Beer of the Weekend #411: Anchor Christmas Ale 2012
Happy holidays, everyone!
Tonight is the night I have been waiting for since late-November. With kuchen and chocolate dessert made one day in advance, and present opening finished, it is time for what I plan to make a holiday tradition.
The beer this Christmas Eve is Anchor Christmas Ale 2012, brewed by the Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco, California.
After last year’s disappointing edition, I am eager to try Christmas Ale 2012. I have received conflicting reports: Mervgotti said it was tame and not as spicy, but Bobblehead said it was adequately festive. Hmm. This should be interesting.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The bottling code printed on the label is “2OH,” which is deciphered to mean October 8, 2012. (It may also be “2OM,” which would be October 13, 2012.)
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is brown with ruby tones. Two fingers of dense, cappuccino-colored head left a lacing, ring around the edge, and trails of foam along the glass.
Smell: I got a whiff of the spice the moment I popped the cap. Loads of festive cinnamon, pine, brown sugar, and ginger. Underneath is a solid foundation of toasted malts, caramel, toffee, dark fruit (I get plum and fig), and molasses. It is pretty solid — exactly what I want from an Anchor Christmas Ale — though I get the impression it is very familiar.
Taste: At first it is not as spicy as the smell led me to believe; the cinnamon, pine, and ginger are relegated to the background and hints in the aftertaste. The brown sugar, though, remains prominent. However, the spices slowly emerge as the beer warms. It is maltier than I was expecting, too; lots of toasted, and even roasted, malts. Caramel, molasses, cocoa, and burnt syrup. I also get a hint of flat Coke. A roasted aftertaste lingers after each sip.
Drinkability: Much better than the 2011 edition. The flavor lacks the punch of the aroma but it is still a good brew.
Fun facts about ACA2012:
-Style: Winter Warmer.
-Price: $9.99/sixer at the “Drug Town” on First Avenue and Rochester in Iowa City. (The receipt has been sitting on my desk just for recording the price. I apparently bought this sixer on November 21 — the same day I bought a sixer of Heineken to share for Thanksgiving.)
-Serving temperature: BA recommends 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: The beer’s webpage is coy and lists the ABV as “VARIES.” BA pegs it at 5.5 percent ABV.
-The tree featured on this year’s label is a Norfolk Island pine. Here are more details via the Anchor website:
-Speaking of the labels, check out this link to view the history of each label in the Christmas Ale series: http://www.anchorbrewing.com/beer/christmas_ale/labels. I still think the original label is the coolest.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
Tonight is the night I have been waiting for since late-November. With kuchen and chocolate dessert made one day in advance, and present opening finished, it is time for what I plan to make a holiday tradition.
The beer this Christmas Eve is Anchor Christmas Ale 2012, brewed by the Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco, California.
After last year’s disappointing edition, I am eager to try Christmas Ale 2012. I have received conflicting reports: Mervgotti said it was tame and not as spicy, but Bobblehead said it was adequately festive. Hmm. This should be interesting.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The bottling code printed on the label is “2OH,” which is deciphered to mean October 8, 2012. (It may also be “2OM,” which would be October 13, 2012.)
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is brown with ruby tones. Two fingers of dense, cappuccino-colored head left a lacing, ring around the edge, and trails of foam along the glass.
Smell: I got a whiff of the spice the moment I popped the cap. Loads of festive cinnamon, pine, brown sugar, and ginger. Underneath is a solid foundation of toasted malts, caramel, toffee, dark fruit (I get plum and fig), and molasses. It is pretty solid — exactly what I want from an Anchor Christmas Ale — though I get the impression it is very familiar.
Taste: At first it is not as spicy as the smell led me to believe; the cinnamon, pine, and ginger are relegated to the background and hints in the aftertaste. The brown sugar, though, remains prominent. However, the spices slowly emerge as the beer warms. It is maltier than I was expecting, too; lots of toasted, and even roasted, malts. Caramel, molasses, cocoa, and burnt syrup. I also get a hint of flat Coke. A roasted aftertaste lingers after each sip.
Drinkability: Much better than the 2011 edition. The flavor lacks the punch of the aroma but it is still a good brew.
Fun facts about ACA2012:
-Style: Winter Warmer.
-Price: $9.99/sixer at the “Drug Town” on First Avenue and Rochester in Iowa City. (The receipt has been sitting on my desk just for recording the price. I apparently bought this sixer on November 21 — the same day I bought a sixer of Heineken to share for Thanksgiving.)
-Serving temperature: BA recommends 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: The beer’s webpage is coy and lists the ABV as “VARIES.” BA pegs it at 5.5 percent ABV.
-The tree featured on this year’s label is a Norfolk Island pine. Here are more details via the Anchor website:
Our tree for 2012 is the Norfolk Island pine. Captain Cook discovered this South Seas isle and its native tree in 1774. These tropical-looking conifers, which thrive in sandy soil and coastal climes, were first planted in California in the 1850s. The Norfolk Island pine on this year’s label, hand drawn from life, resides in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
-Speaking of the labels, check out this link to view the history of each label in the Christmas Ale series: http://www.anchorbrewing.com/beer/christmas_ale/labels. I still think the original label is the coolest.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
