Brewed Beverage of Choice: Duh! Look at the title of this post!
Through some inspection and from some disparaging responses from angry readers, I have decided to give some brew reviews on some of my favourite beers, usually dependent on mood and season. That is right I am caving in to the masses which goes against everything for which I stand. But in researching some of the folk who actually read this blog, I found a person in Spain log on and quickly leave because they googled Hair of the Dog Adambier despondant that the post had nothing really to do with that fine brew. So instead of saying, ‘To hell with all of you who just want me to talk about beer!’ I am going to do my best with my limited palette to do a discerning review of beers I like to drink. Hopefully I can then keep those folk from say Spain and Japan who logged on and left in dismay. Cheers!
Every fall and winter I wait with baited breath for the release of Anchor Steam’s Our Special Ale because it is such a spectacular brew and they change the recipe every year. It is by far one of the best winter ales out on the market today. This year’s model is, in my opinion, better than last year, which I thought fell a little flat. No pun intended.
The 2006 version of Our Special Ale pours into the glass with a deep mahagony colour, almost black, and a nice thick cream coloured head. Just by look alone it could be mistaken for a porter or oatmeal stout save for its visual texture. The first thing that hit me when I raised my glass for a whiff was the scents of vanilla, caramel, and their mystery spices. Sometimes I wish my nose could distinguish the aroma of spices better so I could tell you which ones were used. But one of the best things about drinking this brew is trying to discern that on your own, so I will not even hint at what I think they are. After my first sip there was a pleasurable amount of bitterness that flowed into a deep roasted coffee flavour. There are also hints of raisins, vanilla, and those mysterious spices. I would add a nutty complexity and the subtle warmth of alcohol one would find in any good winter ale. The brew was nice and firm in its mouthfeel. Not too light and not too thick. I did find that it tasted much, MUCH better after I let it warm up to something near room temperature. The flavours are more pronounced and the warmth much more inviting. It is some geek’s desire to store one bottle away and drink it a year or so later which is not a bad idea. But I would suggest spending the money on the magnum because it will allow the flavours to work their magic better than in just the tiny 12 oz. bottle.
So there you have it my friends and family. You can call me a total cave-in, a sell-out, if you want. The only reason I did not want to do this is because I wanted folk to go out and buy a bottle of the brewed beverage of choice on their own rather than get a review from some schlepp like me. Oh well, things change and so do I. So live with it! Enjoy the wonders of Our Special Ale!
Prost!
the confucian brewer