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Saturday, December 18, 2010

Day 352 Drink: Anchor 2010 Christmas Ale


Anchor Brewing in San Francisco has been turning out a special Christmas Ale since 1975. The 36 beers have had different recipes each year and the label always features a different tree. The trees are meant to symbolize the winter solstice and the label for 2010 features the Ginkgo biloba tree.

My best estimate is that I have managed to try more than 20 of Anchor's Christmas Ales over the years. I can really only recall one time when I was a little underwhelmed by the beer. The 2010 is actually one of my favorites that I can recall from the annual series.

Anchor 2010 Christmas Ale pours an inviting red brown color with a thick tan head that stays in place. The flavor has a bunch going on. Flavorful roasted malt, some cinnamon, a touch of cocoa and a hint of root beer. Even with all of this going on, the hops show themselves with a good bittering quality that scores throughout.

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