Our Special Ale 2007 (Anchor Christmas Ale) - Anchor Brewing Company

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at Washington House, Sellersville, PA

A: Dark, semi-opaque brown, with a small, tan head that leaves a bit of lacing.

S: Spiced and fruity, with tones of caramel sugars and cherries.

T: Tasted about how it smelled. Very similar to Troeg's Mad Elf I though.

M: Smooth, a little bit syrupy, pleasant.

D: Easily drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

12-10-2010 20:03:22 | More by Rifugium

plaid75

New York

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a dusty brown hue with a two finger tan head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured Ginger and cinammon with some sweet malts.

The taste was upfront spicy and dry Sweet malts and some dark fruits appeared toward the finish.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style.

Overall a very nice vintage. Spicier than the 2008 despite being a year older. A nice year to age.

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2009 18:28:48 | More by plaid75

housten

Arizona

4.75/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A-Very dark brown coloring, with a hint of ruby. Medium head. Leaves a nice lacing.

S-Nutmeg, peppermint, cinnamon, cloves, roasted malt, and a little chocolate. Just like Christmas.

T-Roasted malt, little hops, lots of spice. Complex. Slight chocolate finish.

M-Spice up front. Some carbonation. Very crisp.

D-Very tasty, but it might be too sweet and spicy to have more than two or three in one sitting.

A great winter warmer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2008 19:39:08 | More by housten

champ103

Texas

3.45/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark brown with some ruby highlights around the edges. A two finger beige head forms and leaves sticky lace.
S: Roasted malt with some chocolate. Lots of spices and peppermint.
T: Again roasted malt and some spices. Peppermint and pine flavors that are still plenty strong after a year of aging.
M/D: A medium to full body, but just a bit over carbonated for my tastes. This is very easy to drink. Something I could session.

The peppermint spice flavor is toned down a bit from the 08. Though it is still really strong. I would have liked a bit more roasted flavor to come out. Still, a very nice Our Special Ale.

Edit on 12/31/09: I had another one a few days ago, and this is not aging as well as I would like. After two years, a prominent sour flavor prevails and not much else. Maybe light roasted flavors, but that is it.

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2008 05:10:47 | More by champ103

Bagman007

Texas

4.38/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap in a pint glass.

A- Very dark with a very thin light brown head.

S- Very sweet scent to it. Can smell the spices and a hint of hops.

T- Taste as sweet as it smells. Tastes different from most Winter Warmer's. Has a tad kick to it from the hops in the aftertaste, but definitely not bitter.

M- Tingly feel going down from the sweetness of the beer. Not too hoppy so it's easy to down.

D- Very drinkable. It's a sweet beer, but not too sweet. Definitely a beer you can have a few of.

Serving type: on-tap

12-13-2008 07:58:01 | More by Bagman007

aerozeppl

New York

4.1/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: A dark brown with some hints of copper. 2 fingers of white head with good lacing.

S: Christmas tree. A nice mix of pine tree and spices. Some sweetness.

T: Really nice christmas beer. Pine tree. totally powerful but somehow good. Some spices as well. The hops are very muted but provide some balance.

M: Very thick mouthfeel. Feels thicker than it is.

D: Can't have more than one but it is good. Look forward to this every year and it rarely disappoints.

Serving type: on-tap

12-08-2008 02:37:07 | More by aerozeppl

mrasskicktastic

New Jersey

3.15/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

A - Deep red with a large head, tons of lacing all down the sides.

S - Rum raisins, coffee and chicory.

T - Very dark charred flavor with some brown cinnamon, coffee and a bit of carob. Aftertaste is chicory, slightly burnt.

M - A tad harsh, thick, a little oily, refreshing.

D - It's okay. For some reason it was hard to take a second draught. The flavor was fine, but it didn't have me wanting more.

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2008 03:13:27 | More by mrasskicktastic

MrIncognito

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another one had on-tap at Tuskies in Leesburg, VA.

Not a whole lot of head, off-white. The brew is very dark brown, almost black with some reddish hues.

Smell is sweet malt with some dark fruit undertones.

Taste is nice and Christmasy. It has a dark roasted hop taste with a nice holiday spice.

Mouthfeel is smooth with tiny bubbles.

