Our Special Ale 2011 (Anchor Christmas Ale) - Anchor Brewing Company

gkatsoris

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a 2006 bottle!!!! baby!

A: Clear okay brown. Thin whispy head that went away straight away.

S: Cherries. Clove. Cinnamon. Pine tree. Apple pie. Apple cidar. Fresh baked crust. Stewed peaches. Slight attic. Peach cobbler.

T: Malts. Pie crust. Slight cinnamon. Lots of clove. Cobbler. Cherries. Very mild tho, not a big beer.

M: Thin. Pretty good coat on the tongue.

O: Yummy!

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 00:02:32 | More by gkatsoris

beerman21

California

4.4/5  rDev +14%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2010 12 oz edition.. Surprised to see a refrigerated six pack in the far back of the fridge yesterday. Cold conditioned.. Hmm should be interesting to see how this fairly small winter warmer held up after almost a couple years..

A- frothy active head... Deep dark brown color. Solid looking, inviting yet wearing looking to those not accustomed to complex beers.

S-Ginger up front, back slap of cinnamon, molasses. A lot of ginger and molasses in the nose, pretty much freh ginger bread.

T/M/O-sting spice ginger bread, molasses, sugar cookies, spruce, back flavor of mint leaves. Brown sugar coated smoke ham. Developed into smoky ginger bread cookie. Real tasty.

-surprised this beer held up well after almost two years
being the 5.5 abv. Always a treat every christmas but even more in the off season. Hopefully they won't change too much after new ownership. Time will tell.

Serving type: growler

04-04-2012 01:31:39 | More by beerman21

mactrail

California

3.35/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Very dark clear chestnut in the tall glass. Abundance of long-lasting foam. Well carbonated on the tongue.

Dark and spicy, but quite dry. Some nutmeg and a touch of dried orange peel. Not much malty flavor, though some dark and charred barley comes through. A bitter twang but not overly hoppy. A nice mouthful of flavor, but it isn't something you'd want a lot of.

I wouldn't call it one of the better years. Not excessively spiced, though the bitter scratchiness of dry cinnamon is less pleasant. A little malty sweetness would be welcome. One beer that would benefit from being really cold.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 03:26:22 | More by mactrail

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Huge props to my BA bro joemcgrath27 for the trade...

A - Pours a nice ruby red colour, finger of beige head with little retention and no real lacing.

S - Spiced caramel, nutmeg and cinnamon, hint of sweet cloves, vanilla, and rich toffee.

T - Loads of spices, but not to be interpreted as overly spiced. Nicely balanced with rich caramel and toffee, hints of molasses, some earthy greens and candied fruit, and a nice biscuit bready malt lingers. Reminiscent of a piece of Christmas Cake that's been aged with rum.

M - Medium bodied, smooth and a touch of dryness.

O - 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!

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 18:14:31 | More by andrenaline

thain709

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - This one poured with a massive three finger head...it was brown in color and became rocky as it fell to a full cap...the body was a chestnut brown...patchy lacing was left behind

S - Warm, holiday spices are present right away...cinnamon and nutmeg...there is also a sweet side to it that features some dark caramel

T - The flavors follow the nose pretty closely...it opens up with those holiday spices...cinnamon is the front runner but nutmeg and clove are close behind...it really reminds you of the holidays...again, there is sweetness lingering and taking the edge of the spiciness...dark caramel and rich molasses keep poking their heads

M - Light bodied...lighter than I expected/wanted...soft carbonation...spicy with a touch of sweet

O - This was my first encounter with an OSA...I'm pleased to say that I enjoyed this bottle...it really reminded me of the holidays, in a glass!

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 12:52:55 | More by thain709

litheum94

California

4.18/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep brown body, essentially mahogany. Reddish-brown head Head is a full thickness that settles to a patchy cover with minimal lacing.

Molasses, cinnamon sticks, cranberries and orange peel. Some cedar. Holiday spice in a beverage.

Thick and satisfying. The aromas follow through, with molasses, cinnamon, cranberries and orange peel. Some cedar, but the woodiness goes a little further, tasting of delicate pine cone hops.

