Description
THE BEER
Flagship Ale from America's most famous small brewery, 4.8%. Founded in the 1890's in San Francisco Anchor have had over a century to perfect a style of beer almost exclusive to them. A technique using shallow brewing vessels where ale yeast is fermented at the temperature normally reserved for that of lager creates a tasty and interesting brew. Anchor Steam has the body and weight of lager, whilst retaining the delicate fluffy characteristics of a pale ale. At the Devonshire Cat you will often notice more enlightened customers enjoying this beer with our homemade beef burgers.
Anchor Steam derives its unusual name from the 19th century when "steam" seems to have been a nickname for beer brewed on the West Coast of America under primitive conditions and without ice. The brewing methods of those days are a mystery and, although there are many theories, no one can say with certainty why the word "steam" came to be associated with beer. For many decades Anchor alone has used this quaint name for its unique beer. In modern times, "Steam" has become a trademark of Anchor Brewing.
It is an amber ale with a creamy head, that has a fresh, hoppy aroma with a hint of caramel. On the palate it is quite light and refreshing and has a fruity mid-palate with a clean, dry finish with a bit of bite. Still a lovely beer, and very good quality indeed.
THE BREWERY
Anchor's beers are produced in one of the most traditional and handsome breweries anywhere in the world. 's beers are produced in one of the most traditional and handsome breweries anywhere in the world. Anchor's brewers employ no modern shortcuts. Each brew is virtually handmade with an all-malt mash in their handmade copper brewhouse, a veritable museum of the simple, traditional brewhouses of old. They strive to practice the art of classical brewing, and employ state-of-the-art methods to ensure that their products are clean and clear, pure and fresh.
The rich history of Anchor Brewing can be traced all the way back to the Gold Rush, when German brewer Gottlieb Brekle arrived in San Francisco with his wife Marie and infant son Frederick. Brekle applied for citizenship in 1854, and his brewing and business acumen would soon lead to his ownership of a little San Francisco brewery on Pacific, between Larkin and Hyde, which would one day become known as Anchor.
Every Anchor Steam Beer label says, "Made in San Francisco since 1896," because that is the year German brewer Ernst F. Baruth and his son-in-law, Otto Schinkel, Jr., bought the old brewery on Pacific (the first of six locations around the City over the years) and named it Anchor. Baruth and his previous partner, Henry C. Kroenke, had been co-owners of the American Brewery on Green Street. Schinkel, just twenty-six years old, was employed as their driver. No one knows why Baruth and Schinkel chose the name Anchor, except, perhaps, for its indirect but powerful allusion to the great Port of San Francisco. Anchor Brewery inherited a long tradition of brewing what had come to be known as steam beer, one of the quaint old nicknames for beer brewed along the West Coast under primitive conditions and without ice. Today "steam" is a trademark of Anchor Brewing.
Anchor Brewery shut its doors in 1920 due to prohibition and when it was lifted in 1933 swiftly reopened and continued to brew its fabulous beers. Since then Anchor has gone through some bad times - closing and reopening several times due to lack of demand, but now with the resurgance of the craft beer market Anchor Brewery is going strong and carving itself a place in the market that, due to the fantastic beers it creates, will surely stand the test of time.
This beer pairs well with barbequed foods, sharp or tangy cheeses, salads, pork dishes, poultry dishes or seafood.
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