The BeerCast

Merry Christmas from the BeerCast to all of our readers and listeners! Our fifth annual Christmas Special podcast is another festive frenzy, as we review six seasonal beers and give our thoughts – both on the contents of the bottle and the ‘Christmassy Factor’ of the label (i.e. whether looking at it puts us in the festive mood). Our first beer brings the seasonal puns straight away – Cotleigh Red Nose Reinbeer (5.0%), from Somerset. We then head to Belgium and sample Het Anker Gouden Carolus Christmas (10.5%), before dealing with the litre growler containing Williams Brothers Nollaig (7.0%). Our fourth beer is another Scottish entrant – Sinclair Atlas Clootie Dumpling (4.3%), named after a traditional Orcadian pudding. After that, it’s back to the continent for De Ranke Père Noël (7.0%), and we finish on a traditional note with the 2011 vintage of Anchor Special Ale (5.5%) – which we taste every year on our Christmas BeerCast. The festive panel this time are Richard, Grooben and Shovels.

1. Red Nose Reinbeer (5.0%abv)
Cotleigh Brewery, Wiveliscombe, Somerset.
500ml glass bottle

Cotleigh began as a five-barrel startup in an old farmhouse near Tiverton in Devon. Their first beer was Tawny Owl Bitter, debuting in 1979. Success came quickly enough for them to relocate from the Cotleigh Farmhouse to Wiveliscombe in Somerset within the year. Having expanded since, they produce a range of beers – the majority named after birds of prey. Having celebrated thirty years of brewing in 2009, they continue to support the Hawk and Owl Trust with charitable donations. Their Christmas beer might not feature an owl – but it does have a robin on the label, perched on the antlers of the maniacal reindeer…

What They Say -
“Guaranteed to give you a nice red glow like Rudolph, this is a highly recommended drink. A smooth long lasting finish with chocolate, toffee and nuts. Pale, Crystal and Chocolate malts; Goldings, Fuggles and Northdown hops.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard – I like it – toffee aroma, nice bit of roast, some fruit 7
Grooben – Doesn’t have that thick Christmassy thing going on 6
Shovels – Smoky aroma, slightly pruney, not my cup of tea 5

Label Christmas Rating
8/10 I bet that’s the reindeer Santa breaks out when he has to go through the Gorbals (Grooben)

2. Gouden Carolus Christmas (10.5%abv)
Brouwerij Het Anker, Mechelen, Belgium.
330ml glass bottle

In 1471 a community of Beguines (a Catholic lay religious order) began a brewery in the Flanders town of Mechelen. Four hundred and one years later, the facility was acquired by Louis Van Breedam – who changed the name to Het Anker (the Anchor brewery). Fast-forward to 1960 and Het Anker produced a range of beer, owned a brasserie, and a local hotel. Their main line of beers these days are Gouden Carolus – named after the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (who was born in Mechelen; to a man titled ‘Philip the Handsome‘). Today we sample their festive Christmas beer.

What They Say -
“A strong, dark ruby red beer with character, it contains an alcohol percentage of 10.5 % VOL. Brewed in August, the beer rests a few months to reach an optimal balance. Three kinds of hops and six different kinds of herbs and spices define the rich taste of this Christmas beer. Top-class!” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels – That’s cracking – an awesomely Christmassy beer 9
Richard – Star anise flavour, more herby than spicy, great 8½
Grooben – Sweet but not cloying, this really is top class 8

Label Christmas Rating
10/10 – I don’t think you can get much more Christmassy than that (Richard)

3. Nollaig (7.0%abv)
Williams Brothers Brewery, Alloa, Scotland.
1 litre glass bottle

BeerCast fans will need little introduction to the beers from Alloa’s Williams Brothers Brewery. One of Scotland’s most prolific producers, the company began life in the Glasgow homebrew shop operated by siblings Bruce and Scott. Having an interest in historical recipes, their Heather Ales range includes the flagship Fraoch heather ale, Kelpie seaweed ale, and Alba – a 7.5% spruce beer we sampled in BeerCast #61. Today we try a brand new release (literally; it appeared the day before our recording) – Nollaig – a 7% beer brewed ‘with Christmas trees’.

