Our Special Ale 2004 (Anchor Christmas Ale) - Anchor Brewing Company

twelvsies

Maine

4.4/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2004 batch, enjoyed on tap at Sunset, winter 2005. Appears very dark, opaque brown in color, with a thick and healthy head. Frothy and bubbly. Very inviting. Aromas all over the place. Robust, roasty malt provides a sturdy base for an array of sweet fruityness and candy spicyness. Really complex. Dark fruits, winter spices, and just enough herbyness and mustyness in the hops to balance, with out stealing the show. I could go on and on trying to describe each flavor in this brew, but that could take awhile. A bunch of goodness. Check it out. I can't wait til the 2005 comes out to see the difference in a fresh batch. Cheers.

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2005 17:06:07 | More by twelvsies

danadeny

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had on tap at Anam Cara on new years eve. This is my first time trying this beer so i cant compare it to the bottle form. A fellow BA who also had it that night said it tasted off from what the bottle form tastes like. The difference was the lack of christmass type spices and flavors (which i agree with)that are present in the bottle form.

Brown body with an average head. Great hops smell, floral hops that remind me of a DFH 60 or 90. Taste nothing like a christmass type beer, then again i am not sure it is supposed to. Tastes more like a well hoped brown ale, hops taste just like they smell and a good roasted malt up front. Mouthfeel is a solid medium body. Drinkability, could be a good session beer, depends on how much you like hops.

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2005 15:35:48 | More by danadeny

Southernbrew

Georgia

4.22/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Taco-Mac near Ellard.

Pours a lovely dark brown color with a hearty tan head.

I would describe the aroma as dead on for a winter beer. Strong nutmeg smell, faint pine tree, and possibly weak chocolate as well.

Taste is dominated by spice but none is overpowering or off-putting. A piney flavor starts it off that blends with a ginger flavor as well as a weak sweetness. Finishes off with a hearty spice flavor, maybe ginger or cinnamon as well as a plesant brown sugary sweetness.

Very fine winter time ale. My first experience with it and certainly not my last.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2004 15:32:44 | More by Southernbrew

carln26

Missouri

3.88/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had this on tap at Bukowski’s in Cambridge. It poured from the tap a deep brown to black with a thick tan head and a sprinkling of lace. The aroma has spice and just a touch of roasted malt. Hops come out in the flavor not the nose. The taste has more spice and more of the roasted malt. No big alcohol punch (which is good!). Slightly slick mouth feel I originally was unimpressed by this beer, then on the train ride home, as I reflected on the winter ales I had today, I became more impressed with this beer. The balance of malt that it provides. The lack of an alcohol bite, and the mild addition of the spices makes this beer one to stand out in the crowd. Anchor has been doing this for 30 years, and I applaud their effort, both in how it pushes the envelope, and how it restrains.

Serving type: on-tap

12-12-2004 21:28:23 | More by carln26

rousee

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark coffe-like caramel color--almost black-also resembling molasses. Leaves very little head with a moderate amount of lacing. It has a sour smell up front but then a real syrupy-malt with some buttery characterstics too.

It maybe one of the best winter warmer style beers I've had. I remember previous years of this also being very good but there seems to be a huge difference in taste depending on whether it comes on-tap or from a bottle. Much better on draught. It has the slight sourness on the front again and then there is a nice cinnamon clove pine-sap taste to it. Very appropriate for this style beer especially since it is not overdone as some examples of this style are. Even the bottled version of this might be a little too sappy and spicy but the draft one is cleaner or less sticky. Also has some malt character through the middle and finish. While it does finish with some stickiness--it is quite pleasant and mellow--not overdone.

The mouthfeel is a mix of sweet pine and cinnamon with a very pleasant sappiness.

The drinkability is a little beter than average. This beer is not attempting to be a session beer so its hard to properly rate it. Two of these would be enough unless it was brutally cold outside and you're having these in front of a fire. Then maybe 3 or 4 would be just fine.

Serving type: on-tap

12-12-2004 13:50:43 | More by rousee

IceAce

California

4.58/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Ah yes...how I love the Holidays!

Dispensed from the faucet into a Libby straight-sided pint glass with a suede collar of foam that stood a full ½ finger above the top edge of the glass...simply a spectacular presentation. Body is a ruby-mahagony color reminiscent of centuries old furnature.

Aroma is complex...like Aunt Rose's kitchen when you walk in Christmas morning. Spices rule the nose; nutmeg, corriander, and cinnamon with a deep malt and beautiful yeast presence.

