This is the thirty-first Our Special Ale from the brewers at Anchor. It is sold only from early November to mid-January. The Ale’s recipe is different every year, but the intent with which we offer it remains the same: joy and celebration of the newness of life. Since ancient times, trees have symbolized the winter solstice when the earth, with its seasons appears born anew.
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by tjthresh from Belton, MO, USA who has tried this beer once. (10/1/2007 9:37:07 PM)
"Pours a dark brown with some burgandy highlights. Pours with a rich, stiff light brown head that fades to a light layer.
The aroma comes off like a Christmas fruitcake. Some spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice), some bready, cakey aromas, and fruity (chreery, and grapes).
Lots of the same flavors.
Sort of a medium/light body. Light carbonation. Dry finish.
A fine beer, and a craft brew classic."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.4)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[2] Review by Phishpond417 from Madtown, Wisc, USA who has tried this beer a couple times. (4/16/2007 5:51:39 PM)
"Dark brown color with a slightly reddish tone. Head is decent, tan colour. Aroma is pleasent- sweet, enticing with various spices, nutmeg and cinnamon are noticeable. Taste is soft and creamy, very pleasent. Its a great seasonal brew i look forward to every year. "
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.9)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 12oz @ $1.79 Unit Cost: $2.39 per Pint
[3] Review by Bov from Bienne, Switzerland who has tried this beer once. (2/17/2007 5:17:11 PM)
"very dark brown colour and a big creamy beige head; a ton of spices (as usual for those Anchor Christmas beers): cloves and ginger dominate; notes gingerbread; oily and medium-bodied; high carbonation, dryish spicy finish where some chocolaty notes appear - rich and tasty but not quite the way I like it"
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
10/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
6/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.5)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[4] Review by RedHaze from Bellevue, NE, USA who has tried this beer a couple times. (2/3/2007 10:01:28 AM)
"Pours a really nice ruby/brown with a two finger tan head that fades slowly to a nice cap, and leaves tons of lacing on the sides of my glass as I drink it.
Smell; cinnamon, nutmeg, a bit of chocolate and a little pine tree. It smells sweet, and the spices definitely make me think of the holidays.
Taste; the spices hit first, cinnamon and ginger, caramel, a little bit of pine tree, and just enough of a hop bite to it. I also get a little vanlla as it gets warmer. It's not as sweet as the smell would have led me to believe, which I'm thankful for. Overall though, there's just something about this that just doesn't sit right with me. I think the spices just don't meld very well together. Mouthfeel is thin to medium in body, and very smooth."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.5)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 12oz @ $0 Unit Cost: $0 per Pint
[5] Review by YumBeer from Edgewater, NJ, USA who has tried this beer a couple times. (1/24/2007 9:43:45 PM)
"After aging the beer for one year I noticved that the flavors have mellowed and not as aggressive as they were when I had it in intially in December 2005. As I poured the beer I noticed a very dark brown body with a wonderful brown head that was thick and full of small bubbles. The first aromas I noticed were pine and roasted chocolate barley. As I swirled the beer in my mouth I began to notice that the flavors moved from pine to roasted & burnt barley to choclate and then finally pine. There was a lso a hint of ginger in there but very faint. A very delicious and unique holiday ale."
Aroma:
9/10
Appearance:
9/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
9/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.4)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 8oz @ $1.5 Unit Cost: $3 per Pint
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(3.4)
