Our Special Ale 2012 (Anchor Christmas Ale) - Anchor Brewing Company

cyclonece09

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a 14 oz "pint" glass. Pours a dark brown/black with a small brown head with nice lacing. Smells of chocolate and roasted grain. Tastes of some chocolate but with a little bit of hoppy bite, but it is still a bit bland. Beer is carbonated nicely and it is light/medium bodied. Overall, a slightly above average beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 17:47:24 | More by cyclonece09

BlurryVisi0n

New York

3.86/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a pint glass.

Appearance: Super dark brown, with medium bubbles on the body. Tan head roughly 1/3" with a vigorous pour.

Smell: Light nutty smell, like I'm sniffing almonds and pecans with a mix of sweet hops.

Taste: Honestly I can indulge into how smooth this brew is. Bitter with pieces of spice like a small light dose of nutmeg to it plus a hit of pine.

Mouth: Medium carbonation, not exactly what I expected as far as how sticky I would like.

Overall: After sitting on the shelf for all these months it's an honor and a pleasure to finally have this. All you need is a glass...Salud!

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2013 01:09:01 | More by BlurryVisi0n

Sunnanek

Sweden

4.13/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours the darkest, warmest amber I've ever seen. The compact thick head is beige and I could put a quarter dollar on it and it wouldm't sink - it looks fantastic. Slow dissipation leaves decent lacings.

S: Roasted sweet malt, very bready. This is very X-masy; cinnamon, cardamum, nutmeg some chocolate, some dark dried fruits as well as rich raspberries.

T: Nice; sour cherries up front along with loads of spices; cardamum and cinnamon. Licorice, chocolate and dark dried fruits along side with rich raspberries. Surprisingly enough, not that sweet.

M: Atftertaste is long and sour as well as bitter. Body is medium while carbonation is low, rather smooth though.

O: Nice Christmasy Winter Warmer; with lots of spices of the season along with nice maltyness.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 18:00:44 | More by Sunnanek

atomicbeer

New Mexico

2.93/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a dark brown, a shade darker than cola, with a tan cap that fades rather quickly. Many aromas: christmas pudding (dates, figs, raisins, clove, allspice, cinnamon, mace), licorice, black bread, and hints of pine hops. Taste and mouth are surprisingly thin and cardboardy. Dominant flavor is cocoa powder with bits of watery christmas pudding flavors (with mace leading) trying to poke through. Some molasses and pine/citrus skin on subsequent sips. The mouth is somewhat drying and a bit flat - not much carbonation. Interesting aromas and flavors but the mouth takes away the enjoyment.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 23:48:25 | More by atomicbeer

gillagorilla

Maryland

3.39/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

12oz. bottle into a pint glass

A: Deep red if held up to the light. It has a strong head on the pour that diminishes quite rapidly.

S: Sweet, malty roast with a cherry rye.

T: Kind of like an old ale that seems like a cheap, old stale wine.

M: Crisply smooth with a few bubbles.

O: Not a fan. I couldn't finish it, but it might just not be my style.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 13:51:45 | More by gillagorilla

dheacck11

Connecticut

3.61/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours a red muddy brown with dense mocha head, 1/2 finger, fading quickly.

Nose is pungent. Lots of bready, earthy, dense dark fruit. Sour cherry.

Taste is equally powerful. Lots of dark fruit: raisin, plum, cherry. Some subtle hint of spice at the end, but minimal. Mild roasty malt with some earthy components.

Feel is big and thick and full, but a little too sharp in the finish. Leaves a lingering acidity in your mouth.

