Bob Brewer, Anchor’s resident expert on beer & brewing, takes a behind-the-scenes look at the craft brewing process and the terminology used in the Anchor brewhouse. “Kräusening” is the process of adding a proportion of active wort to cellar tanks containing fully-fermented beer. The term “kräusen” refers to wort when it is at its most… read entire article
A question that regularly pops up during our tours or at tastings and special events is “What’s the difference between ale and lager?” Or sometimes, “What’s the difference between ale and beer?” First, the beer question. It’s all beer no matter what you call it. Beer is the all-inclusive description for an alcoholic beverage made… read entire article
By Anchor Brewing historian Dave Burkhart Although we’ve been making our Old Foghorn® Barleywine-Style Ale since 1975, it wasn’t until 1997 that we tried—or assayed, as Shakespeare would have called it—to make a small beer from the same mash. The tradition of brewing two distinct beers from one mash is an ancient one—as Fritz Maytag… read entire article
In the dark of night well before dawn, a Volkswagen bus travelled past the hedgerows and hop farms of Kent County, England. Mark Carpenter was behind the wheel on holiday, in September of ’69, two years before he joined Anchor Brewing. He was headed to the city of Maidstone, where unbeknownst to him, a single… read entire article
Much maligned in history and literature, small beer actually was a popular drink in medieval Europe. Essentially a low-alcohol brew made for the masses, it was considered a healthy drink in the days of unsanitary water supplies. However, in an age where strong ale was celebrated, small beer was looked down upon as an inferior… read entire article
Anchor Brewing historian Dave Burkhart tells the story of Liberty Ale’s first ride. 1975 was a banner year for Fritz Maytag, his brewery, and the history of craft beer in America. In that one year we added three new beers—Liberty Ale, Old Foghorn, and Our Special Ale, AKA Anchor Christmas Ale—to our “lineup” of Anchor… read entire article
Pale ale has an interesting history that involves invention, foreign trade, geological proximity, empire, and the roots of the industrial revolution in England. Much has been written about the genesis of pale ales, but it is generally agreed that the development of coke as a fuel for the roasting of malt, first recorded in 1642,… read entire article
Over the years, I’ve been asked innumerable times why Anchor Brewing chose to use the “Type G” keg coupler instead of the standard “American Sankey.” It’s an interesting bit of Anchor history that I’d like to explain. Prior to the mid-1970s, there were many different types of keg couplers in use in the USA.… read entire article
Bob Brewer, Anchor’s resident expert on beer & brewing, takes a behind-the-scenes look at the craft brewing process and the terminology used in the Anchor brewhouse. “Salad shooter” is an Anchor-specific term affectionately given to the device that moves the spent hops from the hop separator to the spent grains silo. In our ongoing… read entire article
Anchor historian Dave Burkhart explores Anchor’s first brew and bottling of Anchor Summer® Wheat, with a little help from former Anchor brewmaster Fritz Maytag. We first brewed Anchor Wheat Beer—now known as Anchor Summer® Wheat—in 1984, in celebration of the fifth anniversary of the first brew in our Mariposa Street brewery. This is our sixth… read entire article
Bob Brewer, Anchor’s resident expert on beer & brewing, takes a behind-the-scenes look at the craft brewing process and the terminology used in the Anchor brewhouse. It’s exactly what it sounds like, a tank that holds hot wort. After the strike and hop separation, the hot wort is pumped into a holding tank in preparation… read entire article
When Anchor Brewing Company first brewed a wheat beer in 1984, it was the first time that a wheat beer had been produced in America since Prohibition. Before Prohibition, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several styles of wheat beer were being produced by the largely immigrant German brewing industry that flourished during… read entire article
Chris: First of all, I am a big fan of not only Anchor craft beers, but the philosophy and care behind the brewing process. I have toured the brewery a few times and was blown away by the small size and also that the beers are still essentially made by hand, not a machine. Keep… read entire article
Anchor historian Dave Burkhart tells the story of balladist Billy Barnes and his paean to San Francisco’s favorite libation. “The old days might not have been better,” penned Herb Caen in One Man’s San Francisco, “but they were certainly different in the nicest possible way.” The intrepid columnist was referring to “a piece of doggerel… read entire article
We’ve had a busy spring at the ballpark. Earlier this week, we posted a series of photos that were taken during the process of building Anchor Plaza at AT&T Park, our new home for Brews & Baseball. Today, with a little help from our friends at Redtail Media, we’d like to show you a time-lapse… read entire article
Fans of Brews & Baseball have something new to look forward to this spring, summer, and fall in San Francisco. You may have already heard about Anchor Plaza at AT&T Park, an outdoor taproom that offers a selection of hand-crafted beers from Anchor Brewing, spirits from Anchor Distilling, and a delicious variety of food options… read entire article
Bob Brewer, Anchor’s resident expert on beer & brewing, takes a behind-the-scenes look at the craft brewing process and the terminology used in the Anchor brewhouse. A coolship was originally a very large, shallow vat that was used to facilitate the cooling of hot wort in the days before mechanical refrigeration. A coolship has a… read entire article
Remco: What kind of food or flavors go best with Brekle’s Brown? Bob: When pairing food and beer, the standard thinking is to either match intensities, complement one another, or offer an interesting contrast. IPA with sharp cheese, porter with robust meats or BBQ, wheat beer or pilsner with lighter fare – these are examples… read entire article
Visitors to Coit Tower—if fortunate enough to visit on a clear day—will appreciate Telegraph Hill’s spectacular view of modern-day San Francisco. It is one that San Francisco’s early settlers not only appreciated but grew dependent upon, thanks to the small windmill-like structure that once sat atop Telegraph Hill. According to San Francisco pioneer and painter… read entire article
Anchor historian Dave Burkhart looks beyond the sinners to the saints associated with brewing. Oh, when the saints go mashing in Oh, when the saints go mashing in Lord, how I want to be in that brewhouse When the saints go mashing in! For visitors to Anchor Brewing, the most obvious occupants of its brewhouse… read entire article
