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

AndyAvalanche

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into my personalized New England Patriots Mug. Mahogany brown with slightly lighter brown highlights . Tan head with mostly small bubbles, but they vary a little bit. I'd say above average to decent lacing.

Smell is good. I love how it changes every year. Plenty of winter spices, figs, other dark fruits, roasted malts and a slight touch of hops at the end. The blend is very nice, sort of subtle.

Taste is good, on par, but not quite as good as the smell. The winter spices and dark fruits are the dominant feature again, but there is sort of an earthy, bitter aftertaste that is a little close to the unpleasant end of bitter.

Mouthfeel is pretty good, medium bodied, good carbonation and pretty well balanced. Earthy bitter finish that is slightly dry. Overall a nice beer, I was glad to get a six pack this season and finally sit down to review it. Not the best year I've had, but certainly worth getting.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 03:13:03 | More by AndyAvalanche

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.6/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a brandy snifter. Stamped 2OP.

A: Light head fades quickly atop a dark beer with ruby highlights.

S: Spicy, slightly sweet, and pleasant. This reminds me of Christmas...pine needles, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

T: Not my favourite...it's oddly-flavoured, with a slightly thin-sour taste that is not-quite metallic. The flavour is pervasive but brief, disappearing immediately when I swallow. The aftertaste is more pleasant, with the same herbal-earthy-spiciness noted in the nose.

M: Interesting, the mouthfeel is quite competent, offering a bold presence on the palate, a dry-spiciness that mitigates the lack of carbonation, and a silky texture at times.

O: Not a bad holiday ale, but nothing I'll rush back to. Not recommended; would have another.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 02:35:27 | More by AgentMunky

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.44/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A 355ml bottle with a BB of July 2014. Picked up recently from Trembling Madness in York. As always with the Anchor Xmas brew, I love the label art.

Poured into a Duvel tulip. A dark reddish-brown hue with medium carbonation (darker than previous incarnations IIRC). Produces a huge head of creamy beige foam with good retention; this slowly reduces to a surface layer. Aroma of caramel malt with hints of brown sugar, dried fruit, cinnamon, clove, spice, mild pine and stewed hops. Herbal and earthy; the spice is a touch overdone and lends it a bitter background note. But it's certainly seasonal!

Tastes of caramel malt with a distinctly spicy character and a dry, bitter finish. Notes of brown sugar, dried fruit, mild roasted malt, cinnamon, clove, spice, herbs, mild pine and stewed leaves. The spice comes on a bit strong and dominates the flavour, while also giving it a harsh, herbal quality. A dry bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, tingly and dry, but rather thin and watery. The spices also result in an unusually astringent sensation on the palate. An aftertaste of spice, bitter herbs and caramel malt.

An OK brew but not great, and not as good as in previous years. The spice is just a bit too strong, as if someone went overboard with the exotic ingredients. The aroma is quite nice, but the flavour is unbalanced and has an acrid herbal quality to it. The body also leaves something to be desired - it's too thin for the strength and flavour. I'm glad I tried this but I wouldn't have it again. No need to seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 00:54:00 | More by jazzyjeff13

zeff80

Missouri

3.71/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A - Poured a dark burgundy color with a two-finger, light brown head of foam. Thin rings of lace.

S - It smelled of spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, nutmeg and spruce.

T - Good toffee flavor with lots of traditional Christmas spices.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light to medium bodied ale.

O - This is an annual tradition. Haven't missed it since 2005.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 02:34:04 | More by zeff80

RickS95

Indiana

4.09/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Extremely dark compared to a lot of the seasonals I've been seeing lately. Brownish, ruby, burgundy color. It's fairly clear, despite the darkness. The head is stellar. As large as you want it to be, looks like the head of A&W Root Beer, kind of IPA like.

Spice fest in the nose. Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg all dazzle. There's some malt in there, but hops take a backseat.

Tastes follows the nose in that spices are front and center with malt , and almost no hop presence.

Feel is a bit lacking compared to the other components because it's got a loose, watery feel. Obviously, it's spicy and the malt gives it some body, but it's just a bit watered down. Spices from beginning to end with a faint bitterness in the swallow.

Overall, another good winter beer from Anchor. Really tastes like the winter.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 03:29:12 | More by RickS95

Arborescence

Finland

3.86/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Served in room temperature.

Appearance: Virtually black. Pours a massive foamy head with a brown tint.

