Anchor Barrel Ale – A First Sampling

We brought you a peek at this beer back in July and also the official press release details, but there’s nothing like putting your hands on a bottle and sampling the beer.

Today we get to sample Anchor Barrel Ale.  This beer is not only the third release in the Anchor Argonaut Collection, but also a tribute to Anchor Brewing founder Fritz Maytag.  This “welcome departure form the norm of barrel-aged beers” uses four different Anchor Brewing beers, each  separately aged in Anchor Old Potero Whiskey barrels .  The aging process focuses on imparting flavors and not fermentation, so the resulting flavors are pretty unique.

Anchor Barrel Ale is subtle but complex.  The aromas are soft, but intriguing and the flavors are really unique.  The aromas are oaky, but subtle and warming.  The flavors are caramel-y, malty and even a bit roasty with a little bit of cocoa and coffee up front.  The complexity of this beer lingers on your palate and we found ourselves discussing (aka reveling in) the complex and unique nature of the flavor combinations.  I found Whiskey to be prominent, but Mrs. BeerBuzz locked in on coffee.  I found toffee, but Mrs. BeerBuzz locked in on something sweeter and dry-er. 

In the end we both found this to be fitting tribute to Fritz Maytag and the original 1965 Anchor brewery he founded (aka rescued).  Anchor Barrel Ale comes in at 7.5%-AbV and it is available in 4-packs (and on draft) as part of the Argonaut Series (following Flying Cloud Stout and Double Liberty IPA.)

I’m calling this a “historic” brew from Anchor Brewing, and as such, I think you all need to try it.  And once you do, be sure to let us know what YOU think.

Cheers and thank you to everyone at Anchor for brewing (and sharing) Anchor Barrel Ale with us.