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Thursday, January 9, 2014

Beer Review - Anchor Christmas Ale 2013.

Time for a beer review! But before we get into the Anchor Christmas Ale I wanted to show a photo of my own "christmas brew" which is a batch of hard cider I started a day or two before the holiday. It's been moved over for a secondary ferment now and I really hope it turns out excellent!

Yum! I used English Cider yeast this time around.


Anchor Brewing Company - Our Special Ale 2013 (Anchor Christmas Ale)


Beer Type: Winter Warmer - 5.50% ABV

Appearance: A jaunty (and slightly stunted) 12 brown bottle with a very seasonal/merry snowy tree on the label. Beer pours a dark red/brown/black color with a nice big tan head.

Smell: Cinnamon, candied fruits, ginger, clove, and something odd like cardamon or coriander.           

First Drink: Not as nice as the aroma sadly. Something acrid and a bit bitter up front followed by hints of the flavor in the sniff I just had.  

Mouthfeel: Pretty mild, a little oily maybe, not getting much here.       

Last Drink: Something more "dark fruit" coming through now along with a bit of caramel. Pretty muddled.             

Drinkability: Not in love with this beer.             

Notes: Rarely drink Anchor beers so I can't really compare this to too much of their regular line. Not impressed with this one though.                

Verdict: 3 out of 5. Seems a little muddled or not focused enough. 

2 comments:

iemattias said...

Hey, now there's a beer I have tried. Though I agree with your assessment.

I didn't know you were a brewer too! I'm gonna try and put some brews up on my blog also (mdarrow.blogspot.com). Hope your cider turns out!

Orcyboy said...

I think your synopsis applies to most of Anchor Brewing Co's stuff, they're OK but not great.

I don't know if these guys have made it out of Colorado yet but I'd recommend giving Dry Dock Brewing drydockbrewing.com at try. They're styled after the Anchor brewing with a little cleaner taste.