A really unique beer. Happy I tried it, but will not get again. Just feels like the flavors are way to overdone and don't really marry into a balanced beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 22:18:14 | More by dheacck11

jondeelee

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Our Special Ale 2012 opens to a spicy, fruity, sweet nose that is instantly reminiscent of fruitcake and mulled wine. Nutmeg, clove, allspice, candied ginger, and pepper are immediately noticeable, as well as slight hints of coriander. The fruits are, on the one hand, dark and complex, with dates, green maraschino cherries, and figs, and on the other, bring nice orange peel, lemon zest, and pink grapefruit overtones. All of these rest atop thick brown breads, vanilla, molasses, wildflower honey, and a lovely Christmas layer of fresh pine needles. Add to this a slightly alcoholic touch, as of mulled wine or white port, and the result is a tantalizing aroma that would make for a world-class candle scent, and in a beer, is exactly the sort of aroma one would want while opening presents. The aromas do seem to be somewhat lighter than those in previous years’ editions, but here that’s a good thing, since at least one of the previous bottles smelled so strongly of pine needles as to be overwhelming.

On the tongue, the beer begins with a spicy kick, the cloves, nutmeg, candied ginger, allspice, and pepper instantly blasting away at the tastebuds, joined by molasses and thick brown breads, as well as deeply roasted pecans and pine needles. The fruits come in a somewhat distant second, the green maraschino cherries and dates primarily, with touches of raisin next, and the orange and lemon zest second. The effect is less fruitcake here than spicecake, and the spices do unfortunately rather overwhelm everything else, and are even more potent in subsequent mouthfuls. The aftertaste is similarly dominated by spice, with remnants of brown breads, molasses, and lemon zest, and lingers on the tongue for a very long time. Mouthfeel is medium, and carbonation is medium to medium-high, fizzing on the tongue and burning the soft tissues.

Overall, this is good Christmas beer, it’s just unfortunate that the spices were so dominant, as they detracted from what was a very nice fruit and dark bread belly. The beer is by no means unpalatable, but it is strongly spiced enough that it would be difficult to drink too many in a row.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 20:05:00 | More by jondeelee

JMad

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +23.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a very dark brown with a lofty soapy tan colored head. Man, the smell is amazing, it's like some type of Christmas desert. I could taste mostly cinnamon and raisin with a hint of maple syrup and nutmeg. The taste is almost as good, it's like a gingerbread-sugar cookie with a little spice. Feels medium bodied with low carbonation and a candy like finish. I really enjoyed this beer, honestly, it's one of the best beers I've had in a long time.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 08:11:29 | More by JMad

shand

Florida

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This year's Our Special Ale gives off a huge spruce nose, along with cinnamon, chocolate, and the requisite spice rack. The taste is - go figure, heavy on spices. I could try to pick out all the individual spice notes, but that'd be an exercise in futility. If you've got a favorite winter spice, it's probably in here, hanging out with the vanilla and roast flavors. Mercifully, the spices don't linger too long, leaving a wholly pleasant roasted malt aftertaste with just a touch of cinnamon. Mouthfeel is spot-on, as Anchor tends to be, and the drinkability is great. Just like every year, Our Special Ale is a solid Winter Warmer. It's way past Christmas, but I'm glad I have this for the cold snap tonight.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 03:13:29 | More by shand

thegodfather1076

Ohio

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: Really awesome bottle with a short fat appearance in the Anchor style. Front label has a very old school festive feel with an classy graphic of a pine tree also giving its scientific name. States 2012, Merry Christmas Happy New Year, a small description of the beer, ABV info. Also has the Anchor logo. Neck label gives an excellent back story of the beer and how they put a different tree on the bottle every year, also has a drawing of the cone for the particular tree on the bottle. Back label gives web info. Cap is beautiful as well.

Appearance: I poured this from its 12oz bottle into a 16oz English pint. Pours a cola brown with a 2 finger brown foam head of an airy light density. Head retention was 2min 45sec before fading to a frothy coating and thick ring. Good lacing.

Smell/Aroma: Smells of clove and oranges with hints of cinnamon. Scent is fairly sweet with a slight chocolate aroma and herbal notes.

Flavor/Taste: Taste is sweet and herbal with a spicy bite. Hints of vanilla on the start that turns to a roasted flavor and finishes with a herbal tone.

MouthFeel/Drinkability: Medium bodied and smooth with a medium carbonation. Very drinkable.

