Anchor Christmas Ale 2008

Anchor Brewing is one of my favorite breweries.  I am a big fan of their Anchor Steam Ale and, to a lesser extent, their Liberty Ale, which I find a tad overly hopped.  Those are the only two Anchor brews you can generally get up here in BC.  It was much to my delight when a friend brought over a six pack of this year’s Anchor Christmas Ale last weekend.  I had previously had a taste of this fine beer at Vancouver’s Hopscotch Festival, but I had also had many other prior tastes to obscure my judgment.  I welcomed the chance to enjoy this beer in greater depth.

I’m the kind of guy that likes to read the story of every beer I drink.  Looking into Anchor Christmas Ale, I learned that they’ve been brewing a Christmas Ale every year since 1975, never using the same recipe twice.  That is cool; I love traditions like that.  The beer itself has a very dark brown colour, which had me expecting a very heavy, full bodied beer.  I was wrong in my expectation and was pleased to taste a medium bodied, moderately spiced ale.  Unlike most Christmas Ales, this is the sort you could enjoy a few of.  You could also offer this beer to a wussy beer drinker and not fear their reaction.  As for the taste, I found it rich and malty and picked up things like chocolate and coffee.  What didn’t agree with me so much was the mix of spices.  I picked up ginger and nutmeg, both of which I am not a huge fan of.  For more in depth tasting notes, check out the BeerAdvocate reviews.

What I liked about this beer was its lack of heaviness and rich taste, but was not too fond of the mix of spices used.  I would recommend this beer to fellow beer drinkers and would buy it again for friends, but probably not for my own consumption.  That being said, I look forward to next years Anchor Christmas Ale.

Cheers,

Chris