Christmas in July? No, not really, just the review—I drank this back in March. Regardless, this was the 2007 vintage of Anchor’s Christmas Ale (formally known as Our Special Ale), which, as many doubtless know, is a seasonal offering brewed from a different recipe every year. Shockingly, I think this was my first ever Christmas Ale from Anchor—doubly shocking since it’s been brewed since 1975 and I’m supposed to be all about the beer.

C’est la vie, I suppose.

This 2007 version has an alcohol strength of 5.5% by volume and its recipe, as always, is secret.

Appearance: Deep amber-brown color, very deep red when held to the light. Thinnish light tan head that fell quickly.

Smell: Dark, roasty, licorice, some molasses. Some spices—ginger(?), maybe nutmeg.

Taste: That spicy winter warmer character with a bit of heat and some nice dry roasty notes. Nutty character… a roast hazelnut? Turns into a dry finish, which leads us to…

Mouthfeel: Light of medium-bodied, with a thin presentation and a long dry finish.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores high accolades with a grade of A-. On RateBeer, it scores 3.57 out of 5 and is in their 88th percentile.

Also, with this review I’m also adding a link to the beer (still available) on Liquid Solutions. As I’d mentioned already, I’m now a LS affiliate so if you click through the link below and buy some of this beer, I’ll get a percentage.