Our Special Ale
Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco, California, United States 🇺🇸
Spiced / Herbed / Vegetable / Honey - Spiced Winter Out of Production|
Score
7.07
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This is 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.
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7/10
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Nov 2019
at 19:44
7.3/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
2013 bottle. Dark amber colour with creamy golden head. Aroma is unsurprisingly spicy, ginger, cloves, parma violets, cinnamon maybe, bit of malty creaminess there too. Taste is not so spicy, lots of sweet maltiness, spice lingering in the background, light citrus, rasins, dark fruit. Bit thin maybe. Nice enough though.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Sep 2019
at 16:02
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Strong blackcurrant and raisin aroma. Blackcurrant flavor with hops, tannin, grapes and a hint of licorice. Just a bit thin. Very fruity and complex ale, very well brewed also, but I liked the 2001 version better.
Tried
on 26 Aug 2019
at 12:08
6.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 4
Overall 6
Nutmeg everywhere in aroma and flavor. Roasted malt with hints of chocolate and pear. Thin to medium bodied. I would like this beer with less nutmeg. Still a quality ale.
Tried
on 26 Aug 2019
at 12:07
6.3/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 7
2005 version: Tap, ’t Klooster Delft. Sold as "snow Anchor". Loads of clove both in aroma and flavor. Very spicy, with clove up front. Some malt and raisin. Lacks balance. 6 3 6 2 10 = 2.7 2007 version: bottle: Strong aroma of red berries, cardemom and ginger. Spicy, yet warm alcoholic flavor with red berries. Thin. Too spicy to be really enjoyable. 2010 version: bottle. Dark brown color. Anis, dried fruit, orange peel and cardemom in the aroma. Sweet, spicy flavor with lots of citrusfruit, cinnamon, anis and cardemom. Spicy, but still satisfyingly balanced. (7 4 7 2 13 = 3.1)
Tried
from Draft
on 26 Aug 2019
at 12:07
7/10
Tried
on 31 May 2019
at 22:11
7/10
Drinking down that cellar/rot box.
Tried
from Draft
on 22 May 2019
at 19:51
5/10
Tried
on 02 Mar 2019
at 12:27
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
12 fl oz bottle, 2016 Xmas Ale. Pours dark brown. Raisin, cinnamon, clove, anise, Christmas pudding, dried cherry, dried fig, prunes. Medium body. Tasty.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Jan 2019
at 07:25