May I have a beer May 26th Anchor Christmas Ale

I have had Anchor brewing companies Christmas ale in  previouse years and it is usually pretty good. This year was in some ways not as good yet really not bad. It was very dark full of flavour even if slightly bitter. Some years it has  been more playful with my taste buds but even so it did not just wash over my tongue like some mass made bottle of urinesque (I believe I am inventing this word. If so the meaning I give it is something that although not urine does too good of a job of tasting and maybe even looking like it) beer. Each year the beer is a different recipe and a different tree on the label.

Now the official word:

Christmas Ale 2016 Anchor Christmas Ale. New tree. New recipe. Same traditions.

A deliciously smooth winter warmer with notes of seasonal spices and a malty backbone, our 2016 Christmas Ale marks the 42nd annual release of this celebrated Anchor tradition.It is sold only from early November to mid–January. The Ale's recipe is different every year—as is the tree on the label—but the intent with which we offer it remains the same: joy and celebration of the newness of life. Since ancient times, trees have symbolized the winter solstice when the earth, with its seasons, appears born anew. With a heavily guarded, secret recipe, Christmas Ale is a highly anticipated seasonal delight, complex and full in flavor with a velvety texture and alluring, yet subtle, spiced aroma.Our tree for 2016 is the “1,000 Mile Tree” or the lone pine found during westbound construction of the transcontinental railroad. Discovered in 1869, it was a lone pine amidst a vast and desolate landscape. The tree on this year’s label was hand-drawn by Bay Area artist James Stitt, who has been creating Anchor’s Christmas Ale labels since 1975. His charming illustration of the 1,000 Mile Tree includes a person at the top of the tree with a mug of beer, honoring an old legend that railway passengers sometimes attempted to climb the tree.The 2016 Christmas Ale is a deep mahogany brown with a creamy, tan head and boasts aromas of fruitcake, molasses, and fresh cut wood. The beer tastes of a roasted caramel malt, with notes of spiced chocolate and nuts. And it has a rich, smooth, and velvety mouthfeel. Every year the Anchor brewers look forward to formulating a new Christmas Ale recipe and tasting the fruits of their labors. We are always excited to please beer fans with its ever-changing recipe and label. Cheers from the Anchor brewers!

Brew Facts

First Brew

1975

First Bottling

1975

Alc. by Volume

6.5

Availability

Nov.-Jan.