Overall/Comments: This was my first time having this and I thought it was very very good. Very nice nose and flavor that is very inviting. The flavors in this are a bit different than many other winter warmers that I have tried. Classified as a Winter Warmer at 5.5% ABV. Consumed 2-5-13.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 10:18:56 | More by thegodfather1076

Jeffwildcat

Arizona

3.99/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown. Foam head sticks till the end. Christmas spicy notes like plums and brown sugar. Nutty notes and roasted carmem malts. Nice carbination. Light to.medium body . This one was certainly different compared to the 2011 version. A solid good beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 04:52:29 | More by Jeffwildcat

CraftBeerTastic

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ba Review #256
Served On: 2/20/2013
Glassware: DFH Chalice
Labeled ABV: 5.5%
Date/ Code: 2012 Release

This was a 12oz bottle from a sixer from Ye Old Spirit Shop in Frederick.

Look: The pour rendered a pitch-black color with a thin light-tan head. Lacing started almost immediately. It could have passed for a stout.

Smell: Strong notes of mint and pine made up the aroma. Also a bubblegum quality that seemed almost uncalled for.

Taste: Super smooth mouth feel. The pine notes came through first. Then a roasted note that was completely unexpected. A spicy mint made up the finish. Aftertaste was more roasted notes mixed with pine.

This was a very unique beer; A fine representation of the Christmas season.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 17:25:20 | More by CraftBeerTastic

matjack85

Illinois

3.46/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I picked this up at Trader Joe's because they allow you to buy just one bottle at a time there if you want. Come back for more later if you like it. $2.37 for a 12oz squatty brown bottle with no freshness date on it, but these Christmas ales usually hold up for years, so that is no concern. They change the tree on the label and the recipe of the beer each year to keep it interesting. This year's tree is the Norfolk Island pine for those who are curious.

The beer poured a dark burgundy color, almost wine looking except for the 1-finger creamy tan head on top. The head lasted a little over a minute before settling to a thin rim. Not much lacing, but what there was clung nicely to the glass.

Not as spicy smelling as most of the other Christmas ales. What I am getting is some chocolate, vanilla, and caramel aroma, but very faint smelling overall.

I think for the first time in years (or maybe for the first time ever) the brewers at Anchor Steam decided to brew a Christmas ale without any of the traditional Christmas spices. I can't detect any cinnamon or nutmeg this year. Instead, what I get is a bit of chocolate, some toffee sweetness, plums, and a bit of black licorice anise in the finish. It's not bad but it lacks oomph. There's just not a lot of anything that grabs your attention.

Medium body with medium carbonation.

It will be interesting to see if this one improves with age, but as of now I don't find it one of the better Christmas ales.

.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 07:30:45 | More by matjack85

farrago

New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Pours a solid froth of smaller bubbles with a couple of islands of larger bubbles, crests at less than a finger, decent enough retention, the lacing comes in random streaks and fares better in terms of sticking around. The dark brown hued liquid shows its transparency up close, pure and clean, fades to a yellowish orange at the rims and glass bottom. The nose is based in caramel, cola, chocolate, cinnamon stick and orange spice, there’s a presence of plum and candied cherry scents, it’s not over-spiced and displays a natural restraint, no real hoppiness but perhaps a metallic note before it all dissolves. Medium-bodied, there’s a steady carbonated fizz through the mouth entry which lessens the overall sweetness. More emphasis here on milk chocolate, cola and vanilla, the spices come across as caraway or anise more than holiday dessert baking spices. Light orange citrus, here the black fruits take a step back. In its place are some soda bread and scone nuances. Turns very dry through the finish, losing a good bit of its flavor. Overall, seems regal like fallen nobility, wants more to command than ingratiate.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 00:33:47 | More by farrago

sammygt

Georgia

4.2/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

picked up a six pack of this beer and a 1.5L bottle. this review is based on the 12 oz bottles. this beer has a great brown caramel color and produced decent head. it was very aromatic, and was a definite reminder that this is a Christmas beer. I really like Christmas beers and this is one of my favorites (as a series). the 2012 felt a little thin while drinking it, but the flavor, color, and overall drinkability make it a great choice still.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 17:02:55 | More by sammygt

buschbeer

Ohio

3.79/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12 ounce bottle
Bottled October 11, 2012
Served in a perfect pint glass

A - It is dark brown with dark amber highlights. Two inches of tan head cap it.