What They Say -
“We have brewed this special festive ale using malted barley, a variety of high impact specialist hops and hand picked spruce tips which are only ripe for picking during a two week window in the spring. The resiny sweetness of the spruce and malt is countered by a huge hop character, which is just delicious. Limited batch of 800 bottles.” [Label tasting notes]

What We Say…
Grooben – Unusual and really sweet, it’s definitely been crafted 8
Shovels – Sweet, piney, sprucey, slightly bitter, it’s a cracker 8
Richard – Like drinking a Christmas tree – the hops make a difference, there’s other things to it 8

Label Christmas Rating
7/10 It’s like a no-frills present (Shovels) Without the tinsel it would be nothing, but it’s a good package (Grooben)

4. Clootie Dumpling (4.3%abv)
Sinclair Orkney Brewery, Quoyloo, Scotland.
500ml glass bottle

Founded by Roger White in 1988, the award-winning Orkney brewery started in untypical surroundings – an old school house in Sandwick. In June 2004 they merged with the Atlas Brewery of Kinlochleven, to form Highland and Islands Breweries – which in turn was taken over by the Sinclair Brewery Ltd in 2006. Recently we sampled the punchy Skull Splitter as part of our big abv protest BeerCast #64, but today it’s their session-strength Christmas Beer. BeerCaster Grooben – who was raised on Orkney – confirms that a Clootie Dumpling is a traditional steamed suet pudding.

What They Say -
“A light tawny beer. It has an aroma of spiced fruits and dried fruits, with hints of smooth roasted malt. Clootie Dumpling has a soft rounded palate, with flavours of dried fruits, citrus fruits and spices.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels – I don’t mind the additions but it needs more body 6½
Richard – Inoffensively spiced, but nice and gingerish 6
Grooben – It falls into the “let’s put spices into a beer” trap 5

Label Christmas Rating
4/10 It looks like a Christmas pudding, that’s Christmassy (Richard)

5. Père Noël (7.0%abv)
Brouwerij De Ranke, Wevelgem, Belgium.
330ml glass bottle

In 1994, a Belgian by the name of Nino Bacelle – who came from a lemonade manufacturing background – began brewing at the Deca brewery in Woesten. Two years later, and with partner Guido Devos on board, Brouwerij Nino Bacelle became Brewery De Ranke. In 2008, they opened their own facility in Dottignies, producing 2,000hl of beer annually (60% of which was for export). Nino’s original 1994 beer is still going – Guldenberg – but they have several more, including a festive Christmas brew called (and with a label featuring) Père Noël.

What They Say -
“A fantastic Christmas beer, but one that defies the universal custom of a stronger, spicier beer for the holiday season. It combines a fine balance of malt and hops, complex character, a refreshing dryness, and a gorgeous cellar aroma – but is distinguished by its festive copper colour.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard – No huge departure here from Belgian beer in general 7½
Shovels – For a Belgian, it’s not bad. I prefer the spruce beer 7
Grooben – It’s a good beer, decent amount of alcohol 7

Label Christmas Rating
7/10 – It’s a bit half-assed – a badly drawn Santa hugging a beer (Grooben)

6. Anchor Special Ale 2011 (5.5%abv)
Anchor Brewery, San Francisco.
535ml glass bottle

It wouldn’t be a BeerCast Christmas Special without the latest special festive ale from Anchor. Each year they produce a highly secret recipe, slightly different from all previous years – the 2011 vintage is the 37th in the series. The 2006 edition topped our beer rankings for a long time, and was eventually crowned beer of the year in our 2007 Beer of the Year show, (during which we also tasted the 2007 one). The 2008 version also scored well, before a dip over the last years with the 2009 and 2010. There are never any tasting notes as the San Francisco concern keep the exact ingredients classified, but expect spices, piney freshness and all kinds of winter flavours.

