Beer Review: Special Ale 2004

[Guest Ranger_Man]

This beer is the winter beer by Anchor Brewing Co. out of San Francisco. The beer is available only in November and December each year. If you have read some of my past reviews, you already know some history behind this brewer so I shall not bore you readers with that bit of information again. I have been on a kick of winter brews and I found this at Central Market today.

 

Bottle: Tan labels hold a wealth of information. The top label reads as follows:

 

This is the thirteenth Special Ale from the brewers at Anchor. It is available 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. In ancient times trees symbolized the winter solstice, when the earth with its seasons appears born anew.

 

I find it interesting that the recipe changes from year to year. That means that a batch from one year could be far better than another year, much like the grape harvests for wine.

 

The bottom label has a picture of an evergreen tree with the words, “Our Special Ale” and “2004” around it. The perimeter of the label says, “Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Anchor Brewing Co.”

 

Pour: The beer pours out as a jet black with ruby tones that shimmer through only when struck with light. The head starts out as a half inch of khaki colored goodness but it slowly sinks down into a fine lace that floats around the top of the beer. Little to no carbonation is present in the glass. If I were to sum up the smell of the beer in one word, I would have to say that it just smells like Christmas when you are young. The smell of nutmeg, pine, brown sugar, cinnamon, and more all emerge from within the beer and meld together as one.

 

Taste: Really, the taste of the beer can be divided into three categories, being first, middle, and last. The very first thing that stands out is the taste of malt. It is very sweet and tastes just like the smells I listed above. The first taste is very striking and really lets its presence be known. The second taste is reminds me of spice cookies that you have around the holidays. For those of you that have not had those cookies, strong nutmeg overtones mixed in with dark brown sugar are what I am talking about. The last taste that your taste buds contend with is just a very small hint of dark roasted malt flavor. With all the previous sweet taste, this last flavor was actually quite welcome and somewhat cleansing.

 

Overall: I must say that the other winter beer I have in the fridge will be hard pressed to top this one. The tastes and smells are perfect for my expectations of a winter or Christmas beer. I’ll tell you that I will be biding my time until next November when I can try Special Ale 2005.

 

http://s90651370.onlinehome.us/specialale.jpg

 

the updated beer review log, which is now 52 pages and almost 9 megs is located here:

 

http://s90651370.onlinehome.us/beer%20reviews.doc