Time to snap our fingers and enter the Tardis to try (4) of Anchor Brewing’s past Merry Christmas Ales.
15
Lots of gunk at the bottom of the bottle. Has the makings of a little sour barleywine. Cherry flavor note and a Port sorta nose to it make this interesting but it certainlyturneda corner into bad territory. This is pretty close to just needing a few ounces to get the full picture.
16
ABV jumps a full percentage point from 5.5% in 2015 to 6.5% this year. Poursa bit darker to me as well. Little more tree spice here that I am used to from this beer but I like it that way. The sour turn is beginning to show but this is a much more full beer caught in the nick of time.
17
Nice woodsy aroma upon opening the bottle. Faint hit of chocolate and spice in the first sip. Nice amount of bitterness too. The espresso lacing on the side is quite pretty as well. Gettin a slight barleywine note in the background.
18
Smoother. Less jagged edges to this year with the red banded label. Malt lead close to a porter feel. Pours a garnet color. A little bit of a fruit taste. Leaning to cherry. Oddly this seems to have aged worse than the previous two years. Feeling like it is going to tip into sour soon.
