All things must pass. Solstices support the shift point where you release, forgive and reset. Anchor Christmas Ale is done. Long live its successors!

by C. C. Hansen

Anchor Holiday Ales of Yore (image courtesy Anchor Brewing)

The other day it hit me: I hadn’t seen any Anchor Brewing Merry Christmas Happy New Year Ales in my local liquor and grocery stores. And then I remembered: the 48 year tradition ended last year. Devoted fans of this blog may recall that a year ago I declared in last year’s “Happy Holiday Ale!” post that Anchor’s holiday ales are the best.

For years, I’ve looked forward to Anchor’s ales at this time of year, excited to see what new flavor profiles I can identify and what the featured tree species will be. Fun fact: I love trees, I have relationships with certain trees, and when I lean into one of my genetic strains — Clan Mackay, Edinburgh and the Shetland Islands — I could swear that there’s some ancestral Druid whispering into my soul from the aether.

Courtesy of the Anchor Brewing website

Writing for the New School Beer website last year, Ezra Johnson-Greenough wrote that 2022’s Christmas Ale was “a bit of a swan song for Anchor Brewing’s recently retired Brewmaster Tom Riley, who drove the creative direction as the grand finale to his 38-year tenure at the iconic San Francisco brewery.” There was no indication that Riley’s swan song would also be a farewell to this long-lived holiday ale tradition.

I love the way that Johnson-Greenough describes the flavors of this last brew: “The rye-forward ale showcases notes of orange, honeysuckle, toasted malts, and eucalyptus. Well-structured with botanicals and pleasantly herbaceous hops, finishing with a touch of spice like the warming bitter-sweet notes of Amaro, an Italian herbal liqueur often enjoyed as an after-dinner digestif.” Who wouldn’t want to drink something with those flavors, perhaps around an outdoor fireplace, campfire, or fire pit?

Really, though, I should have seen this holiday ale’s demise. On June 11 this year, InsideHook’s Tobias Carroll shared a Tweet from David Infante breaking the news: Sapporo (Anchor’s owner since 2017) confirmed they would no longer be producing the brewery’s Christmas Ale. For a range of reactions from the beer nerd(?) community, check out the discussion thread in BeerAdvocate’s Forum titled “Anchor Brewing Co. cuts national distribution, cancels Christmas Ale.”

These days, my Inner Druid is trying to stuff my soul’s inbox with as many quotes as possible from as many worldwide sources as possible to remind me that change is a part of being human, and “you’d better learn to accept it.” I’ve tried hard to ignore the Druid’s messages, but he kept hitting “refresh” on George Harrison’s iconic 1970 album cover, “All Things Must Pass.” So, I’ve got to let the Anchor Christmas Ale be part of Christmas Past…

What Do You Drink Now?

I’ve got two suggestions for readers wondering about alternatives to the Anchor Christmas Ale experience:

“Celebration” from Sierra Nevada

Courtesy Sierra Nevada website

I’m not aware that Sierra Nevada changes their recipes all that much, but the other night I cracked open a can of Celebration, and it was absolutely sublime. Might have been the company, might have been the Southern greens, bacon, pork, and cubed potato crisp potage I whipped up, but, yeah, it was coppery and orange-zesty. Here’s how Sierra Nevada describes it on their website:

“Freshly picked hops, rushed from farm to brewery, fill Celebration IPA with powerful citrus and pine flavors. When you’re on the slopes with friends or building a backyard campfire for the fam, you need a beer as fresh as fallen snow. Pure hops, balanced with rich caramel malt, make this a celebration in every sip.”

(For more about Sierra Nevada, whose history is almost as long as the resurrected Anchor Brewing’s, check out my cub reporter review in the SCCBB Archives)

“Old Speckled Hen” from Morland & Company/ Greene King

Courtesy Greene King website

The other day I was listening to an audiobook — Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty. I think it’s Book 4 in a mystery series I savor, set in the Belfast of the 1980s, during the Troubles. I was letting the Irish reader Gerard Doyle’s lilting accent wash over me when I was suddenly pulled out of the lulling river of words upon hearing that the book’s protagonist, Inspector Sean Duffy of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, had wandered into a pub and ordered a pint or three of Old Speckled Hen. I’d forgotten all about this brew, and how much I enjoyed it.

According to the Greene King website, Old Speckled Hen sports a “distinctive rich malty taste bursting with toffee character, fruity aroma and [is] deliciously smooth.” I did not know that OSH dated only from 1979 (just a year before Ken Grossman brewed his first batch of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in Chico, California). The MG British Automotive company commissioned Morland & Company to brew an ale to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the company’s factory in Abingdale, Oxfordshire. For the full Hen History, click on the link and settle yourself into a deep, rich brewing tradition that may have had a Druid or two involved. Or not.

How do you plan to fill your Anchor Holiday Ale void this year? Let us know! If you use WordPress, you can leave a comment below, or you can email us at socalcraftbeer@gmail.com.

No matter what your special holiday libation might be, from all of us at the So Cal Craft Beer Blog, peace and blessings of the winter solstice, and best wishes for a minimally stressful, maximally joyful season of celebration!

Cheers!

— Chauncey B, the So Cal Craft Beer Blogger

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Featured photo at the top of this post by C.C. Hansen. “Sunset on Another Year in My Neighborhood”

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