20th Anniversary Ale
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

20th Anniversary Ale20th Anniversary Ale
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From:
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
ABV:
11%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.07 | pDev: 7.62%
Reviews:
86
Ratings:
278
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 20, 2022
Added:
May 20, 2015
Wants:
  14
Gots:
  84
Weyerbacher is turning 20 this year! How do we celebrate 20 years of bold and innovative beers? With the release of our 20th Anniversary ale! Our 20th Anniversary brew is a Belgian-Style Dark Ale weighing in at 11% ABV. It’s malty with notes of caramel, raisins and berries, as well as subtle hints of coriander and star anise.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by PatGreer:
Photo of PatGreer
Rated by PatGreer from Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Jul 25, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of q33jeff
Rated by q33jeff from New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
**
05/19/22
7 year old bottle.

Licorice. Caramel. Bread.

Flat.


**
May 20, 2022
Photo of EMV
Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Ugly dirty mahogany pour. Cloudy with some sediment. Thin off-white head leaves a nice little ring of lacing.

S: Sweet and fruity. Booze... plum, baked raisin, and toffee.

T.F. Just like it smells. Sweets and dark fruit. Lots of fig, plum, and raisin. Belgian candy sugar, spice... coriander and yeast. Bread and anise. Toffee and caramel. Medium bodied... boozy and warming. Complex.

O; One that's grown on me over the years, and this has held up very well in the cellar. Lots of flavor... and when Weyerbacher is 'on' they do solid work. This style is definitely in their wheelhouse.
Jan 28, 2022
 
Rated: 4.28 by Jsalz21 from New Jersey

Dec 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.9 by Dbot from Delaware

Dec 18, 2020
Photo of Sammy
Rated by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.98/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
star anise. 5 years old. great. for style.
Oct 21, 2020
Photo of jmasher85
Reviewed by jmasher85 from Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Minimal lacing and carbonation, and not much head retention, Possibly the result of 3+ years in the cellar. Also, lots of floaties and congealed crud hanging out at the bottom of my glass... flavor country! I would say it makes me think more of the beer as a belgian-style ale, but I've had that from weyerbacher and lots of other of their beers have different styles, so who knows?

Anyway, this dark mahogany brown l is a powerhouse of flavor. The aroma is heavy on the bread pudding and dark fruits. Some banana-like esters and just a hint of bubblegum contribute to the powerfully complex aroma. Also hints of Dr. Pepper and burnt toffee.

Taste is similar, with a emphasis on the fruity, candy-like bready quality. less sweet than you would think from the aroma, but no hop or toasted malt bitterness. Very low alcohol burn for something so strong, but just enough prickle on the tongue to tell you not to drink it too fast. But I can certainly make this a regular addition to my lineup if it weren't a limited release. An excellent brew all around!
Feb 04, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by OriolesFan1008 from Maryland

Jan 06, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by Genx from Georgia

Dec 29, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by archero from Texas

Jul 24, 2018
 
Rated: 4.62 by chiefz1 from New York

Feb 11, 2018
Photo of jvgoor3786
Reviewed by jvgoor3786 from Arkansas

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours deep brown and hazy with lots of floaties at 2.5 years old. There a quick, fizzy head with no lacing.

The smell is lots of raisin, dark fruit, and some caramel sweetness with maybe a little smokiness.

The taste is very sweet like raisins in a bread pudding. There is a slight, subtle spice bite that I assume is the coriander. There is no hint of the 11% abv. While the sweetness seems to be the main flavor, the dark fruit still plays a nice part.

The mouthfeel is low carbonation and medium thickness. There is a lingering spice at the end.

Overall this is really enjoyable and easy to drink. The sweetness dominates but doesn't overwhelm.
Jan 08, 2018
Photo of JJKBeerLvr
Reviewed by JJKBeerLvr from Pennsylvania

4.31/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into snifter glass in December 2017. There was a bottled-on date of June 2015 on the bottle. I drank this after cellaring the bottle for a couple of years.

Appearance: Very dark black with a thick tan/brown head. Head is very creamy and remains thick for a very long while. It leaves a lot of lacing on the glass.

Smell: Strong aroma of caramel, cinnamon, berries, and malts. There is not much hop aroma.

Taste: There is strong mint and chocolate flavors with some smoky roasted malt flavors, and a little vanilla and caramel flavor. There is little bitterness from hops, but the flavor is dominated by the mint and chocolate flavors. There is a strong alcohol presence as with other Imperial Stouts.

Mouth-feel: Thick, but with a heavy and extremely smooth and creamy body.

This is a very good Belgian ale, and it has a variety of flavors that adds a nice complexity to the beer. It is very smooth and enjoyable to drink. Comparing the taste over different bottles over 2 years, it has gotten even more smooth over time. I would buy this again if Weyerbacher decided to brew some more. This is probably my favorite of the anniversary brews so far (up thru 22).
Jan 06, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by Patches826 from Massachusetts

Nov 20, 2017
Photo of drtth
Reviewed by drtth from Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
This bottle is the brewery's 20th Anniversary beer and was bottled in mid 2015.

The dark, mahogany colored beer pours out into a snifter glass with a 1" light tan foamy head that recedes slowly but visibly to a thin layer on the surface and a small ring around the glass. Sipping creates lots of patches of foam, most of which soon slide back down to the liquid leaving some scattered smaller patches on the sides of the glass. Eventually the foam almost totally disappears from the surface.

The aromas include some dark fruit such as plum and raisins. There's also something that seems a bit like licorice and a just bit of some other spice.

The flavors include the plum and raisins on top of lots of caramel sweetness, all mingled with just a hint of spice and licorice tinged bitterness from the hops.

The mouthfeel is on the full side of medium bodied and fairly smooth with the very light carbonation. The finish begins as the fruit flavors begin to recede to be followed closely by the sweetness, leaving behind a light spicy bitterness that soon turns dry but lingers around the back of the palate for quite a while.

As usual, a well made beer from Weyerbacher who have long been one of my favorite semi-local breweries (i.e., just over a 1 hour drive from where I sit). Since I found only this one bottle I won't be able to have another but would definitely do so if I were to find another. The balance and complexity of this beer are noteworthy and it definitely reminds of the Belgian versions of the BSDA. While I did not have the chance to try this beer when freshly bottled I'd say that if it has not improved with age, the bottle age has done no damage either.
Sep 18, 2017
 
Rated: 4.09 by TheHopsman from Nebraska

Aug 28, 2017
 
Rated: 3.68 by Wisconsin_IPA_Lover from Wisconsin

Jun 28, 2017
Photo of Dragginballs76
Reviewed by Dragginballs76 from South Carolina

4.41/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance - Pours deep purple color with nice thin tan head, not much lacing.

Aroma - Plum, raisin, nice bready aroma. Banana, clove.

Taste - So damn smooth, lots of dark fruit and Belgian yeast . Plum, no sign of the 11% ABV.

Feel - Full bodied very smooth and silky feel.

Overall - I should mention this was aged 2 years just an amazing beer wonderful flavors and so smooth.
May 17, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by rdoggg from Pennsylvania

Feb 26, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by PprBurke from Virginia

Feb 23, 2017
20th Anniversary Ale from Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 278 ratings