Once again, a can't miss winter beer. If you don't like this, you don't like winter warmers.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 03:44:23 | More by litheum94

CrystalShipMS3

Maryland

4.65/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

It's one of the prettiest beers I've ever seen. Red, Christmas red, dark with crimson highlights. Nice somewhat fluffy tan head. Beautiful lacing all they way down.

Dark rich caramel malt smell. Slight warm alcohol and mostly bitter hops. Some spice and resinous pine.

This beer really comes alive as it warms up, in fact I'd serve it only lightly chilled.
Rich and complex malt and grain. Slightly sweet and dark fruitiness. Dark caramel. Hints of spice, not much but it's very definitely there and adds a third dimension which rounds out the malt profile perfectly. The hops are not as rich and play second chair to the malt, but they have a resin-pine bitterness to balance the sweetness.
The aftertaste is so good it gets it's own paragraph. There's a nice roasted malt earthiness and oily pine. It remains perfectly balanced even after the beer is long gone from your mouth. Perfect.

It's got a heavy mouthfeel but remains somewhat crisp. The warmth of the alcohol is supported nicely by the carbonation.

Overall it's a great beer. Nearly perfect except that it's gone and there will never be another just like it, but next year there will be an equally as good one with a different Christmas tree on the bottle.

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2012 18:42:51 | More by CrystalShipMS3

Louski

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a Standard Pint Glass

Appears a nice red-brown with a thin head. Smelled rich of fruit, cinnamon and other spices. Taste started off really well but finished very weak. I would have loved a more full-bodied brew as the flavors of this were too heavy for the lighter beer. Not a bad attempt this year, but I know Anchor is capable of much better.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 01:55:59 | More by Louski

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clear dark brown with reddish highlights in color with a finger tall foamy light tan head. This beer exhibits wonderful head retention and significant amounts of lacing.

S: The aroma is mostly roasted brown malts with more subtle aromas of woods, pine/spruce, molasses, Christmas spices, and something akin to bubblegum. It is not unpleasant but unexpected.

T: The flavor has a lot of roasted malts with some definitely woodiness - I get some subtle hints of pine/spruce, juniper, molasses, and very subtle nutmeg. There is a pleasant bitter aftertaste that lingers for a while.

M: Medium bodied with light to moderate amounts of carbonation. I would also describe this beer as thinner than I expected/wanted.

O: Enjoyable, not my favorite recipe that has been used over the years and certainly not my least favorite either. It has a rather Christmas aroma and flavor which I enjoyed. I expected something a little less watery and slightly bolder in the flavors but I could enjoy another of these.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2012 22:42:50 | More by dbrauneis

django24

Washington

3.85/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From Notes. Served at cellar temp ~50 degrees F

Appearance: Clear, dark brown bordering black with mahogany highights. Small but decent khaki head.

Aroma: Strong toasty-roasty malt, dark fruits, a little bubblegum, maybe some chocolate? There's some kind of woodiness to this as well.

Taste: Fairly strong toasty bread, some cola, dark chocolate, and spices and/or spicy hops. Roasted bitterness nice with the hops.

Mouthfeel: Medium body but tastes a little thinner than expected. Smooth upfront, little carb prickle and then hops and toasted/roasted astringency along with the hops fades to a small and nice lingering sweetness.

Overall: My first "Our Special Ale". Not what I was expecting as far as the taste. From the looks it could have been thick and heavy but it's actually clear and lighter at 5.5 abv. Pleasantly surprised. Put another bottle away in the cellar to see how it ages.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 07:44:41 | More by django24

mjurney

Texas

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance:
Ruby brown color, see through. Lots of small bubbles rising. Thick creamy head. Lacing looks awesome on the glass.

Aroma:
Sweet malts, molasses, spices.

Taste:
Malty up front. Toasted malts, slight roasted. Holiday spices, nutmeg, cinnamon, little touch of ginger. Mixture of dark fruit and red apples. Leafy towards the finish.

Body:
Smooth, medium bodied, soft carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 15:32:21 | More by mjurney

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.43/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nice chestnut appearance, red, but overall, dark brown fits well, thin tan head about 1/2". Smell was a little woody, brown malt, usual hard to describe entity that is the special ale series.

