It's that time again for what's become a yearly tradition here on the blog. See, for the uninitiated, San Francisco, CA's Anchor Brewing does a special beer each year for Christmas. Each annual label bears a different hand-drawn tree each year the beer boasts a new secret recipe. This goes back to the first Anchor Christmas Ale, in 1975.

Since 2015 (when I drank the 2014 Christmas Ale out of season), each new variant of Christmas Ale's been around the blog. Some I liked more than others. Let's see how 2022 stacks up to the rest.

Another holiday season, another run of Anchor's historic Christmas Ale. I haven't missed a year since I fell into this beer rabbit hole and I'm pleased to add 2021 to my résumé.

I look forward to each annual release of the beer, but the stuff's largely been hit or miss for me. '17, '18, and '19 were all killer ales, but I just couldn't get behind last year's for some reason (I think I might have had a bad bottle, because a lot of people didn't have my particular issues with it). Let's see how '21's drinking.

It's the Holiday Season! This post would have typically gone up the day after Thanksgiving (which is when the blog's Christmas beer time officially commences), but it's been a zany long weekend: Eating food, yeah, but a ton of house work (plumbing stuff and furnace fixing, namely). Today, however, Michelle and I got our Christmas tree trimmed, put up, and decorated. I hung our outside lights while she set out interior decorations out. So, finally, I'm ready to start the blog's Christmas season.

The first post of this year is a beer that I look forward to annually, one that changes its recipe each and every year but is of a consistently high quality. That beer, as you can easily tell by the title, is Anchor's 2020 Christmas Ale.

Each year I look forward to a very specific beer here on the blog. That beer sees an annual release, but the recipe is never the same. I started drinking this stuff with the 2014 offering and now, five iterations of it later, here we are with 2019. I'll not mince words with the intro--it's probably best to get into it. Today's beer is Anchor's 2019 Christmas Ale.

Anchor's Christmas Ale is something of a tradition around these parts. Don't believe me? Well, you should. See, I've had the following years on the blog: 2014 (long after the 2014 holiday season), 2015, 2016, and 2017. I'm excited to add 2018 to that list!

That's a Korean pine on the label, by the way.

This brew is one to which I always look forward. The recipe, which changes yearly, consistently makes for a good ale. I also enjoy the stroll down memory lane I take in preparation for each post by reading through those of each previous year--this gets me in a compare and contrast state of mind. It's nice to see how each year varies from those that have come before it. Last year's was my favorite yet, with a rating of 9.5/10. How will 2018 hold up? Let's find out!

This is the fourth iteration of this ale I've touched upon with the blog. After having the 2014 Christmas Ale well after the 2014 holiday season, it's since become a staple of Christmastime around here. It's easy to write about every year (provided I can track it down) because it's always different: Anchor Brewing, the company behind the bottle at hand, creates a new recipe each and every year.


And, believe it or not, each year (or, at least, each iteration of the ale I've had) has definitely been worthy of a Yuletide spot here on the blog. This begs the question: Does this year's stack up to the previous three?

Here we go again. You know tomorrow Christmas because I'm dipping into the yearly Anchor offering. This is the third year I've been able to try this ever-evolving Christmas ale--each year the recipe for the brew contained within the bottle changes, just like the illustration of the tree adorning the ale's label.
In over the last year-and-a-half (I drank the 2014 ale randomly during the spring of 2015) I've come to expect holiday goodness from Anchor. How does this year's Christmas Ale hold up?

I've been ready to try this beer since I had an Anchor Christmas for the first time, back in April, which the was brewery's 2014 offering. I gave last year's Christmas Ale an 8.0/10. If you think back to that post (or you click the hyperlink in the middle of this post's first sentence), you'll recall (or discover) that the brewery changes up its recipe each year.


There is a single thing I know about this brew right off the bat (before I break into my bottle): it's a traditional, spicy Christmas brew. As much as I've thoroughly enjoyed the last two beers I've sampled for the blog, it'll be nice to get back to a classic Christmas ale, especially with the big day right around the corner.

A few months ago (back in April) I reviewed the only Anchor Brewing beer I've ever had: the 2014 Christmas Ale. I liked it.

After discussing it on here I shared my thoughts on the ale with the brewery. They tweeted me back (I shared my write-up with them by linking it in a tweet, you see) and encouraged me to try more of their brews.

Now, over two months later, I'm finally following through one our brief, 140 character or less social media conversation. Today I'll be sharing my thoughts on Anchor Brewing's Anchor Steam Beer with you.

I love Christmas and whole Christmas season. A lot of people don't and I can understand that. But I love it and everything about it. From the Christmas music that plays constantly on the radio and the lights in which people dress their houses/yards to stubborn jerks who angrily refuse to say "Happy Holidays" to others because it's the Christmas season, dammit. I also love Christmas beers.

Yes, I am well aware that I'm writing this in late April. The good news is that I'm really good at convincing myself it's the holiday season. I have a playlist (149 song, 7 hours and 26 minutes) of Christmas music that I put on to get me in the mood. Cold, cloudy days like today help me to do that more easily.

So when I found Anchor Brewing's Christmas Ale from last year on the shelf of my local beer store I grabbed it, knowing full well that my tricks would help me turn a dreary spring day into a the perfect slice of mid-December to enjoy it.