Opened: 1896

Closed: 2023

Annual Production: 103,000 bbl

Contributor: Mario Kornmesser

Opened more than a century ago...purchased in 1968 by Fritz Maytag. Beautiful place...walking around the brewhouse is like visiting a cathedral. The almost-tangible pungence of the hop room, the immaculate copper vessels, the understated magnificence of the open fermenters...oh yeah, their beers are pretty good, too. Call at least two weeks in advance for tours.

Here's the key to the three-letter bottling date code on the back label:

• First character: last digit of the year. (e.g. 7=1997, 8=1998)
• Second letter: month code

  Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr
  MaY	JUn	JuL	AuG
  Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

• Third character: day of month code:
  • Letters A-Z = days 1-26
  • Numbers 7-1 = days 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

So that bottle of Old Foghorn, stamped 6JV, was bottled January 22, 1996.

Now that the 21st Century has reared its ugly head, it appears that Anchor may have changed their date-coding scheme. Any idea how to decode "1YV2"?

Anchor also distills Junipero gin and two styles of Old Potrero whiskey, although the distillery was not included in Sapporo's August 2017 acquisition of Anchor.

Updated: November 5, 2023

• 2023-10-18: Smithsonian’s Anchor Brewing Artifacts Revealed (ProBrewer)
• 2023-09-11: Anchor Brewing group provides update on future of brewery after raising $90K (KRON)
• 2023-07-20: Efforts Take Shape to Buy Anchor Brewing (ProBrewer)
• 2023-07-17: The Demise of Anchor Brewing – A Wide Angle Perspective (ProBrewer)
• 2023-07-12: SF's Anchor Brewing Company, country's 1st craft brewery, shutting down after 127 years (KGO)
• 2023-06-12: Anchor Brewing to End All Sales Outside California (ProBrewer)
• 2020-08-17: Anchor Brewing Appoints Tom Riley as Brewmaster (Brewbound)
• 2019-03-13: Anchor Brewing workers can toast to their new union (San Francisco Chronicle)
• 2018-06-25: After more than a century, Anchor's flagship Steam beer will meet aluminum cans (SFGate)
• 2017-08-03: Sapporo Buys Anchor Brewing (Brookston Beer Bulletin)
• 2015-12-23: Spain's Mahou-San Miguel Said to Consider Buying Stake in Anchor (Bloomberg Business)
• 2014-01-06: Swan Song For Anchor Bock (Brookston Beer Bulletin)
• 2012-12-01: Drawing on History: Anchor Brewing Label Artist Jim Stitt (Anchor Brewing)
• 2012-08-06: Post-Maytag era Anchor Brewing looks to expand (Washington Post)
• 2012-02-07: Brewmaster Mark Carpenter Celebrates 40 Years at Anchor (Brookston Beer Bulletin)
• 2012-01-23: Anchor Announces New Zymaster Series (Brookston Beer Bulletin)
• 2011-05-29: Anchor Brewery: Start of the U.S. microbrew resurgence (CNET News)
• 2011-03-10: A glimpse behind Anchor (Draft Magazine)
• 2010-11-08: Anchor To Receive Ralston Award From SF Museum & Historical Society (Brookston Beer Bulletin)
• 2010-04-26: Anchor Brewery Sold (Brookston Beer Bulletin)
• 2009-11-21: Jim Stitt draws Anchor Steam's labels (San Francisco Chronicle)

• BigLeaf Maple Autumn Red
  Specialty Beer
  6.00% abv.

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• 
  Bock (discontinued)
  Traditional German-Style Bock
  5.50% abv.
  • Date: July 14, 2007 (#6589)
    Package: bottled
    Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR
    Score: 14½ points
    Appearance (3)
    Deep red. Huge dense head.
    Aroma (3)
    Clean. Mildly sweet, mildly spicy malt.
    Mouthfeel (7)
    Medium body, very low carbonation. Lots of dark, raisiny, spicy malt.
    Overall Impression (1½)
    Seems thin for the style, and fairly astringent. Brewed with wheat malt. Bottled 2006-12-14 (6DN).