Good Spirits - 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers - page 356

Breweries

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Anchor Brewing
From the Gold Rush to Amber Ale
San Francisco, California

Don't let that beautiful streamlined brew-
ing plant from the 1930s fool you. Anchor
Brewery has been around a lot longer than
that—all the way back to California's sec-
ond Gold Rush. The first batch of Anchor
Steam was brewed to slake the thirst of all
the newcomers to rough-and-tumble San
Francisco's myriad taverns and saloons in
1896. No one really knows the meaning of
the term “steam beer,” although most
likely it refers to the time when beer was
brewed without the benefit of ice. At any
rate, its deep amber color and full taste
resemble traditional European beers.
But while Anchor's fine lagers have a
wonderfully smooth taste, its history has
been anything but smooth. In 1906, the
fire that followed the great San Francisco
earthquake consumed the original brew-
ery. The next year, a new building was
constructed and the business enjoyed a
brief period of success until Prohibition
came along in 1920. Many breweries
stayed afloat during those years by mak-
ing soda, but Anchor remained dark until
1933, when Prohibition was lifted. Brew-
ing resumed, but the business was hard-
hit by the public's taste for lighter,
mass-produced beer. In 1959, the brew-
ery shut down again.
In 1960, a new owner rescued the
Anchor brand by reopening the brewery
at another location. Business stumbled
along until 1965, when Fritz Maytag took
the helm, saving it from bankruptcy and
bringing it back to solvency. In 1971, a

revamped business plan finally put
Anchor Steam into bottles instead of just
kegs, and added four more brews to the
lineup.
Although it's such a long-established
brand, Anchor fits right into the ethos of
the craft brewery revolution. Its brews are
handmade from an all-malt mash, and its
gleaming copper-kettled brew house still
follows traditional German brewing tech-
niques. Along with its original mainstay,
Anchor Steam Beer, the company makes
several ales, a rich bock, and seasonal
beers like Christmas Ale and the light,
wheat-based Summer Beer, believed to be
the first wheat beer brewed in America
since Prohibition. Because it works in rela-
tively small batches, Anchor can also pro-
duce limited edition beers, like its Liberty
Ale, first brewed in 1975 to commemorate
the bicentennial of Paul Revere's ride.
Public tours and tastings are offered week-
day afternoons by reservation only; call as
early as a month in advance to reserve a
spot.

1705 Mariposa St. ( & 415/863-8350;
www.anchorbrewing.com).
( San Francisco International (14 miles/
23km).
L $$$ Hotel Adagio, 550 Geary St.

( & 800/228-8830 or 415/775-5000; www.
thehoteladagion.com). $ Hotel des Arts,
447 Bush St. ( & 800/956-4322 or 415/956-
3232; www.sfhoteldesarts.com).