The first taste reveals itself as deeply roasted malt quickly followed by well-rounded flavors reminding me of plum, nutmeg, and applejack. The finish is extremely dry showing just a little muted pine. The taste lingers long after the finish with fading spicy warmth.

Can't wait to pair this with a nice slow cooked pot roast.

Serving type: on-tap

12-09-2004 20:45:40 | More by IceAce

crookedhalo

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a cola-brown color with a light brown colored head. Aromas of gingerbread, pine, cinnamon, all-spice, and some roasted caramel malts. Initial sip starts out with a neutral darker malt flavor and then the spices commandeer the remainder of the experience. Treacle and molasses, pine tar, gingerbread, a little cocoa, cardimon, nutmeg and a touch of anise all come into play with the spicing aspect of the beer. Light, woody astringency in the finish. A very nice and a welcomed improvement to last year's batch, IMHO. Thin, yet very drinkable in moderation. I can't say I'd drink many back-to-back, but one always does the trick.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2004 06:47:04 | More by crookedhalo

Boilermaker88

California

3.7/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled the latest Anchor X-Mas ale at the Stuffed Sandwich. This year's vintage sported a dark blackish-brown color with only a modest, sputtering tan head that quickly settled down to a small cap and collar, leaving only light patchy lace. Not what I expected. The 2001 vintage had a better look to it.
The smell had a distinct piney hops character - lots of spruce needles. Also present in abundance were the usual line-up of spices Anchor employs; clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and molasses. Least detectable (at least to my beak) was the malt profile.
The taste had a moderate toasted malt flavor and touch of candy sugar sweetness up front. This morphed to an amalgam of spices that held sway until overrun by a somewhat harsh resinous pine and citrus rind hops bite. The flavors didn't seem to flow as seamlessly as in previous editions; rather, they jolted and bumped from one to the next without blending too well. The feel was lighter than in previous years, a touch thin and crisply dry.
Overall, the 2004 OSA has started off a bit slowly out of the gate. Still a decent brew, it doesn't quite measure up to it predacessers. In its youth, Anchor X-Mas Ale's tastes haven't started playing well together yet, like kids on a schoolyard. Perhaps it will improve with some time in a cool, dark place - the beer, not the schoolkids.

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2004 05:52:34 | More by Boilermaker88

Sean9689

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared at Alex's Birthday Bash.

A - Looks like all the other Our Special Ale's.

S - Light spice, dark fruits, figs, oak, caramel. A little more spice then previous years, which helps create a bit more complexity. Not quite as smooth with the sweetness though.

T - Similar to the nose. Spices, sweetness, dark fruits. Tastes like a spicy brown ale to me. Finish is sweet brown sugar.

M - Light body, good carbonation, dry finish.

O - I preferred the 2001 version to this beer, but still decent. I like the addition of the spice to this one but would rather have the smoothness of the 2001.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2012 18:05:29 | More by Sean9689

DoubleJ

California

4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Where was I when this beer was released in 2004? For starters, I couldn't drink legally. I was in my first year in college. I only had alcohol on two occasions up to that time. And perhaps most strange when I look back at it, I thought that wine would become my forte among alcoholic beverages. I never thought that I would be interested in beer, let alone re-checking my vision to see if those were indeed 2004 vintages of Our Special Ale that I picked up a few weeks ago. Christmas Day is winding down, so let's pop the crown of one of the bottles, and on to the beer:

The "pfft" sound coming out of the bottle is a good sign of things to come. Its color is very dark brown, nearly black, with definate ruby brown hues. The head forms ½ inch thick, and settles to a creamy lace which kicks up spotty lace. There's a lot to like from the aroma. There's powdered cocoa, spotted dick, a little nutmeg and ginger. All around pleasant.

I've recently had the current 2011 edition, and this tastes like a mellower, rounder version of that. Plum pudding, molasses, dry cocoa, assorted drying spice. A little bitterness builds and finished off the beer with a spruce note. It's medium bodied with low carbonation yet a moderately silky texture.

The individual pieces are very good in Our Special Ale 2004. That helps make it a heck of a beer. Now what should I do with the other, unopened bottle?

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 05:23:36 | More by DoubleJ

seanyfo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.93/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

2004 bottle poured into nonic pint glass

A- aggressive pour produces 4 finger mocha head sitting atop a black body with no light perception. Head retention and lacing are very good.

