Our Special Ale 2009 - Anchor Brewing Company, San Francisco
Style:
Winter Warmer
Serving Type:
Bottle
Alcohol by Volume:
5.5%
Aroma:
Lightly hopped cola aroma, butterscotch and spiced nuts also present
Appearance:
Thick black body, brownish colored head, lots of lacing
Flavor:
Cinnamon spiced flavor up front, sweet caramel malts follow mid palate and piney hops finish the beer off smooth with a little bitterness
Mouthfeel:
Medium to full bodied, no carbonation
This was one of my favorites beer from the original series of Jingle Beers. Anchor's Our Special Ale is a Christmas seasonal that is rich and spicy in a very well balanced way. This beer starts off tasting a bit like cinnamon and nutmeg, not super strong but still obviously spiced. Those flavors meld into a syrupy caramel, almost butterscotch, maltiness that mellows everything out before the finish. Our Special Ale finishes with a flavor reminiscent of a pine cone. Distinctly like pine yet syrupy, like I'd imagine sap tasting... Afterward, you're palate is coated in a sweet flavor similar to a mild maple syrup.
This is a great Christmas beer and it makes me wish I would have kept a bottle of last year's Our Special Ale to compare to this year's release. From what I remember, last year's was less spicy and more sweet. This year's release seems more mellow while I remember last year's being more rich in flavor. If you'd like to play along at home just pick up a six pack of this beer before the end of February and hang on to it for the next ten months.
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