Our Special Ale 1997 (Anchor Christmas Ale)
Anchor Brewing Company

Our Special Ale 1997 (Anchor Christmas Ale)Our Special Ale 1997 (Anchor Christmas Ale)
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From:
Anchor Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Winter Warmer
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.82 | pDev: 11.26%
Reviews:
20
Ratings:
27
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 30, 2014
Added:
Feb 27, 2002
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  5
No description / notes.
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Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

2.88/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75
Opened this back to back with the '96 vintage for science. What a mistake it is to cellar this beer...

Pours a clear color of dark brown with ruby highlights. It has the visuals of watery/runny molasses. No carbonation to see or feel. The aroma is hints of toffee and raison with soy sauce and mild pine spice. The taste has some nutty grain flavors before oxidation imparts papery notes. Medium bodied and lifeless in the carbonation.

Whereas the '96 vintage had some potential for a marinade, this at 1 year younger is even worse. Dont age these...
Nov 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Rhettroactive from Virginia

Dec 20, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by acurtis from New Jersey

Sep 05, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by smithj4 from New York

Apr 30, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by spycow from Illinois

Mar 11, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by t0rin0 from California

Aug 18, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by shelby415 from Oregon

Feb 11, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by jophish17 from Georgia

Dec 24, 2011
Photo of Thorpe429
Reviewed by Thorpe429 from Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Thanks to bmanning for opening this. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a dark cola-colored brown with a thin off white nose. Nose brings forward a good amount of fairly sweet malt along with some pine and general spice. Taste brings together some sweetness with a bit of bitter spice. Mouthfeel is a bit thin, but has held carbonation fairly well. Drinks quite nicely, and is one of the vintages that has inspired me to attempt to make a Christmas tradition out of OSA verticals.
Oct 07, 2010
Photo of Floydster
Reviewed by Floydster from California

3.28/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
12 ounce bottle purchased from Stuffed Sandwich in San Gabriel for six dollars, tasted alongside the 1995 and 1996 vintages last night out in the IE, poured into my Port Brewing pint glass, color is a dark brown with some milky body in the light, 1/4 inch tan head that had big bubbles, not much retention at all, no lace, smell is made up of maple syrup, coffee, peppery cocoa, burned malts, earthiness, and tart cherries, flavor is sweet at first with molasses, chocolate in the middle, finish has an earthy texture and also dark fruit lingering in the aftertaste, spice does not come out until it fully warms, quite a bit of pepper in the finish, mouthfeel is thick with roasted and earthy accents, full bodied, low level of carbonation, could drink a few of these this time of year, not too filling, smooth most of the time, probably the least favorite of three I had last night but still not bad, age has made a lot of the spice stand out more, might hold up for a little while longer, worth trying
Feb 23, 2009
Photo of UnionMade
Reviewed by UnionMade from New York

3.97/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had this directly after the 2000 vintage. 2.3.09. This one was brewed in the year I turned legal drinking age.

Opaque dark brown, nearly black, with a thin topping of sandy colored head. Small blotches of lace stick to the glass. Again, the head drops to nothing about halfway through. Not enough carbonation to support it.

The aroma features a bit more spice than the 2000, with a light whisky barrel vanilla note. A touch fruitier, with a distinctly woodsy character. Gentle and softly roasty in the way of a good schwarzbier.

The flavor is soft and very gentle. Smooth carbonation is a touch more than the 2000 bottle, with the same dry, lightish body. Similar malt profile, with perhaps a bit more of a papery presence. A pleasant little whisky taste in the background. Very woody, spiced with nutmeg and vague ginger and cinnamon notes. Like I'm chewing on an evergreen twig, particularly in the aftertaste. Finishes with bittersweet malt and nutmeg.

Probably in better shape than the 2000 bottle, but still a bit past its prime. Enjoyable nonetheless.
Feb 03, 2009
Photo of hopdog
Reviewed by hopdog from Pennsylvania

3.92/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
I tried 5 vintages on tap at the Stuffed Sandwich ('00, '01, '02, '03 & '04). The '01 was my favorite with the '00 a close 2nd. Nice subtle, malty, caramel aromas and tastes. Molasses. Light spices. I'm glad I had the chance to compare the 4 vintages on tap.

NOTE: did a tasting on 1/15/05 that included years '87, '90, '94, '97, '98, '00, '01, '02, & '03. The '02, '01 & '94 stood out as the best of the bunch. The '94 had a nice whiskey taste to it that the others did not. I thought the older vintages held up well over the years.
Nov 13, 2008
Photo of Vancer
Reviewed by Vancer from Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Thanks to timtheenchanta for the vertical tasting, from 2005 to 1999 – WOW! Year 1997 of the series sent to be in BIF46.