Aroma: Sweet and floral, but not overly sweet by any means. Herbs and medicinal characteristics. A hint of peat?

Taste: Quite light, but very robust medicinal flavour, with herbs and aromatic hops.

Mouthfeel: Average; smooth but uninteresting. Light to medium bodied.

Overall: Not as tasty as last year's, as I recall. Very strong medicinal and herb aromas and flavours, but leaves something out on the malt side.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 16:52:56 | More by Arborescence

TheSixthRing

California

3.38/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Appearance - Pours a near black, dark cordovan brown. The head is a ight tan color, about a pinkie width thick, and with sub-par retention. Spotty lacing with fair stick.

Smell - Aroma hits on plenty of holiday notes: gingerbread, clove, cinnamon, molasses, and clove spice.

Taste - Woah, geez! Full on, in your face holiday spice attack. Malt forward gingerbread and molasses character with strong notes of clove, nutmeg, cinnamon. Finishes with an earthy, slightly grassy bitterness.

Mouthfeel - Light and fluffy in the mouth. Tingly carbonation.

Overall - This is a strange one. Somebody got spice rack happy. Unfortunately, it's just too abrasive, too muddled, and the result is a beer that pulls the tongue in too many different directions at once. It's a decent beer, but not one I'd necessarily recommend, nor try again.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 05:02:44 | More by TheSixthRing

Huffs

New York

4.15/5  rDev +14%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Sam Adams glass, developed a rich frothy head which lasted and laced well. Aroma was malty but faint and the appearance was dark brown. Taste was highly spiced with strong malty notes and hints of caramel and citrus. Mouthfeel was a medium somewhat airy consistency and the aftertaste was dry and hoppy.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 23:45:57 | More by Huffs

silverking

Florida

4.03/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It pours a very dark crimson brown with a beautiful tan head. the head has excellent retention, but the lacing was just ok. It smells of oranges, chocolate and pine. cinnamon and clove are also detectable. Flavors of chocolate and orange transfer well to the palate. The taste slowly turns delicately bitter and then proceeds to a sweet molasses like malty finish. If you have a chance to purchase this, do it. It's different every year. This is my first purchase of anchor's "our special ale" and I look forward to purchasing it again next year.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 18:35:44 | More by silverking

Moose90

Colorado

3.08/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle into a shaker pint
Bottled - Fresh enough
Tasted 12/24/12

A - This is dark. I don't know what I was expecting, but its darker than I anticipated. Has a nice head that stayed around and left some lacing.

S - Complex, almost too much so. Lots of pine, pepper, cinnamon, and some chocolate malt underneath it all.

T - A lot going on here as well. Good christmas spice and nutmeg, but had a little too much pine and some gingerbread for me.

M - Drinkable, a little thick. Smooth beer, don't detect any alcohol.

O - It was okay, I wouldn't seek out this years batch again. Glad I got to try it though, had been searching for a while. I'm still a fan of Anchor.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 20:56:24 | More by Moose90

alexgash

Connecticut

3.55/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle with a nice Araucaria heterophylla on the label.

Clear, dark maple syrup amber-brown body with ruby highlights. Thick finger of dense, firm, light peanut brown head. Great lacing. Fruity, bready malt base on the nose with familiar OSA accents of spices. I'm getting clove, vanilla, cardamom, and maybe black pepper.

Toasted malts up front. Slightly grainy. Some muddled fruit sweetness reminiscent of Tootsie pops (grape flavored?). Sweet bread adds to the malt near the finish. Accents of orange peel (citrus zest), clove, vanilla, and maybe coriander. Slight woody bitterness in the finish. Medium body with a slightly slick feel. Not bad, but not the best OSA I can remember.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 22:23:19 | More by alexgash

atigerlife

Hawaii

3.88/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark brown with light brown highlights. Creamy brown head that has good lasting power.

Aroma is of spices, malts. Having a hard time picking up what is going on here.

Taste is malty, hops bitterness that is not overpowering, vanilla, clove, fig newtons.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, cleansing, lively.

Overall, it is quite drinkable but I don't see this as sessionable. A couple is fine.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 18:52:47 | More by atigerlife

teromous

Virginia

3.4/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Dark brown color, very hard to see through. A lush tan head that is thick and stands well. Pretty good lacing, leaving some lines and spots.

