Monday, November 12, 2012

Anchor Brewing: Christmas Ale 2012

I know it's only November and way to early to be thinking about Christmas.  I'm usually the guy that gets frustrated with the Halloween stuff in the same isle as the Christmas stuff at my local Walgreen's.  In years past I would think it was absurd that the department stores at the mall would have Christmas decorations up before November 1st.  This year has been a year of change for me and through those changes I have learned to just go with the flow.  One great old cliche is "If you can't beat'em, join'em." and that's what I intend to do this year.

Why not start Christmas early, it's the greatest holiday and greatest season of the year...every year.  People tend to be more giving and a lot happier.  The decorations look nice, especially when they are well done.  Everyone loves Christmas, even the Grinch liked it in the end.  To kick off my holiday mood I decided to give this years Anchor Brewing Christmas seasonal brew a shot.  I have tried their seasonal brew in past years, every year for the past 5 or 6 to be exact.  However, I can get away with using this beer under my try one new beer a week umbrella due tot he fact that Anchor changes the recipe every single year.  So this years beer is brand new and I have never tried it before.  I know it's a technicality, but hey it's a great brewery with great beer so I'm going to go with it.

Anchor's bottle just looks inviting, adorned with a Norfolk Island Pine in addition to the terms Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  Even the writing is in a traditional red and green.  When I opened up the bottle, the aroma of spices perked up my senses.  The beer is deep brown almost black in color with a brownish tint to the head.  It looks like a beer that will warm you up on a cold winter evening.  The first sip is full of spices and the warmth goes into effect.  This beer is so perfect for the season that it makes me want to run out to Old Navy and buy a gaudy winter sweater with a red nosed reindeer on it.  This is a brew that makes me wish I was at a cabin with a fireplace and it was snowing outside.  It makes me angry that it was sunny and 80 degrees today where I live.

Questions:  Does this beer crack the top ten?  If this was a beer that was made all year round, every year, I would place this in my top ten or maybe even top three.  Due to the fact that I will have to buy 5 cases of it before the season is over and ration it off throughout the rest of the year only to never have it again once it's gone makes me unable to place this beer in the top ten.  I do have to say that also due to the fact that it is limited, makes it that much more enjoyable when drinking it.  This brew is almost like a bottle of wine that you saved for a special occasion.  Was it worth the price?  Absolutely!  I paid $8.99 for the six pack and there is no doubt that this will be stocked in my fridge from now through the new year. 

I have to say that Anchor Brewing never disappoints.  From the original Steam Beer to the Liberty Ale to the Summer Beer, Anchor Brewing knows how to make really good beer.  I highly recommend trying this beer this season and stocking up before it's gone for good.  This will be a beer that you will love to have throughout the holidays and beyond.  Check out www.anchorbrewing.com for more information about their very tasty brews.

Merry early Christmas everyone!

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