Beer of the Weekend #143: Anchor Steam Beer
As promised, my final BotW in California is the ultimate Cali beer. Not only is it the king of west coast brews, it is the emblematic beer of the Golden State and Pacific coast. I give you…drum roll, please…Anchor Steam Beer, brewed by the Anchor Steam Brewing Company of San Francisco, California.
It’s commonly known just as Anchor Steam. There are many California Common/Steam Beers out there, but Anchor Steam is, in my novice sense of connoisseurship, the definitive version. It is, at least, the most well-known. Anchor basically has a monopoly on the national steam beer market. However, unlike Ma Bell it’s a good monopoly.
When at Skylight on Saturday, I noticed they had many more beer books than I have ever seen there. (Though I really wanted to splurge, I had to limit myself to just two books.) One of the titles was 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die. What beer was pictured on the cover? Anchor Steam. That should tell you something. It’s not orgasmic, but it’s still good.
(Oddly, I just searched for the book on Amazon and the pic of the cover features a different beer. Weird. Maybe it’s the British version, or maybe Anchor was featured on the back cover.)
Serving type: One 22-ounce bottle. I bought two. (I wish I could have bought a sixer, but I’ll explain later.) The born-on stamp on the back label is 0YF, which I decrypted with the code breaking instructions on the Anchor site: May 6, 2010. Why the fuck can’t they just write the date?
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. Poured a clean, clear copper color. Two and a half fingers of buttery white head rose and dissipated slowly to leave a fluffy spotted lacing and ring around the outside.
Smell: Mmmm. Reminds me of Dave’s Foxhead. I thought I smelled some macro corn adjunct at first, but it dissipated to make room for pleasant floral hops, toasted caramel malts, and honey.
Taste: Has a hoppy bite at the beginning, which is surprising and welcome. Toasted caramel malts, honey, and a light citrus zest.
Drinkability: Smooth, creamy, and enjoyable. Will I miss you California? Maybe. Will I miss your beer? Yes, but I’ll still be able to buy it.
Fun facts about Anchor Steam:
-Style: California Common / Steam Beer. BA has this to say:
-Price: $3.49/bomber at the BevMo! on Beach.
-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF.
-Alcohol content: 4.9 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: Beers of the World recommends “Fish, grilled simply.” BA recommends barbecue, pepper cheeses (Monterey, Pepper Jack), sharp cheeses (Blue, Cheddar), tangy cheeses (Brick, Edam, Feta), salad, pork, poultry, fish, and shellfish.
-When I said Anchor had a monopoly on the steam beer market, I was just joking. However, I just learned that Anchor trademarked the term “Steam Beer” in 1981. According to BA, “all other beers must be legally referred to as ‘California Common.’”
-Fritz Maytag, a native of Newton, Iowa, has been the man behind the Anchor Brewery renaissance since buying the brewery in 1965. I saw his office when I toured The Mecca on Mariposa, but he wasn’t in that day.
-Sadly, I just learned from the Anchor website that the brewery was sold to The Griffin Group early this year, which will apparently work hard to maintain the Anchor tradition. They fucking better. The brewery will be added to the Anchor Brewers & Distillers, LLC, and Ol’ Fritz is being named Chairman Emeritus.
-Here’s some neck label nerdiness:
-The two bombers of Anchor were probably my last purchases on the BevMo! on Beach. (They won’t be my last beer buy in California, though. I have to buy a case of Pabst Genuine Draft to take back to Mervgotti.) The BevMo! on Beach had a great selection, much better than any other beverage store in the area, and rarely ever failed me. However, I came away a little disappointed by my last visit yesterday. They were out of Anchor Steam sixers. I asked one of the staff if they had any in the back, but he assured me they were all out. We stood in the domestic craft aisle, staring at the vacant space where the room temperature sixers of Anchor are stocked. Then he pointed to the bombers two shelves above. “All I have are these,” he said. “Those’ll do,” I said.
-With this BotW in the bag, my beer books are getting packed.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
It’s commonly known just as Anchor Steam. There are many California Common/Steam Beers out there, but Anchor Steam is, in my novice sense of connoisseurship, the definitive version. It is, at least, the most well-known. Anchor basically has a monopoly on the national steam beer market. However, unlike Ma Bell it’s a good monopoly.