S- gingerbread. For our Uk ba's, it's like liquid Old Jamaica ginger cake

T- spice up front - ginger and nutmeg. Toasted malts come through with a vinous streak running throughout.

M- low carbonation and a bit thin in the body

D- overall, I'd say the flavour profile has held up well although not having the beer fresh it's hard to tell how it's aged. Nevertheless a nice presence of spice and a solid toasted malt profile with a full body/fresh carbonation this would be excellent

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 20:48:24 | More by seanyfo

oline73

Maryland

3.4/5  rDev -16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a large bottle into a 4 oz. tasting glass at Max's Christmas in July event.

Appearance: Pours a murky brown with a some red coming through when the light hits. There is a layer of light tan head that leaves a ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell: Malty with notes of caramel and brown sugar and some mild spice.

Taste: Very malty with lots of molasses and brown sugar flavor but not too sweet overall. Some holiday spices with a bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with very mild carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: Perhaps a bit past its prime. The spice has faded, mostly malt. I'm glad I got to try this.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 21:04:40 | More by oline73

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -21%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in a Half Acre shaker pint glass.

Big thanks to whartontallboy for helping me finish my vertical!

The Sixth Day of Beermas... It pours a murkily opaque black-brown topped by a healthy tan foam. Best-looking offering thus far. The nose comprises light mint, chocolate, cardboard (corrugated, o' course), nutmeg, brown sugar, light molasses, ginger, and stale Rice Krispies. The taste comprises fishy cocoa, fig, light green apple, ginger, nutmeg, and some more o' that cardboard. The body is a Stimpy medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a grainy feel. Overall, another step in the right direction, but there's still a good amount of ground to be made yet.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2010 02:30:40 | More by TMoney2591

Vdubb86

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Served in a pint glass

Thanks to TMoney2591 for this beermas gift.

This beer pours a deep dark brown with mahogany shades and a nice beige foam. The smell is of brown sugar, caramel, butterscotch and a little bit of older oxidized whiskey. The taste is a bit like old cold coffee with a tint of whiskey in it. It's not really all that good and I'm sure that is due to the fact that it is past it's prime. This starts out ok and fades to a dryer acidic mouth feel that is pretty nasty on the palate. It's not that pleasant to drink, I'm happy this was a split bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2010 02:29:14 | More by Vdubb86

MPLS

Minnesota

3.33/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nabbed a few random "Christmas beers" of older vintages a while back and this one seemed to be calling me before I went to bed. This bottle has 5 years on it and honestly have not tried any of the other vintages of this beer.

A: Pours a dark cocoa with a head that almost edges out of the 12 oz snifter glass. Carbonation still in tact just from visual inspection. Some rainy day lacing, nice ring atop the glass, opaque color.

S: Raisin, caramel, cardboard, but mostly a lot of spicy juicy fruit/warped citrus.

T: Mellow natured beer @5.25 ABV this may be pushing the boundaries of cellaring for this one. Up front the beer has cocoa + juicy fruit that is followed by some spiced cinnamon cardboard. There is something about the finish of this beer that doesn't sit well with my palate.

M: Medium-bodies and it certainly can't be the alcohol level that makes it spicey, Lower carbonation, more so from extended aging.

D: Above average offering here. A great looking beer that has some promise in the nose, but the finisih didn't quite seal the deal for me. Alcohol is masked completely and a mellow beer with a spicy earthy juicy fruit element to it.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2009 10:30:06 | More by MPLS

Lothore

California

3.78/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours a deep, dark brownish hue with a nice, 2 finger frothy head.

S- Sweet, brown sugar notes, hints of raisin.

T- Lots of roasted malt, hints of sweet brown sugar that fade off into nothingness.

M- Thin with low/medium carbonation

D- This may be past it's prime. Looked and smelled great but carbonation was a little low.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2009 08:13:45 | More by Lothore

Floydster

California

3.78/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle purchased from Stuffed Sandwich in San Gabriel for five dollars and some change a few months back, drank on 2/11/09, reviewed from notes, poured into my Humboldt pint glass, color is a nice dark brown with a one inch beige creamy head that lasts over five minutes, some lace too, aroma consists of earthiness, nutmeg, roasted malts, dark cocoa, cinnamon, burned caramel, and clove, taste is caramel first, then roasted malts and chocolate in the middle, tons of spice in the finish, lots of clove and cinnamon, like how this evolved since the last time I had it, nice mixture of bready and roasted malt, along with a large amount of spice, mouthfeel is spicy, earthy and roasty, medium bodied, decent level of carbonation, taste lingered well, also warming, could drink a few of these, not too filling, alcohol is well hidden, this particular year has aged nicely and I look forward to drinking more of it down the road, recommended

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2009 04:13:14 | More by Floydster

far333

Connecticut

3.9/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A bottle stashed away in the cellar. Pours a dark chestnut brown color with some ruddy highlights at the base of the glass. A medium thick head of light brown foam rises up to a half inch and settles out slowly.