S - Clove is the most noticeable aroma. It smells like hack tack candy. I also get nutmeg and cinnamon.

T - The first thing that I notice is some chocolate in the taste. That kind of surprised me. I was expecting a spicy beer. Don't get me wrong. The Christmas spices are present, but I didn't notice them at first because of my surprise. The cocoa taste comes through more as it warms.

M - Moderate with a slight chalky sensation on my tongue.

O - I've enjoyed the last four renditions of this beer. I always think I find some new twist on each year's version, but once I go back and read the previous reviews they are quite similar.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 01:29:28 | More by buschbeer

Utica_Brew_Review

New York

3.09/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75

Awesome caramel amber appearance with great head. Sweet earthy pine aroma. Smells almost like a porter / ale. Roasted chocolaty creaminess with a hint of hops. We feel like it's a bit confused. It takes elements of a porter and marries them with a spicy earthy ale. Finishes with a roasted nutty flavor.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 09:59:51 | More by Utica_Brew_Review

NuclearDolphin

Minnesota

4.4/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a Pint Glass

Appearance - Dark Brown with a Ruby Tinge when held up to light. Head is about 2 fingers in width and there is a decent amount of lacing on the sides.

Smell - Cinnamon, Spices, Licorice, Figs and Malts. Smells reminds me of Snickerdoodle Cookies and Christmas. Very rich and vibrant smell!

Taste - Spruce, Cinnamon, Licorice, Spices and Malts. Aftertaste is surprisingly resiny too. Flavor is quite nice and warms you up very fast.

Mouthfeel - Light Bodied and Mildly carbonated. Very easy to drink as well.

Overall - Flavor is nice and rich & it's easy on the palete. This is probably one of the best Winter Warmers I've had thus far and I would check it out if you still can manage to find it.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 07:11:34 | More by NuclearDolphin

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

3.8/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

A: poured from a 12 oz bottle into a nonic pint glass, pours a dark red brown almost black with a huge tan head that dissipates slowly leaving good lacing, clear

S: vanilla, pine, mulled wine spices, cinnamon, nutmeg,

T: vanilla, chocolate, raisins, cranberry, cherry, cola, some malt sweetness, a little hop bitterness at the end

M: surprisingly thin feeling

O: this beer has a wonderful smell that screams holiday season, the flavors ate subtle but complex, it feels like drinking a soda much more than a beer though

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 04:08:12 | More by M_C_Hampton

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.36/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

I poured this bottle into a snifter style glass. I was a little aggressive with my pour, which created over three fingers in my glass. It died down to about a finger and held that may for awhile. The nice result is that I had rings of lacing on my glass (really pretty). The coloring is very dark. I get some red at the edges.

The smell is very different. Off the top I get fruit (not sure what kind), spice, and sweetness akin to brown sugar. It comes together nicely with some pretty good balance.

The flavor is surprisingly thin. I get some woodiness at this point. I'm surprised that the body fell off this much. The flavor really doesn't match the nose.

This was really disappointing for me. I'm going to age a few bottles and see if this improves at all.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 02:57:56 | More by ummswimmin

olfolxholme

California

3.08/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

35

12 oz bottle in Delirium Noel tulip snifter

A - Beautiful dark cherry brown that glows when held up to the light. Attractive deep khaki head. Decent lacing. Ok head retention.

S - Smells like candy from the health food store, to me. Licorice is the flavor that comes to mind, but that's not quite it. Some spice. Some yeast esters. Not a particularly strong aroma, and not particularly inviting for me. Maybe even a hint of that band-aid smell mixed in.

