In the recent Session hosted by yours truly there was one beer that was repeatedly written on. From the great taste to the passion that many felt for this particular beer, the amount of writings was amazing. Here is a seasonal beer that's been made every year sine 1975 I believe, every year the recipe is different, every year the label depicts a different tree. I had seen it before of course, who hasn't? I knew I had to buy some and try it for myself, was it really that good?
The answer of course is yes.
The Beer: The beer pours a deep dark cloudy brown capped by an 1/8 inch thick taupe head. The head disappears but there is plenty of lacing left behind. The nose is full of licorice, the smell of an evergreen forest, prunes, maltiness, and some floral hops. The mouth is the same. Its a mouthful of licorice, prunes and plums, cocoa, malts, piney hops, and a spruce-y taste. Quite frankly this beer is amazing, the amount of flavors that are floating all though this beer is incredible. I'm glad I bought multiple bottles since some will be held to age. This ones an easy A. Over at BA 99% of the folks are in favor of it.
Well that's my last post of the year, well at least from Texas. I head to Denver for the holiday's where I am sure that I'll be sampling some local beer. I'm also heading to Flying Dog Brewery on Friday so I'll post my thoughts on that visit as well.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy Holidays.
2 comments:
I tried this one myself (the 2007)a few days ago. I liked it too, but kept finding myself trying to categorize it.
Stout? No not a stout, body/mouthfeel is thinner than what I think of as stout. Porter? Not really that either... other (non-malty) flavors peeking through. So what is it?
I dunno. It seems to defy categorization. It doesn't even really seem to fit into the "winter warmer" niche (which I don't completely understand as a style anyway to be completely honest). As I say though, I like it. The fact that I can't pigeonhole it probably adds rather than detracts from my enjoyment of the beer.
Have a good trip to Colorado Ted. Say hello to Josh at Flying Dog for me if you get the chance. I like his taste in music.
Merry Christmas,
Dude
Dude,
Couldn't agree more about the beer. I think its mystery is one of the reasons its so enjoyable. Its that one thing thats out there and you can't quite figure out what it is, plus it makes you want to drink more to see if you can find out. There was even a discussion about it on BA a while ago about how to classify it, most said Porter or Stout, I say classify it as a spiced beer and don't worry about what it would be without the spices as it wouldn't be Anchor Christmas.
Have a great Christmas.
T
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