When at Skylight on Saturday, I noticed they had many more beer books than I have ever seen there. (Though I really wanted to splurge, I had to limit myself to just two books.) One of the titles was 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die. What beer was pictured on the cover? Anchor Steam. That should tell you something. It’s not orgasmic, but it’s still good.
(Oddly, I just searched for the book on Amazon and the pic of the cover features a different beer. Weird. Maybe it’s the British version, or maybe Anchor was featured on the back cover.)
Serving type: One 22-ounce bottle. I bought two. (I wish I could have bought a sixer, but I’ll explain later.) The born-on stamp on the back label is 0YF, which I decrypted with the code breaking instructions on the Anchor site: May 6, 2010. Why the fuck can’t they just write the date?
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. Poured a clean, clear copper color. Two and a half fingers of buttery white head rose and dissipated slowly to leave a fluffy spotted lacing and ring around the outside.
Smell: Mmmm. Reminds me of Dave’s Foxhead. I thought I smelled some macro corn adjunct at first, but it dissipated to make room for pleasant floral hops, toasted caramel malts, and honey.
Taste: Has a hoppy bite at the beginning, which is surprising and welcome. Toasted caramel malts, honey, and a light citrus zest.
Drinkability: Smooth, creamy, and enjoyable. Will I miss you California? Maybe. Will I miss your beer? Yes, but I’ll still be able to buy it.
Fun facts about Anchor Steam:
-Style: California Common / Steam Beer. BA has this to say:
The California Common, or Steam Beer, is a unique 100% American style lager. It’s usually brewed with a special strain of lager yeast that works better at warmer temperatures. This method dates back to the late 1800’s in California when refrigeration was a great luxury. The brewers back then had to improvise to cool the beer down, so shallow fermenters were used. So in a way the lager yeast was trained to ferment quicker at warmer temperatures. Today’s examples are light amber to tawny in color, medium bodied with a malty character. Mildly fruity with an assertive hop bitterness.
-Price: $3.49/bomber at the BevMo! on Beach.
-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF.
-Alcohol content: 4.9 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: Beers of the World recommends “Fish, grilled simply.” BA recommends barbecue, pepper cheeses (Monterey, Pepper Jack), sharp cheeses (Blue, Cheddar), tangy cheeses (Brick, Edam, Feta), salad, pork, poultry, fish, and shellfish.
-When I said Anchor had a monopoly on the steam beer market, I was just joking. However, I just learned that Anchor trademarked the term “Steam Beer” in 1981. According to BA, “all other beers must be legally referred to as ‘California Common.’”
-Fritz Maytag, a native of Newton, Iowa, has been the man behind the Anchor Brewery renaissance since buying the brewery in 1965. I saw his office when I toured The Mecca on Mariposa, but he wasn’t in that day.
-Sadly, I just learned from the Anchor website that the brewery was sold to The Griffin Group early this year, which will apparently work hard to maintain the Anchor tradition. They fucking better. The brewery will be added to the Anchor Brewers & Distillers, LLC, and Ol’ Fritz is being named Chairman Emeritus.
-Here’s some neck label nerdiness:
Anchor Steam brand beer is virtually handmade with an exceptional respect for the ancient art of brewing. The deep amber color, the thick creamy head, and the rich flavor all testify to our traditional brewing methods.
Anchor Steam brand beer derives its unusual name from the 19th century when “steam” seems to have been a nickname for beer brewed on the West Coast of America under primitive conditions and without ice. The word “steam” may have referred to the pressure of natural carbonation developing in the beers. Today the brewing methods of those days are a mystery, and for many decades Anchor alone has used the quaint name “steam” for its unique beer.
Today Anchor is one of the smallest and most traditional breweries in the world. San Francisco’s famous Anchor Steam brand beer is unique, for our brewing process has evolved over many decades and is like no other in the world.
-The two bombers of Anchor were probably my last purchases on the BevMo! on Beach. (They won’t be my last beer buy in California, though. I have to buy a case of Pabst Genuine Draft to take back to Mervgotti.) The BevMo! on Beach had a great selection, much better than any other beverage store in the area, and rarely ever failed me. However, I came away a little disappointed by my last visit yesterday. They were out of Anchor Steam sixers. I asked one of the staff if they had any in the back, but he assured me they were all out. We stood in the domestic craft aisle, staring at the vacant space where the room temperature sixers of Anchor are stocked. Then he pointed to the bombers two shelves above. “All I have are these,” he said. “Those’ll do,” I said.
-With this BotW in the bag, my beer books are getting packed.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
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