I remember my very first bottle of this beer as clearly as if I’d tasted it yesterday. I can only say that about a few of the very many I have tasted over the years, but perhaps more than any, this is true of Anchor’s Our Special Ale. . This was a beer I had been seeking for a long time, ever since seeing Michael Jackson's classic Beer Hunter series in the late eighties, where the beer was so reverently mentioned. Imagine my excitement, then, when I spotted a sole bottle of the 1991 brew in a liquor store in Waltham, Massachusetts, back in 1992. I was in heaven! A Beer Quest ™ had been fulfilled! Since then, I have been able to find this beer every holiday season, and it just wouldn't be Christmas without it. I usually save a few bottles for the next year to compare with the new batch, and I'm sipping one of those saved bottles tonight. This beer holds up well with time.

This is Anchor's 25th bottling of Our Special Ale. Though the recipe changes slightly each year, the brew always has a heady, rich and toasty, spicy character to it. I pour the beer into a beautiful 1996 Our Special Ale glass, complete with gold rim and a white logo that doesn't really show up until you pour in the ale. As usual, it has a rich dark color with a creamy enticing head and a huge spicy, spruce-smelling nose. There's plenty of roasty-nutty character here, chocolate, espresso, ginger, nutmeg. Lots of spice against a very malty body, this is the quintessential beer of winter for me. Eggnog of beers if you will. If you enjoy spiced Christmas beers, this is the one that started it all.

UPDATE: December 18, 2000: Here I am sipping yet another year’s brew of 200 Anchor’s Our Special Ale. As always, this is an incredibly spicy, roasty brew. If the holidays could be condensed into a bottle, they would be Anchor Our Special Ale. If a Christmas tree could be stuffed into a glass, it would be a glass of Our Special Ale. Spruce beers were famous in colonial times, and though even the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future couldn’t get the recipe for this beer out of good old Fritz Maytag, a whiff of the piney nose will remind you so much of a freshly cut Christmas Tree you’ll know this beer is seasoned with spruce.

Anchor features a different tree upon the label of this beer each year. This year there are two. The celebration of life through the decoration of a tree goes back to the old German ritual of the Tannenbaum, which is today the Christmas tree. Anchor explains the trees that adorn the labels of Our Special Ale thusly:

This is the twenty-sixth Special Ale from the brewer’s at Anchor. It is sold only from late November to early January. The ale’s recipe is different every year, but the intent with which we offer it remains the same. Joy and celebration of the newness of life. In ancient times trees symbolized the winter solstice, when the earth with its seasons appears born anew.

Eggnog, pine, spices, chocolate, orange, ginger, presents, good cheer, and carols all rolled into one. If you try but one Holiday brew, this must be the one!

Update, 2001:  OSA 2001: Once again, Our Special Ale is a little different than the year before. This year’s label features a Washingtonia Filifera, an odd-looking palm type tree. The beer is dark brown in color with a medium creamy tan head and a spicy eggnog nose. The palate is rich and spicy with a hint of chocolate, a big ginger presence, a little roastiness and a dry, slightly grassy hop finish. A little thinner in body than in years past but still a delicious holiday treat. A gingerbread man in a glass.

Update,  2003: OSA 2003: Here we are more than a week before Thanksgiving, and I'm sampling a glass of the twenty-ninth batch of Anchor Brewing Company's annual Christmas ale. What can you expect for 2003? The same over-the-top bold and flavorful brew that has been a hallmark for beer enthusiasts for decades.

This year, Our Special Ale pours to a dark brownish black color with a very thick and creamy tan head and a roasty toasty chocolate ginger nose. The palate is full and chocolatey with notes of cinnamon toast, eggnog, espresso, chocolate, ginger, orange, and spruce. The finish seems less hoppy than last year with more of an emphasis on the chocolate and a dry roasty (but not overpowering) bitterness.

Yes, Christmas is here again.

Update, 2004 : Don't be afraid to sock a few bottles of OSA away, either. I like to do just that and compare it from year to year. Here it is, a week from Christmas 2004 and I've just cracked my last bottle of the 2003. I'm still getting that big eggnog nose, and it's plenty spicy with ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. Every bit as good as it was a year ago, but it may have softened slightly and is reminiscent of fresh baked gingerbread.

Update, 2005: Like last year, I'm a bit late to the party and reviewing an aged bottle. It's October as I type but my OSA 2004 at almost a year old is truly wonderful. Spicy notes of pine and ginger have mellowed a little, and I get some clove and a delightful, soft bittersweet chocolate flavor. The chocolate seems more pronounced than it was last year. Overall, the flavors from year to year seem to remain pretty much the same. It's the proportions that change.

Update, 2006: Once again, I’m late to the party with the 2005 OSA, but that’s OK, because this is a beer that ages well for a few years at the very least. I’ve kept my last few bottles in the DBR the whole year long, and I’m getting some interesting chocolate notes that seem to have intensified rather than abated. Nutty malt notes, spruce, and grassy herbal hops are present too along with nutmeg and ginger.

For the past few years, I’ve usually allowed my OSA to age a bit before commenting on it. Pretty much that hasn’t mattered, because even though the beer is a little different each year, it’s not really that different. For the 2006 OSA, I’m going to comment straightaway. Mainly, that’s because this year seems to be markedly thinner than in the past.

After cleansing the palate with a few crackers, I found a thinner body than the 2005 had. Chocolate is still very apparent, but the spruce and ginger reduced as well. It’s still there, of course, and there is still some spice, too (nutmeg and cinnamon come to mind), but just not as much as in the past. Still, the chocolate roastiness increases in the finish, leaving notes of rich dark chocolate on the tongue. Maybe a 1/2 notch down from past years, but still a fantastic beer any way you pour it.

Update, 2007: OSA 2007  This year's brew is, as usual, a treat. The nose is toasty and chocolaty and hints at the wonderful flavors to follow. Fresh baked gingerbread, piny spruce, chocolate and orange. Hints of spicy nutmeg and vanilla are very present, too. As wonderful in July, too, as it was in December.

Update, 2010: OSA 2008 Every year I love to do a Christmas in July beer event, and this year (2010) I had a special treat: a bottle of Anchor Our Special Ale, 2008 vintage. With almost two years of age, the spicy ginger and nutmeg have mellowed only slightly, and the pine, chocolate, and toasted nuts still impress. Only the citrus seems to have disappeared.

Update, November 26, 2011: So there I was sitting at my local Taco Mac, Thanksgiving night 2011 to be exact. I was sipping a 2011 Our Special Ale (notes to follow) It came with a really cool and free OSA glass; did I say bonus? Anyway, a couple of folks were talking about the fact there was a keg of 2009 OSA ensconced somewhere in the back, "Aha," I said. "I have a bottle of that aging in my DBR back home." And I did, until I popped it tonight. Lovely notes of gingerbread, cinnamon, nutmeg, hazelnut, and a subtle hint of pine. I have to say this is one of the best beer experiences on the planet.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

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