Dec 172014
 

Welcome to day six of fourteen days of Anchor Christmas spanning 14 years of the beer. You can view the back story and the tasting for 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Day 6: Anchor Christmas 2006

Anchor Christmas 2006

Anchor Christmas 2006

Tree: European Beech, Fagus sylvatica

Anchor Label

Neck Label Text: This is the thirty-second 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. In ancient times trees symbolized the winter solstice when the earth with its seasons appears born anew.

Tasting Notes: Tulip glass once again. You know the glass. And the eight year old Our Special Ale also tastes like raisins. There’s a little spice at the end, but it’s very similar to 2005.

I need to go onto Beer Advocate or another one of those sites to check the reviews to see if the flavors at the time of release show the same pattern with age or not. I’ll probably do a table at the end with comparisons, but I don’t want to taint my opinion until I’m done with all of these.

 

 

 Posted by on December 17, 2014 at 7:46 pm
Dec 172014
 

Welcome to day five of fourteen days of Anchor Christmas spanning 14 years of the beer. You can view the back story and the tasting for 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004.

Day 5: Anchor Christmas 2005

Anchor Christmas 2005

Anchor Christmas 2005

Tree: California Live Oak, Quercus agrifolia

Anchor Label

Neck Label Text: 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. In ancient times trees symbolized the winter solstice when the earth with its seasons appears born anew.

Tasting Notes: Tulip glass once again. The same glass. Because. Anyway, I have one word for the thirty-first incarnation after sitting for nine years: raisins. It tastes like raisins. The carbonation continues to improve as we get to the more recent years. There’s not much on the nose this time either.

 

 Posted by on December 17, 2014 at 7:30 pm