This is a very good beer to have during the Christmas time. I'm not sure I could session this beer with the holiday spice in it. I could see it getting old after #2. A must try.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2008 19:14:05 | More by MrIncognito

Tolann

Colorado

3.35/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Review copied from previous notes

A - Dark in color - mainly brown tone. Not much foam. Nearly opaque.

S - Sweet cherry, vanilla, and malt

T - Sweet and a little boozy, but not offensive. Maybe some caramel notes.

M - Light to medium body. Some dry after taste. Lively feel and small bubble carbonation. Has a fun feel.

D - Makes you kinda belchy. Easy on the pallet and stomach. Not too bad a beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-10-2008 03:39:56 | More by Tolann

HopDerek

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a very dark brown with red hues in the light, about 1/2 inch of thin bubbled tan head, and some lacing. Smells are wonderful, abundant, and a mixed medley of juniper, mint, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, chocolate, caramel, and dough. Tastes like eating a liquid wreath, lots of juniper and spruce pine up front mixing with cinnamon and other Christmastime spices before nicely balancing out with a big heap of malty bread, molasses, with a finish of licorice and chocolate. Medium-full in body with good carbonation. Smooth and creamy, but with a nice dry finish, this is one of the winter ales I look forward to the most each year, and it continues to be a little different each time, but always balancing nicely with the season.

Serving type: on-tap

01-08-2008 23:45:25 | More by HopDerek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

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

Pours almost opaque. Tan head. Very perfume like nose. Very full. Flavor is smooth with a nice earthy edge. Mild and beautifully bitter tones. Smooth feel on liquid and carbonation. Very nice drinker. Smooth, great character, and easy to drink. What more could you ask for?

Serving type: on-tap

01-01-2008 13:05:45 | More by RblWthACoz

Morey

Pennsylvania

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

One of the best holiday beers that I've had this year. This ale is very dark with a reddish glow around the edges of the glass. It has a nice thin off-white head on top that hung around until I got to the bottom of the glass (which wasn't very long).

This beer has a very light yet flavorful mouthfeel considering how dark it is. The holiday spices are very unique and feastive.

I could drink a few of these no problem.

Morey's Bottome Line: Definitely a beer I plan on purchasing a sixer of every year. A great winter warmer. I do wish the alcohol content was a bit higher though.

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2007 20:01:22 | More by Morey

dbalsock

Vermont

3.48/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

App: Darker brown with a darkish vanilla head that sits a nice two fingers in my pint glass. Some light lacing, about normal for the style. What really makes the appearance amazing is how the head stays even while I'm eating greasy buffaloo wings. It's a thick monster.

Smell: Very spicey with a caramelly background of a brown ale. I pick up some cinnamon and maybe some nutmeg, but i'm not so good with my spices.

Taste: The malty caramel flows nicely with the cinnamon and nutmeg (holiday spices) for the first half of the glass, but after a while It's too much and starts to taste unbalanced.

Mouthfeel: The spices leave an odd bitterness in the back of my throat that doesn't go away, but keeps getting thicker and more cloying, but in a non-sweet way.

Drinkability: The tastes and mouthfeel make it hard to sit through a pint, but I would definitely revisit this beer in smaller glasses regularly at the bar.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2007 21:08:53 | More by dbalsock

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I first tried this on tap at Toronado a little while back. It poured a nice dark brown/red, or as everyone else has chosen, "dark ruby". It made considerably more foam than last years did. The foam was almost a light brown color. It even laced the glass a little. Very nice.

The first thing I noticed about the beer was how strong it smelled. I remember the smell very vividly but until I read some of these other reviews I couldn't figure out what it was. Some of the flavors that make sense to me are Vanilla, Ginger, and Cinnamon. The first two are what I noticed in the aroma and all three seemed prevalent in the flavor. There was a little hop bitterness and a little spicyness from the extra added flavors. Much less "tree" flavor in this years beer. Very nice balance right now, very in your face.

The body was medium/heavy and it went down real smooth. We'll see what happens to this with time.