What They Say -
“Created in the style of a dark and malty, strong scotch ale, with the addition of selected seasonal spices to compliment the festive season.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels – Not as junipery as before, the sweetness comes out 8½
Richard – More sprucey than other Anchors, but more balanced 8
Grooben – Backs up the aroma with flavour better than the previous couple of years 8

Label Christmas Rating
8/10 It is just a tree, but to us this beer is now synonymous with Christmas (Shovels)

Panellists – (clockwise from top left) Shovels, Grooben, Richard

BeerCast panel verdict
Het Anker Gouden Carolus Christmas 26/30
Anchor Our Special Ale 2011 24½/30
Williams Brothers Nollaig 24/30
De Ranke Père Noël 21½/30
Cotleigh Red Nose Reinbeer 18/30
Sinclair Orkney Clootie Dumpling 17½/30

• Listen to the episode on Soundcloud here:

• Or here if you’re on iPhone/iPad: BeerCast #66 – Christmas Special 2011
• Subscribe to the podcasts in iTunes or our Site Feed

Keep those comments and emails coming in – many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to comment on our website this year. Our next podcast is the big one – our fifth annual BeerCast Beer of the Year show. We’ll have the five highest scoring beers from our podcasts this year, sampled by a specially extended panel. Stay tuned for a BOTY preview…

“Hang on…that can’t be it, can it?”

For the final London highlight this week, we follow on the heels of Tuesday’s post and explore another of the capital’s hot new hangouts – the Euston Tap. Located in an old doric arch near the main entrance of Euston station, it’s extremely easy to miss – as you can see from the photo. But inside this Tardis of beer, the cool, quiet interior reveals a fantastic surprise. Eight cask ales and nineteen keg beers, with a huge bottled selection – the choice at the Tap is wonderful.

It must get incredibly busy, being so small, but when I was there everything was very relaxed. It almost felt like a station waiting room, with the silent introspection of the few customers, sitting on leather chairs around the outside of the central bar. Green tiles are everywhere, as are wallcharts about beer, tasting wheels, and old blueprints of the arch. A spiral staircase in the corner heads up to the top room – and there’s also plenty of seating outside.

The Tap feels like a station bar should – a place to grab something hurriedly, or one to relax for a while between connections. Making a beer selection if you were in a hurry could be tricky, however – particularly as when I was there a few of the taps were off, or out of service. Not that it matters, just scanning the fridges would take you half an hour or so – which is how I ended up with the Kernel’s Super Alpha Pacific Jade – a magnificent, sticky, orange IPA. In fact, so orangey it became, it reminded me somewhat of drinking Fanta.

Next up I went for a brown ale – a style I really love, whether it be the sweet hoppy American versions, or the malty, leathery British style. Anchor’s Breckles Brown is firmly in the first of these camps – the malt is there, but so is a glassful of brown sugar and raisins. I was lucky to get some, as it dribbled out of the font like the cocked leg of elderly dog, and was clearly about to go the way of most of the other MIA beers. I’m glad I got to try it, the malts really came through as it warmed.

So two great beers over a quick half-hour visit to the Tap, before wandering off to get my train. Great station bars are making a revival (indeed in Yorkshire and East Lancashire they never went away), with the opening of similar ‘Taps’ in Sheffield, Cambridge and York. There’s no need to resort to a can of John Smith’s Smoothflow with a platform-side selection as remarkable as found in those places. We may even be near the time when drinkers visit the station, but don’t actually go anywhere…

The Euston Tap is found at the west side of Euston Square Gardens, just outside the station – or a five minute walk from King’s Cross for east-coasters such as the BeerCast. Visit their website for details, or you can follow their twitter feed for daily information as to what’s on. That’s it for London week on the BeerCast – until our next visit…

Stand by next week for an important announcement, as the BeerCast take the moral highground for the month of October…

San Francisco has been one of the major beneficiaries of the modern American brewing revival, with a new reputation for being a beer-drinker’s destination. The resurgence of the Anchor Brewery has played a key role in this. Having been established to slake the collective thirsts of miners during the Gold Rush, Anchor dwindled in popularity until the mid-1960’s, when closure became a very real possibility.

That was until the wonderfully named Frederick Louis Maytag III (Fritz to his friends) bought the brewery. Fritz knew very little about brewing when he took over, so really threw himself (and his cash) in at the deep end. After purchasing the necessary equipment to upgrade he worked on a California Common recipe – which became the now iconic Anchor Steam – and the rest was history. Last year, Fritz sold up to two former vodka executives, who pledged to continue the traditions on which Anchor had been based.

One of these traditions has been the consistency of their regular beers. Preferring to build the base for their flagships – Steam, Liberty Ale, Porter and Old Foghorn, their seasonal releases had taken a backseat (aside from the annual festive Our Special Ale). Anchor Bock was released as a Spring special in 2005, but there was nothing after that until 2009 when Anchor Humming Ale was created (since the sale another release has been put out – Brekle’s Brown, named after the first brewer).

