The beers of Anchor

The post-tour tasting at the Anchor brewery is worth writing about not only because it involves beer, but (1) because it is the first brewery tasting I’ve participated in, and (2) they give you a lot of beer.

The only other brewery I’ve toured is the Coors brewery in Golden, Colorado. It was the summer of 1995; I was 12. All I recall are the multi-story brew kettles, the various beer labels given as tour admission tickets (I think ours was a Coors Ice label), and the huge merchandise store at the end. (Coors Field had just opened, so the store was full of Rockies gear and Coors-related baseball memorabilia.) There was a tasting counter, but I was way too young to pass as legal. According to my parents, Coors was extremely cheap when it came to samplings. Tasters were given tiny plastic cups, much like those Lutherans use to distribute communion wine. It was enough to give you a taste, but certainly not enough to allow for proper savoring and evaluation. (Frankly, though, I’m hard pressed to think of a Coors brand beer worth savoring.)

Like it’s beer, Anchor was a completely different experience. There were no communion cups. Instead, Andrew, our tour guide and tasting server, gave everyone what I think was an eight-ounce glass to sample each beer. He filled a pitcher with each style of beer and dispensed the frothy goodness being brewed in the next room.

Not only did I drink my portion of each beer, I drank what my mom couldn’t finish of hers — usually half. It was midday and I had a light hotel breakfast in my stomach. Needless to say, my dad, who didn’t drink, drove to Los Gatos.

It was an awesome experience, and I want to briefly profile each of the styles offered. My tasting at Anchor and the two brews I had at 99 Bottles in Santa Cruz (a Downtown Brown and Santa Cruz Ale Works Hefeweizen) were the only times I drank on the vacation without taking notes. It was my birthday, so I let it slide. (By the way, I got carded before the tasting,) All I have to offer about each Anchor brew is what I remember.

Anchor Summer Beer

ASB was the first offering. I sampled it in San Francisco, so there’s no need to write much about it. The pic, though, illustrates that it is filtered and could be considered a kristalweizen. I asked Andrew why Anchor didn’t make a hefe, and his short answer was, “Because we make this.” Okay… He elaborated by saying ASB was introduced in the ‘70s and was basically the only domestic wheat on the market. I assume the cloudiness of an unfiltered hefe would have scared away many beer drinkers back then, especially since they had probably drank nothing but crystal clear lager and pilsner their entire lives.

Anchor Steam
Next was the flagship brew: Anchor Steam. I have yet to do a proper tasting, but basically I can tell you Anchor Steam is damn good stuff. It’s a San Francisco landmark and tradition.

Liberty Ale
Liberty Ale came next. I didn’t take a picture because I sampled it for BotW this summer.

Humming Ale

This is not a typical offering from Anchor. Humming Ale is a special brew commemorating the 30th anniversary of Anchor’s move to their current location at Mariposa and De Haro. Andrew said Fritz Maytag named it Humming Ale because business is humming. It’s only offered in kegs, and I’m not sure if it’s sold outside of California, or even the Bay Area.

Sadly, it wasn’t my thing. My first impression from the scent was BO; it smelled like a high school gym locker room. The taste wasn’t much better. To tell you the truth, Humming Ale was memorable for nothing more than its “body odor.” I was very disappointed. Perhaps others had a better experience.

Anchor Porter

This was what I was waiting for. Although listed on the BevMo! website, the store on Beach never has it in stock. I’ve been eager to try it, and the brewery tasting was my first chance. (Mervgotti Distributing in IC sells it, so I’ll definitely get some when I’m back in the heartland for the holidays.)

It was heavenly. I gladly accepted what my mom couldn’t finish (which was a lot since she doesn’t like dark beer; sadly, my mom doesn’t like most beer). It was pitch black; I’m unsure how dark it is since I didn’t put it to any light. A thick, tan head capped it nicely. The aroma was rich with dark chocolate, cocoa, and roasted coffee, and the taste followed suit. It was smooth and well balanced, with just a hint of hops on the tail.

Anchor Porter is an exceptional beer.

Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale

Rounding out the Anchor line-up was Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale, which packs a whopping 9 percent ABV punch.

I’d never had a barely wine, so I was unsure what to expect. Any mention of wine makes me cringe, giving me flashbacks to my wine phase during college (which was, no doubt, part of my graduation induced identity crisis); for that reason I’ve stayed away from barely wine. Plus, I had no clue what barely wine was, and was a little timid about drinking something I knew nothing about. But, as I’ve learned, there is nothing wine-like about barley wine except the alcohol content.

I was pleasantly surprised by Old Foghorn. It was very tasty, though I don’t recall the exact flavors. Now that I think about it, though, it reminded me of an IPA. Despite the high alcohol content, I didn’t get a hint of alcohol. Good stuff.