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2007 00:28:30 | More by t0rin0

drpimento

Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Not a huge fan of spice beers, but this one is substantially better than the rest. Pours with a big dark tan frothy foamy head. Plenty of lace. The spice is definite but yet balanced with some good bitterness. Some sweetness there too. The finish is good with the flavor not too heavy. Not quite a session beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-19-2007 04:23:38 | More by drpimento

MiScusi

California

3.3/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On tap at Lucky Baldwin's Delirium Cafe... Poured into a pint glass. The color was a dark molasses with a very minimal head due the bartender's pour. The smell was caramel malty mixed with a spiciness, but the taste was very heavy on the spices. I couldn't pick out exactly which ones but it felt very herbal or earthy, almost what I think chewing on a Christmas tree branch would be like. Body was fairly smooth, though pretty highly carbonated. I didn't really like the spices that were added to this. It's just not a flavor I really want to be drinking.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2007 07:18:33 | More by MiScusi

shivtim

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Gotta try anything with the word "special" in the title, especially if it's both seasonal, annual, and from California. What a marketing gimmick!
Served in a pint glass. Dark red/brown with a nice foamy head that subsides after a bit. Nose is like a verdant Tennessee pine forest on a chilly November night. Mulled cider and "festiveness." Taste is strong clove, nutmeg, and christmas tree bark. Mouthfeel is decent. Not sure if I would drink a ton of this stuff because of its potpourri nature.

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2007 13:38:45 | More by shivtim

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

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

Sigh... I have the utmost respect for Anchor products, but wish they would get off this "same but different" kick of making pretty much the same X-mas beer, year after year. Oh well, save that tirade for another forum...

The beer pours the typical winter warmer/brown ale color of brown with nuances of red. The beer has pretty good head retention and lots of sticky lacing. It looks quite impressive. On the nose one gets the usual aromas of clove, cinnamon, brown sugar and all spice. You feel as if you're smelling a hot toddy rather then a beer, but it's attractive enough. The flavors on the palate replicate the nose, superimposed upon a backbone of pretty sweet malt. There is also some nutmeg on the plate, but little evidence of any hops. The flavors are really pretty nice in this beer, though I find the mouthfeel to be just a bit weak and watery. The beer is very drinkable considering all the spice and moderate sweetness, though I'm not sure I'd want more then one at a sitting.

I guess the feeling at Anchor is why mess with success. This is still a very good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2007 19:40:47 | More by johnmichaelsen

Kadonny

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at a local restaurant poured into a pint glass.

A: A deep reddish brown color with a light brown cream colored head. A nice looking beer with minimal lacing.

S: A sweet malt smell with a hint of cinnamon spice. Not a lot of nose really, I was sort of disappointed.

T: Sweet malty flavor with minimal hops presence. A faint taste of spice like cinnamon with a deep fruity flavor. Very smooth with no hops bitterness and not a real strong finish. For me it needed a little more spice to make it a good winter warmer.

M: Good, no real hint of alcohol and a light body to it. Not really what I expected based on the appearance of it. To me, this was a session beer of a little above average quality.

D: Good, as I said not a lot of alcohol feel and this beer is quite sessionable.

Overall an average beer to me and actually I was a bit disappointed in it. This was my first try of the Christmas ale and I was really looking forward to it. This is not a hoppy beer and maybe that is why I was a bit disappointed, I wanted more flavor. I followed this up with a draft Anchor Steam that tasted much better to me. I should really taste this out of a bottle to see if maybe it will be better.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2007 16:45:27 | More by Kadonny

hoegaardenhero

California

3.95/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

the beer pours a deep opaque mahogany with a nice 1/2 tan/off-white head; you can tell just from looking that it is a spicy beer; smells of spices and ginger, just like a christmas ale should; tastes vaguely of coffee/chocolate malts with a huge spicy punch; so creamy and smooth; overall a beer that is great for the season but since it is so flavorful it is not one that you can drink too much of or that you could really drink any other time.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2007 22:01:40 | More by hoegaardenhero

fitzy84

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Moan and Dove. This Anchor was dark, with some amber shown in the light. There were fruity, spiced aromas that could be sensed from smelling it. Delightfully, the taste of blueberries remained the dominant and most apparent flavor I could come up with in describing this beverage. It did have a high carbonation so I felt very refreshed drinking this fruity, crisped drink. Overall, this was a relaxing drink for the winter season.