S: Huge malty sweetness and some alcohol burn in the nose. A hint of butter in the background. Not extremely complex but I would say it smells alright...pretty average. It smells like it should have a much higher ABV.

T: Lots of caramel flavor. There's some mellow coffee as well. It has a tea quality to it, where it's slightly bitter but like a tea leaf bitterness.

M: It has a pretty full mouthfeel. Sweet but not slick. The caramel and light buttery flavor start to wear on me while I drink it.

O: If you drink enough of this, it will fill you up pretty fast. The beer could really be a meal by itself. It's easy to drink because of its mellow blend of flavors and light bitterness, but I wouldn't be able to drink more than one because of its filling nature and sweetness. I would drink it again but it's not at the top of my to-buy list. Easily forgettable, but not a bad beer at all.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 05:47:14 | More by teromous

bmwats

Louisiana

3.95/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a standard pint.

A: Very dark brown, or black. Pours about a 1 finger, foamy, whit-ish head. Craters unevenly, and fairly quickly, leaving a bit of a foamy blanket and a ring. Sporadic lacing.

S: Roasted espresso malt, nuts, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

T: Hearty roasted coffee. Nutty, with a little fall spice.

M: Full and robust. Lightly bitter finish.

D: Sip and enjoy.

Atmosphere is pretty good. Great hue, really nice head, and fair lacing. Nose is roasted nuts and coffee with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg. Tastes like it smells...only not sweet (which is a good thing). Char roasted malt, nuts, and fall spice. Overall, this is a really good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 04:47:50 | More by bmwats

rlee1390

Indiana

3.73/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-Deep brown in the glass, amber when pouring, one finger tan head.

S-Candied sugar, pine, caramel with some burnt notes.

T-Starts with some candied sugar, tad bit of caramel, not much spices.

M-Light and a tad watery not much carbonation.

O-Anchor dropped the ball on this Christmas, Usually I look forward to this brew but this year it was a let down.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 00:11:42 | More by rlee1390

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

bought a comically large bottle. pours a deep reddish black with lots of fluffy off white almost tan head. smells of spruce, nutmeg, ginger, a hint of gin (without the alcohol). the flavor is pretty much a blend of all of these.. which unfortunately do not blend well at all. it is quite a distinguished flavor, but definitely not something i believe i can drink the entire giant bottle of. definitely get a cinnamon taste, along with maybe nutmeg.. ginger is there, as is the spruce, chocolate notes, bitter with a really strange off putting aftertaste. watery porter-like mouthfeel.. medium body on the lighter side, moderate carbonation.

this was really not my type of thing this year. way different than what i remember from last year.. here's hoping for a better one in 2013

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 22:07:06 | More by facundoCNB

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a deep amber to black in color with a tan head. In the aroma, light pine, a small roast, and a caramel like presence. In the taste, pine like, roasty caramel, and a touch sticky sweet. A spice like bite and a medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry caramel and spice like aftertaste. Not as piney as years past, nice roast and average spices.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 18:21:54 | More by OWSLEY069

sweemzander

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz. bottle poured into a pint glass.

(A)- Pours an extremely dark brown color. Some good tan froth and lacing.

(S)- A festive spice of cranberry, juniper and a pinch of what seems like mulberry and nutmeg too. A nice combination.

(T)- Similar to the smell. Amidst a nicely balanced subtle juniper and mulberry-like fruits is a harmonious nutmeg and nutty cocoa-like profile.

(M)- A good carbonation level and balance. Dark fruit and spice is well balanced between the two. Rich but smooth too.

(O)- This might be my favorite vintage I have had so far. Always like to try this each year and am pleasantly surprised how much I liked this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 02:35:28 | More by sweemzander

mnrider

Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. Brown Bottle.

A: Pours a smooth dark brown with a tan two finger head. This turns to
a slick thin layer withing a few seconds. Leaves a little watery lacing.

S: Sweet malts and some toasted notes. Filled with various spices. Nutmeg
is significantly strong. Other holiday spices including cinnamon.

T/M: Not unlike the smell it is filled with the tastes of the holidays. Candy,
nutmeg...Roasted malts with a slight hop presence. Smooth throughout
with a spicy finish.

O: The pros to this Winter Warmer is the holiday spices and the smoothness.
The spices can be a bit much, which makes this brew a sipper for me. Definitely
different and worth a try if you can get it before it goes away.

Cheers!!