Humming Ale was first brewed exactly thirty years after Anchor moved to their present location at 1705 Mariposa Street, as a celebration of the success they have achieved in their brewhouse. Released in late summer (August to November), it pours a very hazy off-gold amber colour. The aromas are citrus hops with a touch of sharpness, on the palate the prime taste is grapefruit, with that distinctive white wine quality from the Nelson Sauvin hops used. Like all Anchor beers Humming Ale is extremely drinkable – I looked twice at the bottle when I realised it was 5.9%…

Merry Christmas from the BeerCast to all of our readers and listeners – and not to forget the brewers who make everything happen! In this, our fourth annual BeerCast Christmas Special podcast, we review six seasonal beers and give our thoughts – both on the ale itself and the ‘Christmassy Factor’ of the label (i.e. whether looking at the bottle puts us in the festive mood).

First up we have Fyne Ales Holly Daze (5.0%) from Argyll, before we head to California for Anchor Special Ale 2010 (5.5%) – the fifth version of their winter beer to feature on the BeerCast. Our third festive cracker is Odell Isolation Ale (6.1%), before we head to Germany to sample the oak-smoked delights of Schlenkerla Eiche Doppelbock (8.0%). Our penultimate beer this time is Titanic Christmas Ale (7.6%) from Stoke-on-Trent, and we finish with another Scottish beer – the 8.5% Santa’s Madness from the Madcap Brewery in Dumfries-shire. On the festive panel are Richard, MrB, Grooben and Shovels.



1. Holly Daze (5.0%abv)
Fyne Ales, Cairndow, Argyll.
500ml glass bottle

Fyne Ales are rapidly becoming a Scottish brewing institution, and 2010 has seen them push their expanding range of bottled ales, as well as producing the much-praised Fynebridge Black IPA with ex-Thornbridge brewer Kelly Ryan. We’re unashamed fans of Fyne here at the BeerCast – MrB grew up a few dozen miles from the brewery, and their strong cask presence in Edinburgh pubs is always a welcome sight. Holly Daze is their Christmas offering and was recently released in 500ml bottles.

What They Say -
“An antidote to Christmas. No strange spices, just a really good stronger beer with a crisp fruity hop flavour and plenty of malt. A refreshing beer to clear the palate.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
MrB – A hoppy hit with a spicy something 8
Richard – It’s got a smoky aftertaste which I quite like 7
Grooben – Fruity notes and peaty overtones, the usual high standards from Fyne Ales 7
Shovels – I love the nice fruity aroma, I don’t know what category it fits into though 6

Label Christmas Rating
1/10 – The label looks like all their others, but it is called Holly Daze (Grooben)

2. Anchor Special Ale 2010 (5.5%abv)
Anchor Brewery, San Francisco.
535ml glass bottle

It wouldn’t be a BeerCast Christmas Special without the latest special festive ale from Anchor. Each year they produce a highly secret recipe, slightly different from all previous years – the 2010 vintage is the 36th in the series. The 2006 edition topped our beer rankings for a long time, and was eventually crowned beer of the year in our 2007 Beer of the Year show, (during which we also tasted the 2007 one). The 2008 version also scored well, before a dip last year with the 2009. There are never any tasting notes as the San Francisco concern keep the exact ingredients classified, but expect spices, piney freshness and all kinds of winter flavours.

What They Say -
“Chestnut in colour, with a hint of Christmas fruit and spice. This traditional ale is a real winter warmer.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels – I could have two or three of these in a session 7½
Richard – Has a woody, sprucey, sap-like flavour to it 6½
Grooben – I like the Christmas tree flavours, it needs more body 6½
MrB – It’s like spicy Christmas flavoured water – I don’t think the flavour is that bad, it’s just the body 2

Label Christmas Rating
7/10 – It is just a tree, but to us this beer is now synonymous with Christmas (Shovels)

3. Isolation Ale (6.1%abv)
Odell Brewery, Fort Collins, Colorado.
355ml glass bottle

In 1989 Doug Odell decided to take his passion for home brewing into something more commercial. Together with his wife Wynne they left Seattle (where Doug had been brewing in his kitchen) and moved to Colorado to be nearer to his sister Corkie and start a brewery together. This they did in that same year, producing beer for the thirsty college town of Fort Collins. In 1996 they acquired the facility to bottle their output, and shipped across the United States. They have a large range of English-style classics and seasonals – we sampled their Cutthroat Porter in BeerCast #49 back in June.

