RIP Anchor Brewing

[HanSenSE]

The oldest craft brewery in the United States is shutting down after 127 years (msn.com)

Legendary San Franciso-based brewer, now owned by Saporro, announced its turning off the taps this morning, citing the economy, covid, etc. Had made a lot of changes lately, the biggest backfire being the change of its iconic logo.

 

[Huggy]

Dark, dark day, I loved me some Anchor Steam. We're heading to California next week and I was looking forward to having a couple.

 

[micropolitan guy]

Real Rainier, RIP. Olympia, RIP. Blitz/Henry's, RIP. Anchor Steam, RIP. Someone is killing the great beers of the West Coast.

 

[spikechiquet]

Lots of factors killing breweries. The list is long.
In the end, it's business and a successful business is hard to maintain.

 

[Slacker]

Had made a lot of changes lately, the biggest backfire
being the change of its iconic logo.

I mean, good god, what were they thinking?

RIP Anchor Steam.

Spoiler: Clear photo but HUGE.

 

[MileHigh]

Dark, dark day, I loved me some Anchor Steam. We're heading to California next week and I was looking forward to having a couple.

Right there with you. Love Anchor Steam.

 

[DanOregon]

First micro I ever had. A lot of great legendary beers have left the building in recent years. Bridgeport in Portland was one of the first micros. Gone. Widmer seems to be a shell of itself. One of the reasons I have had no issues with companies that cash out/ take on a corporate partner - helps ensure they get shelf space and capital to try new things, expand etc. Shoot, they cancelled the Oregon Brewers Festival this year - it might never come back. Too expensive for the breweries, attendance down due to weather, COVID etc.

 

[Liut]

Real Rainier, RIP. Olympia, RIP. Blitz/Henry's, RIP. Anchor Steam, RIP. Someone is killing the great beers of the West Coast.

I dunno. Oly is the only one your list I ever tried and it was terrible. That was more than 30 years ago.

 

[swingline]

Right there with you. Love Anchor Steam.

I had a restaurant owner friend stock it just for me.

Loved the Bridgeport at the Pearl District brewpub. The full flight was interesting.

 

[micropolitan guy]

I dunno. Oly is the only one your list I ever tried and it was terrible. That was more than 30 years ago.

Hey, I'm an old fart, prefer Coors Banquet above all, don't drink the micros, too hoppy, fruity, heavy, whatever for my taste.

All of the above beers tasted great when they were ice-cold. But, like I said, I grew up drinking Stroh's, Utica Club, Genessee, National Boh, Miller High Life, etc.

Just kind of sad that another thing instantly identifiable as San Franciscan has bit the dust. Like Rainier and Seattle, Olympia and the PNW, Blitz/Henry's with Portland. Hell I don't think PBR is brewed in Milwaukee anymore.

 

[Spartan Squad]

Aww no way! Love Anchor. It’s an easy beer to drink. Damn. I’m going to slow sip the Anchors in my fridge.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

The big macros snapping up micros/crafts ended up being a real shot in the arm to the smaller brands because it gave them a wider distribution network and better marketing, and the big companies rightfully nurtured them as profit centers, rather than snuff them out as some feared initially.

The big problem was Anchor was snapped up by a Japanese company, Sapporo, which doesn't have the distribution network that an established U.S. MMS company has. I haven't seen Anchor sold in my neck of the woods in at least 10 years.

I've kind of lost my mojo on craft beers because 90% of them today are some form of IPA. A sixer of those will make me hurl.

 

[FileNotFound]

After delving deep into the craft beer side and going through a phase with each variant, I too have come back around to just wanting to drink beers that taste like beer. Give me a basic lager or Pilsner and I’ll be super happy.

 

[HanSenSE]

Obituaries flowing in (unpaywalled).
As Anchor Brewing closes down, is its steam beer still good?

 

[Slacker]

I crossed the Guinness bridge a long time ago, and glad of it.
Once I went to stouts, everything else pales. And not just literally.

 

[Huggy]

After delving deep into the craft beer side and going through a phase with each variant, I too have come back around to just wanting to drink beers that taste like beer. Give me a basic lager or Pilsner and I’ll be super happy.

Exactly. Beer-flavoured beer, please.

 

[Cosmo]

Our breweries have done a nice job of diversifying their offerings, as people have made it clear they don't just want IPAs. Triple Crossing in Richmond makes a fine lager, a really good German pils plus a lot of lower alcohol offerings. I still enjoy IPAs but I'm at the point where I have one or two and that's enough for me. My go-to one in Virginia is Get Bent from Parkway Brewing in Salem. Really balanced, not too hoppy, not too malty. Kind of an old-school IPA in a world where everything is trying to out-hazy everything else.

 

[Vombatus]

****!

I once covered my beer night on the softball team with about four cases’ worth of all the Steam varieties.

****

 

[Vombatus]

Our breweries have done a nice job of diversifying their offerings, as people have made it clear they don't just want IPAs. Triple Crossing in Richmond makes a fine lager, a really good German pils plus a lot of lower alcohol offerings. I still enjoy IPAs but I'm at the point where I have one or two and that's enough for me. My go-to one in Virginia is Get Bent from Parkway Brewing in Salem. Really balanced, not too hoppy, not too malty. Kind of an old-school IPA in a world where everything is trying to out-hazy everything else.

Makes the DB move seem even smarter. They told me how it positioned them better - not just for marketing, shelf space, wider distribution, etc, but it also gave them buying power to get choice ingredients.

It wasn’t just a sellout.

 

[Cosmo]

True, but Jason Oliver definitely got butthurt about all of the sellout talk. I remember seeing him at one of the craft fests wearing a hat that read "Still a craft brewery" and there was talk of quieting haters, things of that nature. The original owners of DB never expected it to get so big and were basically overwhelmed so they decided to sell. I understood. DB was never my favorite Virginia brewery anyway, but they have their strong points. The facility/campus in Roseland is great.