this a B- rating.
The ever-modified Anchor Christmas special came to me this year with a huge price tag, and was kept in far too cold a fridge. Not to be sampled below 9ªC as a rough estimate! The Brudenell didn’t give me such luck this time and the complexity was therefore lost quite a bit, but hey you got licorice, pines and mulled wine spice blends. It just quickly left the palette at that temperature. Have geared the rating conservatively towards that potential, like the humourless person I am.
Cinnamon, vanilla and pine aroma. Pours a very deep very dark jewel red. Light tan head. Caramel, cinnamon and pine flavor. Medium to light bodied. Hint of pine and crisp bitterness on finish.
On tap at Beer Temple as Anchor Christmas Ale. Poured dark with an off white head. Aroma of cinnamon over soft roast malt. Medium body, the cinnamon dominating the flavour (but not overpowering), some roast caramel malt and a dry finish.
Pours dark brown/black with tan head. Milky chocolate and coffee aroma. Rich and smooth palate thins a bit at the back, but also supplies enough of a coffee-flavored bite to provide balance.
This beer did me right two New Years Days Ago. Dark ruby. Nice head. Heavy clove. Great for holiday mornings. Spicy. Great for the right moment.
Bottle to tulip glass. Pours black with red accents and brown creamy head of half a finger. Aroma is spicy. Tastes of clove, nutmeg, and some roasted malt. Very spicy and a bit sweet.
Deep black with a thick tab head. Aroma is hoppy with some malt. Very smooth chocolate/ coffee flavor that finishes dry and bitter.
Thinker
Pours dark brown with medium frothy head. Aroma of carnation, bröd, orange peel. Taste is very spicy and bitter with carnation clearly present. Abrupt finish, body too light.
Dark brown, light tan head dissapates quickly. Nicely Roasted and spiced aroma. Should have let it warm up before tasting as the roasted flavor was a bit washed out due to cold temps.
---Rated via Beer Buddy
Bottle edition 2012
Very Good Beer.
It’s preatty like a classical belgian Christmas Ale that meets an english porter, so the flavourof Dark red fruits, liquorice, cinnamon without the alchool degrees....
0.355 bottle. Dark brown red colour. Offwhite head medium thick. Gingerbread , liqourice and roasted caramell. Perfumed taste with liqourice roasted aftertaste. Dry finish.
Draught. Pours a very dark brown with a moderate tan head. Nose is a little sweet with some malty notes to it. Feels very fizzy. Taste is a tad sour, actually, and has some caramel in it.
Did not like this beer, not sure of the high reviews, tasted like rotten old bubble gum. How does it have a 96 rating?
Ottle. Brown. Nose has dark maltyness. Gingerbread dough. Syrupy bread. Spicy. Body is medium. A bit dry. Spicy finish.
-- bb/h
Bottle at Mandalay.
Medium aroma with notes of, hay, smoke, soil.
Clear dark brown color light brown foam.
Dry taste, after taste of coffe and coco??
So so.
Bolton Brew Rocks !!
Earlier Rating: 11/13/2012 Total Score: 3.5
Bottle at Mandalay.
Medium aroma with notes of, hay, smoke, soil.
Clear dark brown color light brown foam.
Dry taste, after taste of coffe and coco??
So so.
Bolton Brew Rocks !!
Anchor Christmas Ale (I like the sound of that better) changes every year and it’s different than the first time I tried it. It was lighter and had a lot of spruce in it way back in the 90’s and it was radical for the time. This year (2012) it’s a beautiful crystal clear brownish garnet with a tan head and interesting roasted malt, wood and vegetal aromas. There’s a taste of something like sage or thyme in it that’s delicious. Light bodied yet it has a full roasted, chocolate malt flavor like a porter and a smokiness in the background. More spices that seem like cinnamon and nutmeg follow along with a woodiness and dryness that’s really nice. A little bit of vanilla seems to come through but the end effect is a light sweetness and dry woody cask flavors. Seems almost like an English style beer in the subtle complexities and flavors present. I got this as a single to see what it was like this year and I’ll be getting a 6 pack of this now!
Pours dark brown with no head. Aroma of holiday spices. Really tasty. Christmas spices, not bad, age ajad done this
Earlier Rating: 7/26/2012 Total Score: 3.5
Pours dark brown with no head. Aroma of holiday spices. Really tasty. Christmas spices, not bad, age ajad done this
First off, I am very particular about spiced beers (like this one)
I thought that the spice was a bit much, not overdone, but i think they could have backed off a tad. I think of gingerbread when i smell these styles of beer, and this one is no exception
This stuff is fantastic. Loads of flavour, lots of spices coming through and a tasty malt backbone that blends well. Surprisingly drinkable given the complexity. I wish I had a bottle as big as the one in the picture on BA!
Vintage 1996. Awesome extra received from calise1122 (BA) in a trade awhile ago. Huge thanks for this very unique beer, Brett!
Popped the cap, and spurt of carbonation fizzles out. Good sign. Poured into a pint glass, this pours a very thick, dark mahogany with a thin tan head on top. Some ruby shades to this foam. Retains weakly, and leaves little-to-no lace on the glass. Scents of old apples, prunes, figs, dates, leather, soy...you name it. This is crazy how much "flavor" is in the nose.
The body still retains a good amount of depth and good carbonation bite, almost a little harsh. I wasn’t expecting so much "bite" to this. I thought it would be mellow with no carbonation at all. Shows how much I know. Unfortunately, the flavor on this did not do it for me. I think this beer has gone past it’s prime. At first sip, I get a wash of old mushy apples and slightly tart cherries. I liked that first sip. As I continue to drink though, this becomes a musty, dry, vinegar-y, dirt-flavored soy sauce. I thought this had characteristics of a good Old Ale, but it became a drain-pour. I hate to admit it, and I very RARELY pour out a beer, but I could not get past the third or fourth sip on this one. This may have been good a few years ago, but it has lost whatever good characteristics were still clinging for dear life long ago.
This beer is heavy on the spices and is very off-balanced as a result. I smell nothing but sweer molasses and the flavor is heavy on gingerbread and molasses. Not a balanced, nor a particularly mouthwatering beer. I will not drink again.
Pours a good looking dark brown with a thick tan/light brown head. Smells spices (allspice/anise)...very much in the aroma of christmas. The spices come through in the taste, as well as some yeast flavors. A bit too watery on the palate for me...and the flavors kind of drop off at the end as well.
Unique taste....not for me.
A heavy beer, slow drinking. Almost has a hint of Christmas tree taste.
2010 Magnum courtesy of my neighbour Dale.
Darkest amber, big lasting rocky mocha brown head. Sweet dark roasted malt aroma, some herbs. Bittersweet dark malt taste, some dried fruit, spice and spruce hops. Finishes dry and bitter. NFL (Not For Lagerboys)