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 21:24:00 | More by mnrider

Brenden

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The looks is thick, about a medium-fairly dark brown with a bit of a red hue and barely opaque if even that. The head is as thick as the body and heavy, rising higher than two fingers and showing good, if not very good, retention. It leaves some excellent lacing as it drops, even after fading to a fairly thick foam.
This beer offers a bit of caramel and toffee, but almost with less sweetness, as though the elements of the flavors are there but most of the sugars have been cooked out. it's still got a touch of sweetness, though. In equal effect are also less sweet, kitchen-type spices (nutmeg comes to mind, and a mustiness like certain poultry rubs (it sounds bad, but i don't mean it to). A touch of ginger and some evident clove notes are also present in the spicing. Some piney Northwest hops sit in there, and it's fairly strong, but even stronger is an extremely roasty malt backbone setting it all down. Ultimately, I think a touch more sweetness would do it good. As is, it's definitely a solid beer.
The feel is good, thick and creamy with a nice body, weighty enough to carry the load but without being overly heavy. There's also enough crispness to give it some life without being too crisp for a malt-forward beer, and a nice complement to the smoothness. If anything takes away, it's a bit of a sticky/slick mixture flashing in and out, first at the beginning then coming in at the finish.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 06:20:41 | More by Brenden

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

3.73/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

P: Deep dark mahogany body topped with a thin short lived later of micro bubble tan head.

S: Smells like christmas. Burnt toffee, nutmeg, butterscotch, spruce tree, hints of vanilla bean, cinnamon and sweet molasses.

T/M: Taste follows the nose with loads of spices, brown sugar and sweet malt. Stingy carbonation in a medium body. Darks fruits and tart apple peels come out toward the end. Finish is semi dry and finishes with bitter-sweet prunes coated in brown sugar.

O: A great warmer for Christmas time. Robust flavors and complexity blended into a great beer. I read a review that mentioned Dr. Pepper flavor and I can totally get that in this. Anxious for next year.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 22:52:55 | More by Hopswagger

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +19%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Drink this on Christmas eve, after mass.
Pours a deep brown color with some ruby high lights. A ta;;ish tan head sits on top, dense and mousse like it coats the glass with lacing.

Aroma is piney with cinnamon nutmeg and ginger.
Taste is similar with piney notes. not really all that spice and lingers just below the pine tree.
Malty but not very balanced.
Feels almost thick on the palette and finishes semi dry and semi bitter with a very light amount of cloying,
As with pass years, very good. Ill put the remaing in my cellar for good keeping

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 16:25:17 | More by micromaniac129

Treyliff

West Virginia

3.85/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

A- pours a dark cola-like brown with a huge frothy dark tan head with good retention and lacing.

S- sweet toasty malts with some winter spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, old fashioned hard candy, and just a bit of hope, very nice.

T- earthy piney hops with some roasted malt character. Sweet toffee, coffee, nutty, yeasty, dark fruits. Finishes bitter and dry with a roasted linger. Lots of flavors can be picked out of this one.

M- light-med body with medium carbonation and a bit creamy on the finish. Would like a little more body as the finish is a little slick.

O- this one had more complexity in flavor than many of the style, quite unique and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 02:13:32 | More by Treyliff

NiceTaps

New Jersey

3.48/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a magnum bottle into a pint glass.

A- Pours a dark brown with slight reddish highlights. A mocha tan 1-finger head leaves some nice lacing as it gently fades.

S- dark fruits and spices, plums and sugars abound. Some notes of roasty malts, maybe a bit of toffee, coffee, or similar.

T- Cola beer or Dr. Pepper beer, hard to tell. Dark fruits and cola are what I take from this drink. There's some dark bread in there, too.

M- Nice body and carbonation but finishes so bready dry, that despite the flavors, I was looking for a kick.

O-This is a good brew that I believe would benefit from some kind of hoppiness.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 00:56:37 | More by NiceTaps

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.53/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2012 version - 1.5L green bottle, gift, good carbonation and light-medium bodied. Spices are not as prominent otherwise similar to 2007 version: pours with a three fingered, light brown head that goes slowly and leaves a good lace. Nearly black hints of mahogany color. Flavor is spicy all the way, hops stay in the background. Nose is winter spices. Light carbonation and medium bodied. $1.50 for a 12oz bottle from Capitol Convenience.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 00:41:43 | More by jdhilt