As usual, a deep cola brown capped by a tannish head, sticky rings of laces slide all the way down the diamond encrusted crystal snifter.

Citrusy malts, coriander, dark fruits and pine in the aroma. The piney hops have softened nicey over the 2 years. Smooth and delectable. Full bodied, a little trail of oil is left in the mouth for a lingering finish. A strange, but nice pop of chocolaty malts kicks in a the finish.

Still funny how drinkable, tasty and enjoyable these ol’ Anchors can turn into over the years.
Feb 10, 2007
Photo of mjsarch
Reviewed by mjsarch from Wisconsin

3.82/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Consumed from a 1994 gold-rimmed commerative etched pint glass from Anchor:

A - nice rocky head upon pouring, settling fairly quickly to a thin head rimming the glass,
S - to me, spruce and maybe a bit of orange peel, but consistent in this beer from year to year. The reports are that the recipe changes yearly, but I've not been able to discern to the degree that's true,
T - a bit astringent, with some roasted chocolate malt. Again, I feel a spruce character comes through a little strongly,
M - full, with some bitterness,
D - nice, but not too exciting. I guess I'd have to add that holding the beer for 9 years does nothing to add or detract from its quality. To it's credit (or not) Anchor does a nice job of brewing a consistent beer (for this year) that will age with no great degree of improvement or degradation.
Nov 18, 2006
Photo of lordofthewiens
Reviewed by lordofthewiens from New Mexico

3.88/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This followed the 96, and it was like night and day. Everything about this beer was more intense. It was a dark brown with a small head. Dark fruit (raisins, plums, cherries) aroma, as well as a little yeastiness. Nicely balanced taste. Fruit/spice/hops. This was a fun beer to drink.
Nov 04, 2006
Photo of AlexJ
Reviewed by AlexJ from North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Similar in appearance to the 96 with a nicer head that retains fairly well.

Aroma is dark malts upfront with jammy plum/prunes, dates, cinnamon, nutmeg, and scorched brown sugar.

Flavor is dark fruity malts, baking spice, prune/plum, and a faintly piney hop finish . Has more oomph than the 96.

Body still seems light, between light and medium. Carbonation is light but the texture is slick and creamy aiding it's drinkability.
Dec 17, 2005
Photo of DrunkMcDermott
Reviewed by DrunkMcDermott from Illinois

3.77/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Sample taste at Chicago Beer Society vertical tasting, Dec. 1. This one is darker still than the more recent beers I just finished in this vertical. Nice inviting brown color. My first note is of chocolate covered cherries and the smoothness of book leather.
Dec 13, 2005
Photo of SheepNutz
Reviewed by SheepNutz from Kentucky

4.11/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
1.5L magnum poured into a tulip-style glass. It pours a deep black color with four heaping fingers of dark tan head. There is lots and lots of Belgian Lace on the sides of the glass. The smell is very sprucy. Nutmeg and clove hide behind the dense spruce aroma. The tasty is also spicy. There's some cinnamon in there, and of course the rush of pine needles across the tongue. The mouthfeel is just a little light. The drinkability is great though, and this was an awesome brew.
Jun 22, 2005
Photo of clvand0
Reviewed by clvand0 from Kentucky

4.08/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Thanks to sheepnutz for sharing this magnum (and all the other OSA magnums). Pours a very dark color with a moderate head that falls quickly but leaves a lot of nice lacing on the glass. The aroma has a lot of dark malts and a lot of pine and a little sweetness. Similar to the '98 version, but less pine. This one tastes like it has a bit more alcohol than the '98 version. Has a big roasted and chocolate character to go along with the pine flavors. Pretty well balanced. Mouthfeel was thick and the drinkability was pretty good.
Jun 16, 2005
Photo of kmpitz2
Reviewed by kmpitz2 from Tennessee

4.23/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From notes. Sheep, you're a champ. Poured from a magnum. Deep brown to black color with a 2 finger head that fell to coat the top. The nose was nice, with some woody/pineyness, maybe even spruce with a big molasses sweetness rolling around behind it. The flavor was also big in molasses with some slight pine. Very full flavor with a bit of soy sauce as well, but not offensive. The feel was moderate to full with a moderate carbonation. Overall, this brew went down easy. The big nose and flavor were really my bag baby. Good solid offering.
May 08, 2005
Our Special Ale 1997 (Anchor Christmas Ale) from Anchor Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 27 ratings