Beer of the Weekend #541: Anchor Christmas Ale 2013
Happy holidays!
Though present opening has been delayed until tomorrow night, chocolate dessert has been made and it is now time to crack open the traditional beer.
The beer this Christmas Eve is Anchor Christmas Ale 2013, brewed by the Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco, California.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The bottling code on the back is “3OX,” which translates to October 24, 2013.
Appearance: Served in my gold-rimmed, Christmas Ale 2009 glass. The color is dark, ruby-tinted brown. A finger of dense-ish, light tan head settles slowly and unevenly, leaving a little lacing stuck to the glass.
Smell: It is very spicy and arboreal. There is perhaps cinnamon and maybe peppermint, but it blends very well with aromatic pine and maybe a little spruce. Nutmeg is also prominent. Underneath is a foundation of toasted malts, caramel, and dark cherry licorice.
Taste: The spice and arbor are taken to the next level. Whoa! They are not overpowering but are very potent and prominent. Nutmeg, cinnamon, peppermint (it is hard to tell), pine, and spruce. The spice and arbor mellow somewhat, allowing the toasted malts and a little dark cherry to emerge.
Drinkability: It’s another “Christmas tree in a bottle” edition of Anchor’s Christmas Ale. Fitting, of course, and also tasty.
Fun facts about ACA2013:
-Style: It is classified as “Winter Warmer” on BA.
-Price: $11.99/sixer at the “Drug Town” on First Avenue in Iowa City.
-Alcohol content: Unknown.
-The tree featured on the 2013 label is a California White Fir. Here is a little info (not much about the tree itself, though) from the beer’s webpage:
-Four bottles of the 2012 vintage have been chilling in my fridge for a year. I plan to drink a couple in the next few days. It has been a while since I revisited a beer…
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
Though present opening has been delayed until tomorrow night, chocolate dessert has been made and it is now time to crack open the traditional beer.
The beer this Christmas Eve is Anchor Christmas Ale 2013, brewed by the Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco, California.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The bottling code on the back is “3OX,” which translates to October 24, 2013.
Appearance: Served in my gold-rimmed, Christmas Ale 2009 glass. The color is dark, ruby-tinted brown. A finger of dense-ish, light tan head settles slowly and unevenly, leaving a little lacing stuck to the glass.
Smell: It is very spicy and arboreal. There is perhaps cinnamon and maybe peppermint, but it blends very well with aromatic pine and maybe a little spruce. Nutmeg is also prominent. Underneath is a foundation of toasted malts, caramel, and dark cherry licorice.
Taste: The spice and arbor are taken to the next level. Whoa! They are not overpowering but are very potent and prominent. Nutmeg, cinnamon, peppermint (it is hard to tell), pine, and spruce. The spice and arbor mellow somewhat, allowing the toasted malts and a little dark cherry to emerge.
Drinkability: It’s another “Christmas tree in a bottle” edition of Anchor’s Christmas Ale. Fitting, of course, and also tasty.
Fun facts about ACA2013:
-Style: It is classified as “Winter Warmer” on BA.
-Price: $11.99/sixer at the “Drug Town” on First Avenue in Iowa City.
-Alcohol content: Unknown.
-The tree featured on the 2013 label is a California White Fir. Here is a little info (not much about the tree itself, though) from the beer’s webpage:
Not everyone who came to California in 1849 came in search of gold. A few came in search of trees. English botanist William Lobb was one such plant hunter. As a collector of California’s exotic flora for English nurseries, Lobb (born in East Cornwall in 1809; died in San Francisco in 1864) was responsible for the introduction of fifty-eight species of California plants to English gardens, including Giant Sequoia and California White Fir.
-Four bottles of the 2012 vintage have been chilling in my fridge for a year. I plan to drink a couple in the next few days. It has been a while since I revisited a beer…
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
