Our Special Ale 2006 (Anchor Christmas Ale)
Anchor Brewing Company

Our Special Ale 2006 (Anchor Christmas Ale)Our Special Ale 2006 (Anchor Christmas Ale)
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From:
Anchor Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Winter Warmer
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.91 | pDev: 10.49%
Reviews:
248
Ratings:
291
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 23, 2022
Added:
Oct 28, 2006
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  10
No description / notes.
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Ratings by hero27:
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Reviewed by hero27 from Minnesota

4.44/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 oz bottle.

Easily one of the most anticipated seasonals for me. Anchor OSA gets me in the ("Christmas spirit" if you will) more than any other beer. Maybe it's the spices, maybe it's the aroma of gingerbread when you crack open that first one every year..heck, maybe it's the tree on the label...I'm not sure. But I've yet to be dissapointed by it, and this year was certainly no exception.

Very dark brown..some ruby hue in there, but not much. Tan head sticks around for a while, but isn't enormous like some previous years. Still that unique flavor of gingerbread, cinnamon/spices, roasted malt, and brown sugar. Many stouts taste the same, many IPAs taste similar...but Anchor OSA always stands out with it's unique character. Liked this a bit better than the 2005..and it's right on-par with the 2004 if you ask me. I will be having several sixers of this over the holidays.
Nov 21, 2006
More User Ratings:
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.58/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
pretty absurd to find this on tap right now, 16 years old or whatever it is now, and nowhere near the holiday season, good ole missoula, what a trip! dark and brown ale looking, clear and shiny and with as much tan head as liquid in the glass, looks lively for being ancient, how?! it smells only a little oxidized, nowhere near faded to oblivion, with some light winter spice perceptible and a lot of malt, root beer and cola notes in the nose, cinnamon and vanilla, cognac and weird bacterial twang, clove, smoke, its good and weird at the same time. the flavor confirms this is real dated, but it seems well enough preserved in a cold (i think) keg, mellow melting in a good way, ruby port and chestnut and sarsaparilla, tobacco, licorice, cheap red hard candy from an old lady, and some yeasty issues, but flavorful and still almost defiantly festive, which seems odd but is true, like this still takes me to a holiday table with my parents and brother and everyone else, when it really has no business doing that at this point, perhaps some psychological play here, but come on, this is sick to try at this point, and i wish i had reviewed various vintages as i had them over the years, but now i know, all are different and this is a blast to track them down. low ratings only a product of it not being objectively amazing at this point, but its cool still. unexpectedly intact!
Mar 23, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by smithj4 from New York

Aug 27, 2021
 
Rated: 3.85 by DOCRW from Kentucky

Jul 04, 2020
 
Rated: 3.27 by deereless from Colorado

Dec 24, 2017
 
Rated: 3.95 by Beginner2 from Illinois

May 15, 2016
 
Rated: 4.07 by erjaq from California

Dec 31, 2015
Photo of papat444
Rated by papat444 from Canada (QC)

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Flashback #6 - 2006 Vintage, nice and warming.
Aug 17, 2015
 
Rated: 4.08 by DucksFan16 from Tennessee

Jun 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by jrob21 from North Carolina

Feb 06, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by redleg411 from Wisconsin

Feb 03, 2015
Photo of wisrarebeer
Reviewed by wisrarebeer from Wisconsin

3.97/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Time to crack open a few of my vintage OSAs. Amazing how well this holds up. Very nice carbonation. Definite rounding of spices after all these years (13+ to be exact) but still very nice. Some oxidation but nothing offensive.
Jan 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Jan 15, 2015
 
Rated: 5 by DavidPerry8218 from Maine

Nov 16, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by JAHMUR from Connecticut

Oct 20, 2014
 
 
Rated: 3.75 by SkinniePost from Wisconsin

Apr 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by plinythederek from North Carolina

Mar 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Gonzoillini from Illinois

Jan 29, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by jak from North Carolina

Dec 31, 2013
Our Special Ale 2006 (Anchor Christmas Ale) from Anchor Brewing Company
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 291 ratings