Anchor - Porter

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Anchor Porter
Anchor Brewing Company
1705 Mariposa Street 
San Francisco, CA USA
Est. 1896
www.anchorbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.6 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Deep brown. Nearly solid in color.
Malty sweetness with a slight air of roasted malt (chocolate.) Hops are noticeable.
Dark tan head that produces two fingers of nice foam with tight bubbles. Leaves a nice cover.
Some stretched and spotty lacing on glass.
Toffee and chocolate roasted malt notes with a dry pop finish.
There is a pronounced hops presence in the finish, along with a slight coffee flavor.
Very smooth and easy to drink.
Medium bodied. One or two hits the spot.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Another finely crafted ale from the Anchor house. This porter was quaffed after a long day's work when I was looking for something to "fill the hole", rather than refresh. It is quite sumptuous and a surprisingly good porter. Actually, I don't know why I was surprised. Anchor produces some really quality stuff. They use all natural ingredients and time honored brewing to craft their beers. This porter recipe dates back to the early to mid 1970's for their brewery. It's one of their first commercially made brews.

Put this one up against your regular porter, anytime...

Anchor - Liberty Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Anchor Liberty Ale
Anchor Brewing Company
1705 Mariposa Street 
San Francisco, CA USA
Est. 1896
www.anchorbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.9 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear, golden color.
Floral hops and slight malt aromas meet your nose.
White colored, one finger head; tight bubbles. Leaves a nice cover.
Some spotty lacing on glass.
Gentle hops taste upfront all the way to the finish. Smooth and easy to drink.
Light bodied, tasty and super sessionable.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Drop the anchor and set a while with this delicious west coast pale ale. This beer was originally brewed on April 18th, 1975 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Paul Revere's famous ride to warn the patriots throughout the countryside, that "...the British are coming." This is a delicious tasting malt and hops structure made with top fermenting yeast and pure water, according to the label.  The German Purity Law in full effect right in your hand. Naturally carbonated and refreshing.

I am currently posting while sipping in the early spring 81 degree heat at my favorite watering hole. You should too.You already know that Anchor makes some mighty tasty brews. Do it soon. 

Anchor Bock Beer

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Anchor Bock Beer
Anchor Brewing Company
1705 Mariposa Street 
San Francisco, CA USA
Est. 1896
www.anchorbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Mahogany dark red color.
Roasted malt, smokey grain mixtures and a bit of floral hops.
Tan colored, one finger head; tight bubble head, evaporates slowly to a cover.
Some stringed and spotted lacing on glass.
Good malty taste with soft hops taste in the finish. Smooth and easy to drink.
Light to medium bodied.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Anchor has atypical version of a Bock, but a Bock nonetheless. The body is dark and malty as a spring time Bock should be.  The taste is balanced and pleasant with out much fuss and bother. Most Bock style beers I've encountered are a bit dry and astringent in body makeup. But this one is borderline on the rich side; both flavorful and easy to drink.

A nice annual beer to look forward to, at the end of winter's blues.

Anchor - Our Special Ale 2010 (Chrsitmas Ale)

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Our Special Ale 2010 (Christmas Ale)
Anchor Brewing Company
1705 Mariposa Street 
San Francisco, CA USA
Est. 1896
www.anchorbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Dark brown color.
Roasted malt with toasted nut aromas.
Tan, fluffy two finger head with lacing that coats the glass.
Strong burnt spice flavor. Very dry finish. 
Medium bodied flavor. Moderate carbonation. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
This is the annual Christmas ale by Anchor.  I found myself looking through my tasting notes from last year to see what differences might appear. I remembered enjoying the 2009 version. It was pretty good, actually the best of the Christmas ales as I recalled.

Either my taste buds have changed over the year or something else is awry. I found this to be just a bit too drying and the spiced flavors seemed a bit burnt. I am sure it was me, but it seems odd that it varied that much between tasting notes in the past twelve months. Anchor, I am sure, tweaks this formula from year to year. It was just not up to my liking this season. The 2011 version will be interesting to try, so we shall see you again to discuss this brew, next year.

Anchor Steam Beer

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Anchor Steam Beer
Anchor Brewing Company
1705 Mariposa Street 
San Francisco, CA USA
Est. 1896
www.anchorbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.9 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Copper color.
Deep barley malt smell; very pleasant. Slight hops presence.
Tan colored, one finger head; tight bubble head, evaporates slowly to a cover.
Nice draped lacing on glass.
Good malty taste with soft hops taste. Smooth with no bitterness.
Medium bodied.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Anchor Steam has been around for a long time.  This word "steam"  is used to describe the process of how the beer was made. According to Anchor Brewing records, the beer was pumped to shallow bins at the top of the brewery where the cool air from the Pacific Ocean would cool the wort.  They had no other means of chilling, back in the day. 

By any means, today the word "steam" is more closely associated with a Californian common beer. This brewery has survived many close call in its 100+ years, nearly shutting down for many reasons.  In 1965, Fritz Maytag bought the company and proceeded to bring it back to life.  Now in the halcyon days of microbreweries, it is enjoying the fruits of Fritz's labors.

Don't wait to visit San Francisco to enjoy an Anchor Steam beer.  See what makes this 'common' beer, uncommon.

Anchor - Our Special Ale 2009 (Christmas Ale)

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Our Special Ale 2009 (Chrsitmas Ale)
Anchor Brewing Company
1705 Mariposa Street 
San Francisco, CA USA
Est. 1896
www.anchorbrewing.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Dark brown color.
Malt presence with pine hops aroma.
Spice and sweetness in perfect balance and taste.
Off white, two finger head with lacing that coats the glass magnificently.
Medium bodied flavor. Soft carbonation. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
The Maytag Family is renowned for being innovators.  Everything they touch, from large appliances to fantastic blue cheese and also beer, comes out with a Midas touch.  Of all the Christmas beers retrieved from my mortuary chiller this season, none stood out more than this one.

The Anchor Brewing site has a page dedicated to this, their 35th Christmas beer showing it is no fluke of production.  Many years of hard work has gone into making this brew, and it shows.  These beers are recommended to be cellared and kept for the months to come.  It's a shame I only got one of these 12 oz. bottles.  I will not make that mistake again next year.

Yes, it is spiced, but not overly dry.  There is a touch of sweetness from the malts and along with the hops, they balance out from start to finish.  Just as understated as their washing machine ads and cult like following for blue cheese, this 'sleeper' in a bottle does not draw attention to what's inside.  It lets all of what has been put inside do the talking, just like all of this family's fine efforts.  They know how to pay attention to the details.  Even the label looks hand printed, like a jar of your aunt's preserves.  A Christmas gift from Anchor to us all!

How on earth do they make it so good?  I won't ask.  Nor will they tell; their website lets you know the ingredients are top secret!  Let's not bother asking.  It would be as embarrassing as asking how much a Christmas gift cost.

Do not miss out on this one, friend.