(San Francisco, CA) – (On Thursday), Anchor Brewing Company’s highly anticipated2012 Christmas Ale hit shelves. With a new hand-drawn label and recipe every year, the Christmas Ale is eagerly awaited by beer enthusiasts every season.
Since 1975, the brewers of Anchor Steam® Beer have created a distinctive Christmas Ale, which is only available from early November to mid-January. A closely guarded secret, each year Christmas Ale gets a unique recipe and a unique label that is not only available in 6-packs, but also magnum sized bottles, making a nice champagne substitute and a great way to share the holiday spirit.
Anchor Brewing Christmas Ale
For thirty-eight years, Christmas Ale has been handcrafted at our historical brewery in San Francisco and each of the trees featured on our labels have been hand drawn by a local artist.
A rich, dark spiced ale, Anchor’s Christmas Ale is the perfect holiday beer, and is available nationally on draught, in six packs, and magnums (1.5L). A magnum of Christmas Ale transforms an evening into a celebration and makes a unique host gift or stocking stuffer for beer lovers.
Since ancient times, trees have symbolized the winter solstice when the year, with its seasons, appears born anew. For this year’s Christmas Ale, we have selected the Norfolk Island pine. Captain Cook discovered this South Seas isle and its native tree in 1774. These tropical-looking conifers, which thrive in sandy soil and coastal climes, were first planted in California in the 1850s. The Norfolk Island pine on this year’s label, hand drawn from life, resides in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