What They Say -
“Available each winter from the first of November until it runs out, Isolation ale is amber in color, malty and strong. We consider it a traditional winter warmer, without the addition of fruits or spices.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Shovels – Balance of sweetness, hops and bitterness – brilliant 8½
MrB – Very fruity, almost like fruit punch, I’d guzzle this 8½
Richard – You can quibble about how wintry it is, it’s just a good beer 8
Grooben – So many breweries bung the spices in and think that’s good enough – this proves otherwise 8

Label Christmas Rating
4/10 Wintry rather than Christmassy – but Odell have the best labels in the business (Richard) There could be presents inside the cottage (MrB)

4. Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche Doppelbock (8.0%abv)
Brauerei Heller, Bamberg, Bavaria.
500ml glass bottle

If you wander the historic cobbled streets of the Franconian town of Bamberg, you might be lucky and come across the Schlenkerla brewery tavern (it’s in Dominikanerstrasse). This classic Bavarian eatery is a half-timbered, geranium-clad hostelry of the oldest style. It’s here that the ‘original’ smokebeer is produced, by mixing beechsmoked malts with water and hops. We sampled this famous Schlerkerla Rauchbier Märzen all the way back in BeerCast #8, resulting in one of the most infamous BeerCast quotes (and the first ever 0 score) from MrB – “It tastes like hot dogs in a blender”. Their winter release is smoked with oak rather than beech, to give a slightly different flavour.

What They Say -
“The complex smokiness in “Schlenkerla Oak Smoke” is paired with the multifaceted bitterness of finest Hallertau aroma hops. With 8% alcohol and Bernstein color it matures for months in the deep brewery cellars underneath Bamberg into a special treat for smoke beer lovers for Christmas.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard – Milder and sweeter than the Märzen, but still smoky 6
Grooben – This is the smokiest smoky beer 5½
MrB – I like hot-dogs, I don’t like them in a drink 2
Shovels – The smokiness goes eventually but you’re still left with the hot-dogs 1

Label Christmas Rating
1/10 – What makes this Christmassy apart from it’s green? (MrB)

5. Titanic Christmas Ale (7.6%abv)
Titanic Brewery, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
500ml glass bottle

The Titanic Brewery might hail from land-locked Stoke-on-Trent but they have a nearby famous (or infamous) son. Captain Edward John Smith – who steered the Titanic to it’s ill-fated maiden voyage – was born in nearby Etruria. Founded in Burslem in 1985, the Titanic Brewery is currently owned by brothers Dave and Keith Bott who joined together to take over production in 1988 when the original owner ran into difficulties. Many of their beers have a naval theme – Steerage, Iceberg and Lifeboat.

What They Say -
“This sweet malty winter ale has a port-like aroma, oranges and lemons play around the edges of the tongue whilst dried fruit and cinnamon drive home the wonderful warming effect, the walnut aftertaste completes this slice of Christmas time in a glass.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard – Lambic sharpness, I just don’t know if it’s right 2
Shovels – I get blood oranges with grapefruit, and that’s it 2
Grooben – It ain’t no Christmas cake, that’s for sure 2
MrB – Tastes of lemons and oranges, I’m not saying it’s good 2

Label Christmas Rating
2/10 The Titanic on a red background is not Christmas (Grooben)

6. Madcap Christmas (8.5%abv)
Madcap Brewery, Annan, Dumfries-shire.
330ml glass bottle

One of the tiniest breweries in Scotland is the Madcap Brewery in Annan, a few miles southeast of Dumfries. All of their beers are released from 200 litre batches produced on equipment housed in a garden shed. They supply local pubs with cask ales, and also release a few bottles when time (and capacity) allows. These are uniformly strong and interesting – none of their bottled range weighs in at less than 7%abv. Their festive offering – Santa’s Madness comes in at 8.5%.

