Being a San Francisco resident, there are many traditions and legacies I tend to uphold. In the world of beer, Anchor Steam has withstood the test of time - unrelenting in its tradition, true to its palette, and innovative in its offerings. That's why I was so excited when they asked me to tour the brewery (my first time) alongside brewmaster, Mark Carpenter. The winter season is a special time for Anchor Steam brewery. They annually release the Christmas ale, which is a hot commodity amongst enthusiasts.
In addition, this served as a launch party for a handful of their additional winter releases. We played around with the "Christmas Spirit", a white whiskey, drinking cocktails out of them. Amongst the selection was also the 2nd time Winter Wheat, a dark wheat ale that comes across as smooth and exceptional on the palette. Lastly, we were there to celebrate the inception of the Barrel Ale, a blended anniversary ale aged in Potrero whiskey barrels - yum. It was truly a one-of-a-kind tour by a legendary brewmaster.
The introduction of a new barrel-aged blended beer called "Anchor Barrel Ale", will hit the shelves soon. This is the 3rd incarnation of their Argonaut Collection (basically really cool, limited beers), dedicated to the legendary heroes who sailed with Jason in the Argo.
Handful of fresh hops from their 'hop room', where they store 10-15 types of newly shipped hop varieties.
Mark proudly shows off his baby distiller. These machines make the coveted 'White Christmas' white whiskey, which only go on sale at this time of year.
An Anchor Steam brewer spraying down the infamous copper kettles.
Anchor Steam, making original beers since 1896, dating back to the California Gold Rush.
I loved walking around the brewery and inspecting the fanfare art. It was a mix of old-style renaissance with vintage collections of posters - much like a brewery museum.
