Dark color, short off-white head. Aroma of roasted malts, some coffee, hint of licorice. Taste is slightly sweet, mostly roasted malty. Bitter malty finish. Anchor beers are always of decent quality, not outstanding though.

This is a beer to which I look forward every year. Deep dark brown color with a ruby hue. Thick and foamy light tan head, and nice lacing. The aroma is well-spiced, with nutmeg being the only one I could really pick out. Some malt and pine in the nose too. Medium-bodied and easy to drink as always. Loads of spice and malt flavors, along with a touch of dark fruit (plum), pine and even some chocolate here and there. The finish is zesty but with an underlying caramel sweetness. A solid offering, and even though they don’t seem to change much year to year I am fine with that.

Dark brown coloured body, fairly transparent with a nice smallish tan head. Aroma of pine, prunes, nuts and molasses. Medium-bodied; Nice spicey flavour with the sweetness coming out as well. Aftertaste shows a lot of character with some fruits hidden also. Overall, a good beer-definitely full of ’holiday’ character. A good vintage to hold around for a while and have some tastings. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased at Total Wine in Landmark (Alexandria), Virginia on 06-December-2004.

Bottled. Dark ruby with beautiful rich, dense beige head. Aroma of licorice and fir. Medium bodied, dryish, lightly roasty. The spices are well balanced, and the flavours subtle and complex. The finish has a fair amount of herbal bitterness. What lacks this otherwise wonderful beer is malt depth. It feels a little sharp around the edges and on the thin side.

I always eagerly await this Anchor release. Most years buying a case to enjoy throughout the coming year. I am still slowly going through my batch of year 2000. Tonight I arrive at the Sharp Edge in Pittsburgh to find that the 2004 is on tap. The little happy dance ensues. The beer poured a dark brown color with just a hint of ruby when held to the light. A small tan head graced the surface. The aroma was sweet, minty and almost pine like. The flavor was also sweet, minty and piney. Sweet pine lingers on the finish. There are certainly far better beer out there than this one - but for some reason the holidays do not seem complete for me without having this beer around. Maybe it is nostalgia for me as I have made it a holiday tradition since 1998 but for whatever reason it makes me happy.

Always one of the more attractive beers, it seems darker or more opaque this year, its deep garnet color muddled with a heavy brown appearance and moderate beige head. Aroma seems far richer and spicier than last year’s edition in particular, chock full of ginger as a primary spice, nutmeg is secondary, I almost think I detect allspice or even thyme. Flavor is very well integrated, a warming rounded chocolate malt front is embraced by the earthy gingery and junipery sides leading to a smooth full finish. Palate is almost soft, but the carbonation here is a little high, giving it some bite that detracts from the overall mouthfeel. I may have preferred last year "less spicy" version, or aged bottles that show a restrained spiciness, but I think I’m starting to appreciate spiced beers for what they are and this is just fine. As I get into this glass a little further, I think I’m even getting a lingering dustiness in the finish that reminds of cinnamon powder, but without cinnamon’s spicy edge.

Dark brown color; thin creamy head. Aroma of caramel, spices, molasses, light roasted malt. Too dry taste, with loads of bitter caramel; some phenol, nuts and roasted nuts. Quite weak structure. Strong final. Too raw!

Dark reddish brown with nice tan lacing - aroma of firewood, rum, nutmeg and cinnamon - flavor lacks the sweetness of last year’s, but this isn’t a bad thing - a considerable cocoa character seems to be the highlight of this year’s offering, with much more subdued spices and a more apparent hop bitterness - not sure if I like it as much as last year’s, but it’s certainly another worthy addition to the OSA tradition.

Intriguing scents, orange, malt and nutmeg??? Spicing is definitely well done this year and balances nicely, complimenting the warmth it gives off.