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. What is “diatomaceous earth”? Abbreviated as D.E., we use diatomaceous earth as a beer filtering agent. D.E. occurs naturally as a mined substance comprised of the fossilized silica… read entire article
Bob Brewer (yes, that’s his real name) answers your questions about the world of beer & brewing. John: What should I look for on a bottle if I want to take a yeast culture? Bob: John, almost all bottled beer these days does not contain any yeast. It’s all removed during the filtration process. There are,… read entire article
Bob Brewer (yes, that’s his real name) answers your questions about the world of beer & brewing. Today’s topic is yeast! Greg asked about employing a lager yeast or an ale yeast when home brewing a “California Common” and would the results be the same. He also asked about the specific differences between the malt bills… read entire article
By Anchor historian Dave Burkhart “And for to make the merry cheere, If smirking Wine be wanting here, There’s that which drowns all care, stout Beere; Which freely drink to your Lord’s health, Then to the plough, (the Common-wealth) Next to your Flailes, your Fanes, your Fatts; Then to the Maids with Wheaten Hats: To… read entire article
Although the term “barleywine” has been around for a lot longer – some historians have traced it back as far as ancient Greece – barleywine as a commercial product was only first labeled as such by the Bass & Co. Brewery in 1903. Stylistically-speaking, barleywine is an ale that is characterized by its full body… read entire article
The photos are in. The votes are tallied. The winners have been selected. But before we get to the results of our Holiday Beertography Challenge, we’d like to extend a HUGE thank you to everyone who took the time to capture their holiday moment with an Anchor brew and share it with us. We love… read entire article
Although the hop plant has been known and used for a variety of purposes since ancient times, its use in brewing did not become widespread until the 16th century. Prior to that time, beers were flavored and balanced by the addition of herbs and spices of all kinds. A blend of herbs, known as “gruit,”… read entire article
It was another sold-out session on Day 2 of the Great American Beer Festival, with thousands of craft beer enthusiasts on hand to sample over 2,700 beers at the Colorado Convention Center. Continuing the theme from Thursday’s session, there were plenty of creative costumes among the crowd, adding to the festive atmosphere at the Anchor… read entire article
Craft beer lovers from far and wide converged on the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver for Day 1 of the 2012 Great American Beer Festival. Beer is social, and friends new and old stopped by the Anchor Brewing booth to Raise an Anchor and share thoughts and stories about craft beer. We kicked off… read entire article
Excitement was in the air as we arrived in Denver for the 2012 Great American Beer Festival. Our gear was loaded into the Colorado Convention Center and the setup process began. The hard part is done. Now it’s time to enjoy some Anchor brews! Here’s what we’ll be pouring at Day 1 of GABF: Anchor… read entire article
Dylan: Why do craft breweries not use twist-off bottle caps? Bob: There are several reasons why. From a marketing perspective, twist-off caps have sort of a down market/ big brewery/ domestic lager/ light beer image associated with them in the eyes of the craft/ import consumer. Imported beers all have pry-off caps, which supports an… read entire article
John: Why does canned beer have a harsher CO2 bite? Bob: It’s a matter of small time physics. When beer is consumed directly from the can, as opposed to being poured in a glass, most of the CO2 is taken into the mouth along with the liquid. More CO2 = more CO2 bite. If you… read entire article
Among the most arcane of Bay Area historical landmarks is the site of the Broderick-Terry duel, September 13, 1859. Designated California State Historical Landmark No. 19, two granite shafts mark the spots near Lake Merced (1100 Lake Merced Boulevard, Daly City) where two distinguished pioneer gentlemen stood in defense of their honor. Born in Washington,… 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. What is “dry hopping”? This brewing term refers to the process of adding hops to the beer while it is in the cellar tank, in addition to the hops… read entire article
Anchor Brewing historian Dave Burkhart uncovers the truth behind one of the most famous quotes about San Francisco that Mark Twain didn’t say. Mark Twain is what Fred Shapiro, author of the Yale Book of Quotations, calls “the great American quotation magnet.” If it’s clever, witty, or ironic, it simply must have been Twain (AKA… 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. “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