Taste, almost no hops to it, lots of toffee, maybe some nutmeg. Carbonation is just right. No one big flavor leads the way, this is a lot of stuff in small amounts I'd guess. Substantial earthiness to the beer. Some cola like aspect to the beer, not just the appearance, shares some similarities with Rodenbach.

Even if they change the recipe every year, it is pretty consistent in terms of what to expect, this year's offering was right on the money as far as what I thought I was getting into. A neat winter warmer in a 12oz excursion during a Marquette/UConn game (at 9AM PST!). . . so its also fittingly nice in the morning, but I wouldn't go out and buy an entire 6 pack of this stuff, especially for a price which doesn't seem cheaper than $11.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 17:17:43 | More by Beerandraiderfan

buschbeer

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle
Served in a pint glass

A - It pours a ruddy brown with some garnet highlights. A relatively tame pour yields me a mountain of light brown head.

S - I get a lot of the Christmas smells that one would expect, clove and cinnamon. I also get some faint pine and roasted malt.

T - The taste is more of the roasted malt. I get some caramel and toast. The spices and pine show up more towards the end. It does conjure thoughts of Christmas.

M - Medium. Not a lot of carbonation.

O - I know each year is a different recipe, but each year is very similar. I like the roasted malt backbone with the pine and holiday spices thrown in there.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 23:49:49 | More by buschbeer

Arborescence

Finland

4.1/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Black, pours a very thick, creamy head.

Aroma: Spices, surprisingly fresh, grapefruit?

Taste: Light and fresh to begin with, but kicks with rich maltyness and a bit of a bitter aftertaste. I can’t put my finger on the (secret) extra ingredients, but they are not your typical winter spices, I can tell you that much. There’s no cinnamon or the typical warmth that you’d expect from a Christmas Ale, but that’s actually a nice change and distinguishes this from many other offerings. Fresh but rich and toasty maltyness, that about sums it up. The aftertaste is that of a porter, but you wouldn’t guess it from the aroma and the initial burst of freshness. A strange combination, but I’m getting to like it as I sip more.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, but quite light for a beer of this type.

Overall: This was my first encounter with the Anchor Christmas Ales, but they have been doing them for a while! Every year the (secret) recipe changes and they have a theme tree, which is the bristlecone pine this year. The label is quite pretty, featuring the tree. This beer grew on me as I went on and I would say that it’s an excellent addition to this year’s Christmas Ales. Also worth noting is that the ABV is not as insane as with many Christmas Ales, so you can have another one too!

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 03:26:55 | More by Arborescence

smakawhat

Maryland

4.6/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Anchor Steam Christmas Ale, where any day can be Christmas! Let's check out 2011, into a nonic pint glass you go.

A wonderful absolutely light tan to almost light creme colored head forms, so perfectly, so uniformly of pin head bubbles all throughout, leaving a cap of creamy retention and staying power. Body color is deep garnet red and brown. Just fantastic looking.

What a nose on this beer. Pine cone and spruce, mixed with sweetness. Faint airy dry nutmeg, maple sugar so hidden. Just out of this world smelling for a warmer.

What a great tasting brew. Rolling slightly velvet malts, mix with a dry pine spice, finishing with classic brown spices, nutmeg, allspice, clove and so forth. Tea like muted oolong richness on the finish. Even some sarsaparilla like cola and root beer.

Second time I tried this brew after having a very long aged 2010, man I am really enjoying this. I will look forward to trying this every year with much anticipation. I am almost eager for Christmas if I can try this now.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 00:14:19 | More by smakawhat

brdc

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

An enormous bottle served to a lot of guests during Christmas festivities. Poured into a tulip glass. From notes.