Low aroma of raisin, prune, and spruce.

Flavor fairly matches the aroma, prune and fig upfront with hints of cocoa. Resiny spruce notes line the finish.

Even mouthfeel, full and rich with a tingly finish. Amazing how well this holds up over the years.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2009 23:37:06 | More by far333

jpaltan

Texas

4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice and dark with an egg shell head that sticks up top. Lots of lacing. I'm surprised by the head on this 4 year old beer. Smell is much better than the 07. A much gentler nose - more fresh ginger than anything else I can pick out. Taste is malty, with a good hop in the middle with a touch of nutmeg or other spice in the finish. Much better than the 07 imo. mouthfeel suffers from lack of carbonation, but could be b/c of age.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2008 22:26:00 | More by jpaltan

tmoneyba

Ohio

4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle found at Village Pub in Covington, KY.

Poured dark reddish brown color with an average frothy light brown head that lasted with good lacing. Good complex sweet spicy aroma. Medium body with a sticky texture. Good sweet dark fruit spicy flavor with an average sweet finish of moderate duration.

Complex good brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2008 01:15:06 | More by tmoneyba

Halcyondays

California

3.38/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle at Naja's Place,

A: Pours a murky very dark brown, almost black, with a light cap of tan foam, very much a mysterious look.

S: Notes of dark malt, light fruit - fig, cola, and some winter spices.

T: Intersting mix of malt and berry flavour. Definite pine needle character. Sugary element in the end with some cinnamon.

M: Light carbonation, nice spicy feel overall, oily.

D: This is a good beer though I think it has already peaked. Nice one to drink and the oldest OSA I've had, if you see a bottle check it out.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2008 02:26:17 | More by Halcyondays

nick76

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Wow this one really tastes like a Christmas beer. It has a dark color, the smell is of sweet nutmeg and ginger as well as malt. The taste is very sweet and spicy with nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, clove and ginger. The flavor and aroma are very complex and each time you taste it you will get something new out of it. Overall a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2008 02:29:52 | More by nick76

hopdog

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I tried 5 vintages on tap at the Stuffed Sandwich ('00, '01, '02, '03 & '04). The '01 was my favorite with the '00 a close 2nd. Nice subtle, malty, caramel aromas and tastes. Molasses. Light spices. I'm glad I had the chance to compare the 4 vintages on tap.

NOTE: did a tasting on 1/15/05 that included years '87, '90, '94, '97, '98, '00, '01, '02, & '03. The '02, '01 & '94 stood out as the best of the bunch. The '94 had a nice whiskey taste to it that the others did not. I thought the older vintages held up well over the years.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2008 18:29:06 | More by hopdog

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a deep, dark brown body with a full, though quickly thinning, light beige head.

Smell: Earthy, smokey dark maltiness, some chocolate and caramel with notes of aniseed, nutmeg, cinnamon, and even allspice.

Taste: Dark malts with minor hints of sweetened cocoa and dark caramel. There's still a big sprucy spiciness present, but it's definitely died down over the years. There's still a dull, earthy bitterness surrounding the maltiness. Touch of fruit, along with citrus and candied ginger in the background. Wisp of smoke. Drying finish with a lingering taste of spiced cocoa powder.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium low carbonation.

Drinkability: A pleasing wintery treat from yesteryear.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2008 01:42:53 | More by ChainGangGuy

thekevlarkid

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sampled this four year old bottle at American Flatbread during their Christmas in July promotion (Thanks Kristy!). Not much tan head out of the bottle and it faded in a scant thirty seconds. The color was a very dark, wood-stain brown almost like black coffee. Surprisingly, the thin ring of bubbles around the lip of my glass did lace a little. Aromas were of sour cherries, sweet malts, spices and egg nog. Wild. The flavors were delicious, gingerbread, cloves, bread y malts, hints of wheat and the high alcohol esters lend a brandy-like quality to the brew. This tastes just like Christmas, uncanny! I'm sure it's good fresh but it's great aged.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2008 18:02:46 | More by thekevlarkid