WILK Friday BeerBuzz – 14 Dec 2012 – Anchor Christmas Ale w/Mark Carpenter

As the holiday season approaches each year we all reach out to our traditions and holiday customs to celebrate the season.  We’re no different on the WILK Friday BeerBuzz as we welcome the holiday season by reaching out to the friends we’ve met along the way.

After last year’s appearance on our show, I knew we had a new holiday tradition on the Friday BeerBuzz with Anchor Christmas Ale and our pal brewmaster Mark Carpenter.  What better way to celebrate the season than by welcoming Mark back with this year’s version of Anchor Christmas Ale or Our Special Ale as many know it.  Mark kindly agreed to wake up early again to talk to us and we were honored to have him back.

Anchor Christmas Ale began in 1975 and in it’s 38th year, the recipe has never been the same as any previous year.  Each year the beer uses a top-secret set of ingredients to achieve it’s rich and unique flavors.  Each year the beer also features a classic label featuring a specific tree hand drawn by 83-year old label artist Jim Stitt.  Of course this year is no different, and the label features a Norfolk Island Pine drawn from a real tree in Golden Gate Park.  Trees symbolize the winter solstice and the change of seasons and as you’ll see when you taste it, this is the perfect beer to celebrate the winter season.  Anchor Christmas Ale is a 5.5% ABV, slightly spicy, slightly malty and infinitely drinkable winter brew.  You’ll find notes of dark fruit, caramel and winter spices, and the beer itself is simply pretty to look at with it’s reddish brown color.

It was fun quizzing Mark about the direction Anchor Christmas Ale will move toward in the future.  Mark mentioned in a previous interview that they had possibly exhausted the traditional style of this beer so we’ll be excited to see what changes he may make in 2013.  It was of course also fun talking to Mark about the Anchor brewery itself.  If you get a chance to visit this brewery, DO SO….it is a beautiful facility and it has some of the most amazing copper kettles you’ll ever see.

Try Anchor Christmas for yourself, and if you’re lucky enough to find some samples from previous years, try them all together.  This beer ages well and gets even more complex and interesting as it ages.

T

hank you to Mark Carpenter from Anchor Brewing, Nancy, John & Joe for yet another

fun Friday.

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together.  As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE.
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