Dark brown color, with a light tan head, with reasonable lacing and retention.
Very nice aroma, with a lot of spices, from cinnamon to nutmeg, clove, anise, some dark fruits, and squeezed lemons. Light notes of bread and brown sugar.
Medium bodied, flavorful yet light, with relatively low alcohol which makes it perfect for long parties.
A blast of flavors that blend well include caramel, a lot of spiciness including mostly nutmeg and cinnamon, hints of citric notes, herbs, and orange tea. Non beer geeks loved it, I liked it. Will repeat next Christmas.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 02:01:21 | More by brdc

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.18/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a very dark brown with hints of red. Beautiful three finger fine light tan head and massive lacing. Remarkable for a low ABV ale. Very nice aroma of cinnamon, wintergreen, root beer spices and mint. Nice. Flavor is subdued compared to the aroma, but very pleasant. Sweet malt, lighter toasted malt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spices, light earthiness. A very nice winter ale. Light to medium bodied. Somewhat subtle flavor, but not bad for the ABV.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 04:21:05 | More by LiquidAmber

Durge

Connecticut

4.13/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A dark brown, mahogany colored brew with a substantial tan foam and plenty of chunkiness hanging onto the glass as you go. The nose delivers definitive juniper and delicate spiced malt. Very nice and a classy holiday appeal. The flavor begins surprisingly tart, pear and juniper over slightly chocolaty charcoal malt. Pear bleeds into berry and as you work through it even the evergreen ideas fade a bit and the tart and charcoal flavors take over. It’s easily medium bodied with a glassy feel touched by a bit of resin. It goes down easy enough and makes for a solid holiday brew, for yet another year.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 03:30:44 | More by Durge

tonyf55

Alberta (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2011 Christmas ale into a tulip - my last bottle from a six pack I bought in December... I guess Christmas is officially over...

Visual (4): Dark black beer with a dark ruby clarity when held to the light. Malty-tan coloured head of small, tight bubbles that falls from a 2 finger head to a single finger. Head settles decently quickly, but lasts long enough to look smart.

Aroma (4.5): Dark roasted malts with dark fruits, and a finishing Christmas spice character (maybe from the hops?). Its a bouquet of bready, plum scents that settles into woody spice notes. Hard to pin-point but very good.

Taste (3.5): Not one that lacks complexity, that's for sure, but strikes an odd balance in flavour. Light malted grain flavour throughout, but really announces its presence at the end of the taste with a nutmeg spice that rolls into a burnt vanilla aftertaste. It's an odd flavour that despite its creative complexity is hard to embrace as well formed.

Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium body with light carbonation. An oily texture leaves a nice film on the pallet that leaves the complex flavours lingering. Extremely fitting of the beers style and flavours.

Overall (4): A very well crafted beer; I felt like I was drinking the creative creation of an artist, as I might not understand it off the first glance but I grew to appreciate its complexity the longer and longer I spent with it. Unlike an art piece though, when its gone... its gone. Until next Christmas...

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 16:18:38 | More by tonyf55

FreshHawk

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark chestnut amber color with an average sized, smooth, foamy, white head. Average retention with a nice lacing left over.

S - Sweet and spiced aroma. Toasted caramel, fir/pine, hints of cocoa, and plenty of spice (clove being strongest). Lots of different aromas all interplay with each other.

T - Like the nose. This year has a bit more pine/fir along with a general woodiness. Strong clove and spice. Good amount of cinnamon, pepper, some orange zest, and others. Some brown sugar and cola also hints of cocoa (and maybe some coffee). Nothing really dominates as they all just mix.

M - Medium body with average carbonation. Slightly sticky feel.

D - Loads of flavors that make me want to drink more to keep discovering them. A little overwhelming and the sticky mouthfeel doesn't help. Nice sipping beer though.

Notes: Another year, another fine wintery beer. I got a bit more pine/fir and woodiness than last year's. Nice spiced aspect and a nice level of sweetness. Nice winter beer to sip on.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 03:55:14 | More by FreshHawk

albertjr21

New York

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed in a tulip on 2-3-12.

A: Pours a dark charred brown under a tan head.

S: Deep aroma of a somewhat cool and minty herbal nose is nicely set against a dark roasted malt background.

M: A mild bodied but complex and flavorful harmony of roasted malt and a unique sweetness.

T: To a small degree, the sweetness here is reminiscent to that lightly citric and nectary plant quality of a tequila's...

