Anchor Christmas Ale

Updated December 2, 2008

As sure as re-gifted fruitcake and the awkward holiday office party, we can all rely upon the release of the tasty Christmas Ale from Anchor Brewing in San Francisco. Unlike the forebodingly dense fruitcake and the temple-piercing gathering of co-workers, the Anchor Christmas Ale is a welcome edition to our December landscape.
The Christmas Ale has been created by Anchor each year since 1975. While the recipe is always unique, the Ale is always dark in color and rich in body, worthy of cellaring away for yourself and the ghost of Christmas future. Additionally, the label is original each year while always featuring a tree.
I have always been a big fan of these Ales and in today’s politically correct climate, I am equally appreciative that Anchor has been unwavering in their Christmas moniker on the label. (A not so subtle reminder that we may have allowed our wiring to become tangled in the past 33 years.)
Recently, I got together with BevX’s Kevin Cahoon to taste a selection of Anchor Christmas Ales spanning from 2002 to the present. Overall we were impressed with the condition of the Ales. All were clean, remarkably fresh and retained great natural carbonation and a thick, creamy head. If you are at all curious to find older vintages, simply phone the best Beer retailers in your area and ask if they have reserved some stocks from Christmases’ past.

Here are our cryptic notes for your amusement:

	2002 - Chestnut amber color and crystal clear. Deep malts, dry and one-dimensional. Dark roasted and a bit thinning. This was the only Christmas Ale that we found to be in decline.
	2003 - Mahogany colored and clear. Creamy mouthfeel while dry with sweet malt notes. Great balance with toasted grains. Complex and lengthy with great brown spice notes on the finish.
	2004 - Amber reddish color. Malty, sweet rich full-throttle nose. Dry, fresh, and lively being very drinkable, balanced, clean, complex, and elegant. Dry roasted grains emerge on the finish.
	2005 - Reddish hue. Dry spiced with a lactic note. Dry with brown spice and citrus notes. Semi-lactic while pure and fresh.
	2006 - Very dark, nearly black and opaque. Malt nose is fruity sweet. Rich palate while balanced with dry roasted and toasted grain note. Brown spices with dried orange peel.
	2007 - Reddish amber hue. Great nose of spice and citrus great balanced orange peel. Zesty, fresh and lively. Clean and nearly Belgian like. Caramel tones on finish. Cool stuff and best of all, it’s available to nearly everyone in the US.
	2008 - Deep amber color, with a thick tan head. The aromas are rich and dense with scents of sweet malt, candied nuts, orange peel, fruitcake spices, and dark roasted coffee. Dry with a soft but grainy texture. Semi-bitter and clean finish. In the world of Christmas Beers, this is a session ale.