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2007 22:53:15 | More by fitzy84

oberon

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap last night at the Pizza Plant,poured from the tap a dep dark chesnut brown with tight formed 1/2 finger tannish colored head.Pleasant aromas and not as spiced as is years past in my opinion some noticable nutmeg and ginger spice but there was a nice earthy element to the nose along with a whiff of leafy hop.Again the winter spice mixture is lighter but noticeable with some nutmeg and orange cardamom(spelling?) notes with a racey ginger flavor hitting a little harder in the middle,slightly roasted with a drying earthiness in the finish.Anchor did well again with their annual holiday season brew,well done.

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2007 21:05:46 | More by oberon

Murchmac

California

4.13/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a more serious dark mahogany than most years.

Left with a finger high head of foam, which doesnt matriculate down the rest of the festive spirit.

This beer smells more jingle bell rock to me than the other holiday beers available. Spicy, minty, holly, jolly christmasy.

After having a cough drop, saltine, and a glass of water this beer tastes like the people say and more of a dark roasted (caramel, sugary taste), still has that nut taste complexion to it, mint? when drinking it, you feel, smell, and taste all of this beer.

Lingering, strong aftetaste. I always like this beer and this year is no exception.

I bet this one ages well.

Serving type: on-tap

11-10-2007 04:29:44 | More by Murchmac

msubulldog25

Oregon

4.2/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The 2007 label depicts the "Quercus lobata", or Valley Oak tree. I had the honor of drinking this beer from the first keg in Portland, Oregon, tonight (Bailey's Taproom); it was hand-poured by Bob Brewer of Anchor Brewing into a lovely commemorative glass, gold-rimmed and etched with the 2007 label's design.

A: Deep mahogany, tinted with ruby and clear around the edges. Too dark to tell if there's much carbonation or not, and still too conscious of my beer-geekiness to blatantly hold the glass up high and give it the thorough visual exam. Suffice to say, there's a rich and creamy half-finger of dense ivory head, trailing and lightly sticking with soapy lace.

S: Served at a perfect temperature, loads of spice and toasted malts rise from the glass. Smells spot-on like gingerbread, a bounty of nutmeg, ginger and molasses, with a rooty anise/licorice. Nothing too sweet or 'fake' about this spicing either; it's rich but restrained all at once. Fleeting orange and an earthy/peaty finish. I could smell this for a long, long time.

T: Hard to top that nice aroma, still this has a wonderfully dark roasted caramel malt structure, draped with light citrus and sprinkled with spices. Towards the end of the glass, warming causes some intriguing tart fruitiness (pink grapefruit?) to open up and a zesty ginger begins to take shape. Only enough hops to provide some malt-balancing bittering.

M: Creamy carbonation and medium mouthfeel. Dark roasts stay sugary and linger a while in the mouth, a little tingly spice. Modest amount of malt stickiness in the finish.

D: A fine ale, warm and delicious, with a remarkably low ABV for a 'Winter Warmer'. A savory sipper and certainly one easy to have seconds (or thirds) of. Anchor has a winner with this year's version; I'll be sure to get more in bottles and (I hope) more at the Taproom. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year indeed...

Serving type: on-tap

11-07-2007 03:59:40 | More by msubulldog25

lnashsig

Texas

2.23/5  rDev -44%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Many thanks to DING for the chance to taste this one- the first in a vertical that he kindly sent me last week. As I write this, I think about how ironic it is to be posting a review within a site that treated him very poorly and unfairly. Sorry Ding, this is where I review for now until I figure out something better or get off my ass and make a blog or something. Here we go:

Poured into brooklyn tulip from bottle. Pours a very thick and terrifically dark red/brown color. I noted the viscosity of this pour as it came out of the bottle. Great looking beer, and I'm ashamed to say that this may be the first time to ever have this one. Smell- so complex. I get port wine, chocolate dark fruits, some oxidation, and a weird beef jerky funky aroma. There is some sort of salty aroma. Some of this may sound bad, but its very complex and interesting. I'm thinking the port wine aroma is the dominant one. Taste- utterly bizarre. I get a watery backbone, some of that port/cognac flavor I detected on the aroma, but then it gets bizarre and a little unpleasant. That metallic/oxidized flavor hits me, as does the smoky/salty/beef like flavor. This is an interesting example of what happens to some beers over time (one would assume, because I have not had it fresh yet), but its a cautionary tale. I'll report back the next time I try another vintage for comparison notes.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 01:16:42 | More by lnashsig