Boozin’ Blog

For many a beer lover Anchor Steam’s Christmas Ale is one of the highlights of the year. Anchor’s website says that’s it is released in early November. I’ve been checking my local beer store every week but it still hasn’t shown up. So, since I can’t have any to drink just now, I’ll write about it.

The company says that the recipe changes each year but it does have a distinct flavor that makes it unmistakable for any other beer. It is expertly spiced and the blend is secret. While many other breweries opt to go with the obvious cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves thing – and some go way overboard with it – Anchor chooses rich, silky spices that blend in an absolutely astounding way with the malt and the hops.

Many a beer-lover and amateur brewer (and not a few professional brewers, I’d guess) have tried to guess at what the spice blend is. Fritz Maytag, owner of Anchor, just smiles and refuses to say. He did reveal one little tid-bit. In Don Russell’s Christmas Beer book, released this year, Maytag is quoted on the subject of cloves: “No! That’s the only thing I’m going to say. There are no cloves in it. None. I’m tired of hearing about cloves!”

So, scratch cloves off the list. But what IS in it? Anchor won’t even reveal the variety of hops. I’ve always thought that there’s a bit of anise in it. What do you think?

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