Anchor’s 41st Anniversary holiday ale resembles a dry porter with its burgundy-browned body, roasted mocha malting and ashen hop char. Sweet sugared spicing and evergreen freshness of many previous “Special” offerings lags, relying instead on chalky dried cocoa, nutty chocolate, black coffee and raw molasses tones to enhance dried-fruited black cherry, fig and plum illusions.
FDR’s Depression Era presidential chats inspired enchanting English-styled winter warmer (7.9% ABV). Brown-sugared Christmas spicing coats caramel-burnt toffee sweetness, cocoa-powdered brown chocolate creaminess, syrupy molasses sapping and phenol hop grind. Nimble ginger-nutmeg-cinnamon seasoning and mild green raisin dalliance make contact with latent burgundy-port nuances.
Almost perfectly realized dunkelweizen hybrid heightens stylishly dried-fruited caramelized wheat sweetness with Texas peach juices and toasted pecan. Peach soda flow captures fizzy Maraschino cherry, navel orange and raspberry subsidies while Mead-wined mulled spices drift by casually. A peach cheer for Christmas!
By combining ground cinnamon sweetness with white long-grain rice, white-sugared vanilla extract and zesty yellow fruiting, crisply carbolic moderation happily recalls Mexican horchata dessert. Spritzy lemon zest brings brisk respite. Though novel dessert flavor profile thins out, its cinnamon apple-spiced finish leaves a pleasant reminder.
Wavering wintry spicing (cinnamon-nutmeg-allspice) dissipates and molasses-sugared gingerbread theme loses luster as toasted amber ale base falters. In the recess, phenol prune, raisin and fig illusions reside.
Festive white ale “brewed with spices” circa 2015 brings dry hop linger to sweet orange-peeled cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger seasoning as well as lemony banana tartness, but overt carbolic fizz gets in the way of true fruit-spiced holiday splendor. Perhaps heightened sugarplum, coriander and clove illusions would sweeten the pot and block out some fizz.
Impressive orange honey-blossomed weizenbock drapes maple molasses syrup atop bruised banana, plum, prune, red grape and black cherry fruiting as well as chewy chocolate malts. Charred oak bittering stays below surface alongside subtle chestnut roast and Cafe Dumond chicory coffee snip. At finish, gentle port and burgundy tones color fondue-like dried fruiting.
Steadfastly ‘hellbent’ West Coast-styled IPA plies resilient hop-oiled grapefruit rind and orange pith bittering above floral-spiced tropicalia. Dry wood tones and herbal tea leaf respite passively inform zesty peach, mango and papaya tang on the back end.
Absolutely ‘re-dank-ulous’ IPA lowers the boom with bold 9.5% ABV and 90 IBU’s. Ruby red grapefruit tang and sweet orange peel luster anchored by cookie dough yeast and toasted caramel malts. Resinous hop oils saturate floral citrus intrigue as well as red cherry, peach, mango, nectarine, pear and apple niceties. Recommended.
Perfectly rounded medium body brings sugar-spiced candy glaze to yellow grapefruit brightness, sunny lemon zest, tangy orange juiciness and tart pineapple sweetness. A sharp tropical-fruited delight, its escalating piney hop bittering, wafting floral bouquet and peppery dash deepen the spruce-tipped mango, peach, tangerine, nectarine, passionfruit and quince subsidies.
Maybe nectarine adjunct could be more prominent, but pilsner-like lager yeast provides safe bed for fruity moderation. Juicy nectarine tang, while not lingering, still picks up light peach, mango, grapefruit and orange tropicalia as well as tingly ginger spicing above sharp phenol hop bittering.
“Bold” tropical-fruited bitter lets sweet floral waft contrast sharp hop-oiled pungency, resinous pine sapping and green tea herbage. Lemony grapefruit-peeled orange pith bittering rises up against tangy pineapple-mango-peach-nectarine juicing, settling above brisk wildflower-honeyed sinew. Outstanding for hardened hop-heads.