T - A rather one dimensional flavor at first, mostly malt. A little bit of spice as the aftertaste settles. Nothing that offensive, except I don't like a lot of graininess in the flavor. Some do.

M - Decent smoothness. Nothing to write home about. No astringency, though.

O - It's fine. I bet it would be great with a hearty meal, especially at the holidays. This beer is different every year, of course, so it's always worth trying. If I see a giant bottle of this on a bottle list in a few years, I will be tempted to see how it has aged and/or how it tastes from the big bottle. If you can find it, you should give it a shot and support Anchor Brewing. But, for me, this wasn't that amazing. Also - drink it on the colder side, IMO.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 17:18:48 | More by olfolxholme

MaximalC

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

Pours an opaque cola color with a moderate amount of tan froth on top. Aroma smells sweet and fruity, almost like bubblegum or some other candy. The taste is very difficult to describe, and I think it's fair to say I've not had a beer that tastes similar to this. It tastes akin to what I imagine potpourri would taste like if I was ever inclined to try it. There's a prominent but indefinable spiciness to it, along with the bubblegum detected in the nose. Cinnamon may be the most recognizable spice here. The finish has a clean, sharp bitterness to it, but it's neither citric nor piney; chemical may be a more apt descriptor. There is something vaguely familiar here, but I can't put my finger on it, possibly because I'm not used to encountering it in beer. This is a peculiar animal indeed, and I'm eager to see what more experienced imbibers have to say, because my vocabulary is sorely lacking in this case. At least I can say the mouthfeel is smooth and velvety thanks to the just-right carbonation.

I've had several recent prior iterations of this brew from Anchor, and this is quite different than those, and not in a positive way, unfortunately. Whereas previous versions have had tastes in the arena of brown sugar and nutmeg, this is more akin to flowers, candy, and chemicals. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 03:22:36 | More by MaximalC

stephenjmoore

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A- Dark brown body that allows a little bit of light through. Bubbly tan head that leaves a lot of lacing on the glass.

S- Caramel malts, a hint of nutty brown malts, slight roasty aroma, a pinch of spices.

T- Tastes like a smooth brown ale with caramel malt and the spices coming through. I get a bit of piney hops at the end too. Pretty well rounded with good flavor.

M- Smooth, medium carbonation, medium bodied.

O- Exceeded my expectations. Not in your face flavors, but subtle flavors that work well together. Good as a session winter beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 02:45:17 | More by stephenjmoore

BigBry

Alberta (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

I has been hit and miss whether we get the Anchor Christmas beers, luckily both 2011 and 2012 releases have made it here. Bought a 6 pack - a couple for now, a couple for aging and an eventual vertical tasting.
12 oz. bottle.
Deep dark, mahogany brown with lighter tan brown foam. Head of small bubbles, long lasting foam with thin sheet lacing. Smell has lots of spices, some dark fruit with nice roasted malt. Slight touch of hops at the end. Taste has all ther same components (though not as pronounced) as the smell. Dark fruit, almost dried fig or prune. A bit of smoky element as it warms. Earthy, slightly bitter finish and aftertaste. Mouthfeel and body are medium, would not have minded it a bit heavier or thicker. Good level of carbonation, slightly dry finish. Overall a well balanced and flavorful beer, already looking forward to next year's recipe.

Next up is a side by side with 2012 vs 2011.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 03:46:08 | More by BigBry

sevenarts

New York

3.9/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Dark brown, with a slightly ruddy character in the light, and a good sized tan head. Some lacing.

S: Crisp and clean and malty, some vegetal spice notes, maybe some caramel and brown sugar for sweetness.

T/M: Very sweet and creamy and malty. Nice layered flavors with sweet malts up front, spices and leafy, piney notes at the edges, gradually giving way to a roasted character at the end.

O: A very good winter ale, much better than I remember last year's being, with less big spice flavor and more creamy malt texture.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 23:20:23 | More by sevenarts