What They Say -
“Created in the style of a dark and malty, strong scotch ale, with the addition of selected seasonal spices to compliment the festive season.” [Official Website]

What We Say…
Richard – Liquorice then smoke, this would go well with mince pies 5
Shovels – Three flavours – smoke, liquorice and monkey nuts 3½
Grooben – Aftertaste of those raw monkey nuts 1
MrB – Much more concentrated, really don’t like it 1

Label Christmas Rating
8/10 – Reindeer and baubles – what could be more Christmassy? (Richard)

Panellists – (clockwise from top left) Grooben, MrB, Shovels, Richard

BeerCast panel verdict
Odell Isolation Ale 33/40
Fyne Ales Holly Daze 28/40
Anchor Special Ale 2010 22½/40
Aecht Schlenkera Eiche Doppelbock 14½/40
Madcap Christmas 10½/40
Titanic Christmas Ale 8/40

Please keep those comments and emails coming in – thanks for all your comments this year. Our final podcast of 2010 is the big one – our fourth annual BeerCast Beer of the Year show. This time, we’ll have five of the highest scoring beers from our podcasts this year, sampled by a specially extended panel. Stay tuned for a BOTY preview…

If you combine a random Thursday night with a 25% sale at your local bottle shop (Appellation Wine), then to me a random selection of American craft beers is the result. Doug Odell was in the UK earlier in the year, and gave a tutored tasting of his beers at Appellation – which we missed, thanks to a cruel twist of fate. As a result of his visit, several Odell beers are now available here, so I picked up one I’d not had before – St Lupulin Extra Pale Ale (6.5%) – along with a couple from Longmont’s Left Hand Brewery – Blackjack Porter (5.8%) and Sawtooth Ale (4.8%). A second porter seemed in order to balance the two hoppy ales, so into the basket went Anchor Porter (5.6%).



Left Hand Sawtooth Ale (4.8%)
Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont CO
355ml bottle
First out of the gate was an ESB – Left Hand’s Sawtooth Ale – the first beer they ever brewed, which has now become their most popular. I’ve always thought ESB’s are a good fit for American craft brewers, being punchier than the traditional British bitter. They can be fired out as a 5%ish session beer for the US drinkers who would prefer something a bit weightier than the 3.8% long-drinkers over here. Sawtooth pours a clear copper colour with a fluffy white head. Aromas of hops, caramel and toffee continue into the flavour, which becomes quite sweet as the caramel tastes come out on the finish.

Odell St Lupulin Extra Pale Ale (6.5%)
Odell Brewing Company, Fort Collins CO
355ml bottle
It’s pretty much impossible to feature four American craft beers without at least one heavy on the hops. Odell’s EPA (we’re heavy on the acronyms tonight) pours a lovely golden colour, and has a wonderful citrus hop aroma. On the palate, it’s like a glass of 5-Alive – lemons, passion fruit, mango – together with a touch of sweetness that leads to a mildly bitter aftertaste. Odell’s summer seasonal (first released in 2009), it really hides the alcohol very well. The warm days may be a memory, but it still tastes pretty good on a Scottish November night. St Lupulin may be fictional, but we have no objections to raising a glass to him.

Left Hand Blackjack Porter (5.8%)
Left Hand Brewing Company, Longmont CO
355ml bottle
Given that we are in November and the clocks have fallen well and truly back, it has to be Porter time. Nothing combats a gale-wracked, window-rattling evening like a smooth, roasty brew – so the last two selections from the fast-emptying fridge at Appellation were two darker beers. Firstly, Left Hand Blackjack Porter – which pours the pre-requisite dark blackish brown with the short-lived tan head. The aroma is actually pretty smoky, alongside the roasted malts. Roasted coffee is the first flavour, before the smoke pays another visit, leading into the aftertaste. The almost 6% alcohol really isn’t that prevalent other than as a gentle warming – which is as it should be for the style.

Anchor Porter (5.6%)
Anchor Brewery, San Francisco CA
355ml bottle
In direct comparison with the porter from Colorado comes the equivalent from the west coast, and the brewing giants at Anchor. I have actually had Anchor Porter before, but as an accompaniment to the Black Jack it seemed like a great idea. And so it proved – the San Franciscan is deeper, darker and significantly more bitter. There’s a wonderful liquorice aftertaste following the balanced coffee and hop bitterness. I’ve always loved the design of Anchor beers, with their distinctive shaped bottles and labels. Look out soon for a review of their Humming Ale – not to mention the obligatory appearance of Our Special Ale 2010 in our Christmas podcast.