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 03:03:02 | More by albertjr21

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured out of a 12 oz bottle into CBS snifter.

A) Pours out brown with red highlights. Aggressive pour led to a full finger of khaki colored head. Decent retention and some initial lacing.

S) A nice potpourri and Christmas wassail. This has a pleasant sweetness and a nice blend of spices. It's like you could warm it up and go caroling, that is if anyone actually did that anymore.

T) More beer flavors than the aroma indicates. The spices are nice, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. This gets earthy/grassy. I actually found a little coffee too. It finishes well.

M) A medium body, pretty thick. This coated my mouth. It has ample carbonation, but works well. It's fairly smooth with a woody/earthy aftertaste.

O) Pretty good seasonal. I appreciate the history behind this offering. I personally enjoyed Great Lakes Christmas Ale a bit better, but this was solid too.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 23:58:13 | More by RoamingGnome

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

3.93/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Purchased at the Jasons supermarket in Taipei City, Taiwan; produced on 10/11/2011, served cool in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: pours a deeply dark brown colour, coming with a very tight and thick dark beige frothy head with superb retention, while the carbonation level is… unknown.
S: absolutely fresh and enticing… sweet dark coloured malts mix perfectly with American flowery+piney hops with a tinge of cinnamon on the side; a good swirl brings out burned jammy dark fruits and creamy toffee-ish notes. In general the aroma is clearly spiced but not so pronounced to be overpowering, leaving the fresh hoppiness to outweigh the other elements.
T: very soothing, a nice and slightly “flat”-textured roasted malty foretaste is ensued by moderate, only very moderate, mixed spices (mint-ish, nutmeg-ish and also cinnamon-ish) and subdued fruits (damson fruits and apple skins spring to mind), then chewy smoky coffee-ish or charred-woody or burned-nutty taste prevails in the aftertaste, leaving a rather chewy mouthfeel on especially the deep end of the tongue along with random hints of more dark stone-fruits (especially dried black dates, I think); flatly bitter, only mildly spicy, and delicately hoppy in the long… finish.
M&D: the mouthfeel remains refreshing and light, pairing well with, if not due to, the light body, a lower-than-expected malt gravity, and sustaining spiciness. This vintage is quite different than all other vintages I’ve tried, and this is the first time I’ve tried Our Special Ale within 3 months of its production date, which I guess explains how the balance is not reached and the maltiness seems to be rather displaced instead of providing a clear “gravity”. Potential for ageing? I guess the depth and structure of flavour convince me to say, yes. At least I should try one more bottle in maybe 6-9 months’ time.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 19:54:30 | More by wl0307

beerdrifter

Germany

3.95/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Got this one from my nephew. Dark brown, almost black pour with two finger creamy tan head that fades quickly but leaves some nice lacing. Very unique, spicy, herbal nose with hints of anise, gingerbread, toffee, raisins, and cinnamon. The smell carries through to the taste as it captures the essence of what a true winter warmer should be, in my opinion. Spices dominate with hints of ginger, sassafras, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It's complemented nicely by a solid caramel malt backbone with brown sugar and a touch of spruce as well. Slightly creamy body with medium carbonation, but it just feels a bit thin. The finish is semi-dry with a subtle bitterness. An overall solid Christmas beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 17:30:41 | More by beerdrifter

rhoadsrage

Illinois

2.95/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

(Served in a tulip glass)

A- This beer pours a dense brown with a thick film of bubbly tan that last for a good bit. It is a bit too dense to see any carbonation.

S- The clean aroma has a soft tartness with a malt hint and a quality that can only be described as Windex with some anise and lavender notes. There is a growing green wood note in the finish.

T- The dry notes have subtle yeast and malt flavors with some dark nougat and melanoidin notes to it. Thee is a note of spruce tips bitterness and spice in the finish.

M- The medium mouthfeel has a fizz finish and no alcohol heat.

O- This beer is subtle but full of interesting but very odd flavors that are all much softer than the bitterness in the finish. I'm not sure what went into the beer but it is the strangest OSA I have ever tried.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 22:00:03 | More by rhoadsrage