Yes, it's the Anchor Christmas Ale Challenge! The Quiet Man as a true afficionado of all things beer really got into the Christmas ales last year and pointed me towards a couple of breweries that rotate their Christmas ales every year. Schell's and Anchor. Schell's annual Snowstorm last year was AMAZING- but unfortunately, I didn't both to keep a bottle to do a proper comparison this year (something I'm going to correct as soon as I can get my hands on a sixer.)
Anchor's Christmas 2010 I did keep a bottle of however so I could compare it to this year's and this is what I got:
With all apologies to The Quiet Man (who does this far better than I ever could.)
Smells like a Christmas Tree. I remembered right away why it didn't really knock my socks off last year. That Snowstorm 2010 spoiled me! But a few sips and subtle spices start to emerge that perfectly fit the holiday season. Cinnamon and maybe just a hint of nutmeg blend with coffee and chocolate for a rich, dark beer that grew on me as I drank it. And there was plenty of sediment left behind...
Was oddly disappointing. It didn't smell like a Christmas Tree- but there wasn't that much of a difference from last year from what I could tell. There was lots of coffee and chocolate and it was smoother and sweeter than last year which I thought was a plus, but compared with the differences between Snowstorm 2010 and 2011 I was expecting a little more. Perhaps foolishly- but in the end the lack of Christmas tree smell in the 2011 edition convinced me that it was just, ever-so-slightly better. But then again it was only ever-so-slightly different.
Anyway kids, stay tuned next year and maybe I'll expand the Christmas Ale Challenge to include Schell's Snowstorm and a variety of other winter/Christmas ales that tend to grace the shelves at Hy-Vee this time of year.
In the meantime, Happy Drinking!
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