California Lager
Anchor Brewing Company

California LagerCalifornia Lager
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From:
Anchor Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
American Lager
Ranked #104
ABV:
4.9%
Score:
83
Ranked #23,548
Avg:
3.69 | pDev: 11.65%
Reviews:
280
Ratings:
1,313
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 04, 2023
Added:
Feb 15, 2013
Wants:
  56
Gots:
  347
In 1876, thanks to an ice pond in the mountains and a belief that anything is possible in the Golden State, a little brewery named Boca created California's first genuine lager. Anchor California Lager® is our re-creation of this historic beer. Made in San Francisco with two-row California barley, Cluster hops (the premier hop in 19th-century California), and our own lager yeast, this all-malt brew is kräusened and lagered in our cellars. Its golden color, distinctive aroma, creamy head, balanced depth of flavor, and smooth finish make Anchor California Lager® a delicious celebration of California’s unique brewing heritage.
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Ratings by BEERchitect:
Photo of BEERchitect
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Picking up what they could, westward travelers made beer from all kinds of things as they attempted to make beers traveling toward the promise of gold. Where the California Common ale is well documented, it makes sense that the more tried-and-true Lagers would have also been part of the early settler's beer drinking diet.

Like any well made lager would, Anchor's pours with a medium gold color and bright clarity. Building a creamy ivory-white foam, its head character is long lasting and proud with lacing collars as the beer fades. It's a rather fantastic looking Lager!

Grainy-sweet aromas of raw barley, supple bready sweetness and a richer bread crust rise to the nose for a crisp and pleasantly light scent. Floral hops give a slight perfume character that's similar to honey suckle. Light apple and sulfur lurk in the background and help to round the scent but careful not to make too meaningful of an impact.

To taste, the ale fares similarly- part-malt and part-grain to start, its sweetness is light and is of fresh baking bread, light dough and yeast. But its cracker-like taste reels in the slight fruitiness of honey, apples, and slim citrus. What's floral in aroma provides a soft flowery herb taste before developing a spicy and earthy bitterness that overrides the malts and ensures a crisp and clean finish.

Light bodied, the ale's elegant sweetness might imply more weight, but its bolsterous carbonation lightens the body and floats the lager over the middle to arrive in a finish of lemongrass bite, herbal warmth and pepper.

The lager is surprisingly crisp, clean and refreshing as it shows no apparent off flavors and keeps its balance well in tact. Its a fabulous beer that is sure to fare exquisitely with sushi and Cobb salad.
Aug 18, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.21 by KeithGreatNorth from Canada (BC)

Dec 04, 2023
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.66/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Crisp and dry, bone dry, but tasty. Pleasing malt aroma, small light and fluffy head, golden clear body. Taste is malt and bread, saltine crackers, abrupt finish, but refreshing.
Nov 08, 2023
 
Rated: 3.92 by morebeergood from Massachusetts

Sep 29, 2023
 
Rated: 3.48 by 2beerdogs from California

Sep 12, 2023
Photo of BeerGeekExtraordinaire
Reviewed by BeerGeekExtraordinaire from Illinois

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Standard caveat: I rate here the way I do on Untappd.

I am sorry that I only discovered this beer as Anchor appears to be on its way out.

Poured into a pilsner glass. Deep gold color.

Very bready, biscuity mouthfeel. It really has the same underlying flavor profile as Steam without the caramel notes. Finishes crisply. It's a solid American lager
Aug 12, 2023
 
Rated: 3.68 by eluvah from New York

Aug 11, 2023
Photo of FBarber
Reviewed by FBarber from Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a clear burnished gold color. Two finger white sudsy head forms on the beer, lingers a moment, then dissipates leaving just a thin residual layer of foam. Aroma has notes of light grainy malt, some light yeast and a touch of floral hops. Taste follows the nose with notes of cereal and grainy malts, some light sweetness and a touch of yeast. Back end has some floral hops. Feel is light, pretty crisp and easy drinking. Bright carbonation.

Overall its a solid American lager.
Jul 30, 2023
Photo of cjgiant
Reviewed by cjgiant from District of Columbia

3.84/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Perfectly clear, allowing one to be entranced by the bubbles that sustain a half centimeter full cap of white foam. The nose has a cereal malt vibe, with what I am assuming a mix of yeast and hops bringing a fruity floral aroma.

A nice, bready malt hits my tongue first, though there’s a hint of staleness that gets accentuated by an odd pause in flavor. It’s a bit like an earthy hops decides to take over and then spends a few seconds going over the plans before executing them.

There’s a familiar mineral companion to the earthy bitterness that marches firearms after the pause. I wish I could have this alongside a Steam to see if it’s something “in the Anchor DNA” I am getting. The finish tries to turn grassy, but the conditions apparently aren’t quite right for anything lush and green.

Warmth brings a little bit of orchard fruit and the mineral note combines with the earthy to become a tad more clay-like, but these are small deviations on the overall experience. The lingering dry grass and pine needles that aren’t so distinct in single early sips tend to build up with successive tips of the glass and are what tips this beer into the enjoyable category for me.
Jul 30, 2023
Photo of bristol2120
Reviewed by bristol2120 from Illinois

3.11/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Pours with a generous head - beer is a medium amber gold - aroma is a bit underwhelming, with hops in the forefront and not much else - taste is okay, but there is very little malt presence at all - hops are a bit harsh on the aftertaste - beer has an okay mouthfeel - overall a decent lager, but there is nothing here that makes it stand out
Jul 18, 2023
 
Rated: 3.89 by selekt0r

Aug 15, 2022
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.36/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
355 ml bottle, as Anchor California Lager, from Fakta, Denmark. ABV is 4.9%. Golden colour, moderate white head. Sweetish aroma of malts and floral, herbal and fruity hops. The flavour is medium dry, well hopped throughout, with a fairly bitter aftertaste. A well made lager - simple, but decent.
Jul 19, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by Beecham from California

Apr 09, 2022
 
Rated: 3.63 by QuintusHorace from California

Mar 17, 2022
 
Rated: 3.83 by Hophazzard from California

Feb 14, 2022
 
Rated: 3.9 by TLA from Pennsylvania

Dec 25, 2021
Photo of TheSixthRing
Reviewed by TheSixthRing from California

3.08/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
I'm not sure how I never reviewed this back in the day, but I'm not gonna bother with a proper review now. It's a unique lager, but not too different from their steam, and it's too dry and with that signature Anchor "sawdust" character for me to really wanna drink it again.
Nov 02, 2021
Photo of HipCzech
Reviewed by HipCzech from California

3.89/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Serving: 12 oz can poured into a 7 oz tall Libbey Gibraltar glass.

Appearance: Clear, pale golden yellow with a sudsy head of bright white foam.

Smell: Clean aromas of cereal grain and floral hops.

Taste: Light, refreshingly flavor with a nice balance of pale malt body and just enough spicy, floral hops and clean butter finish.

Mouthfeel: Light body, smooth and crisp carbonation.

Overall: Any easy drinker with a nice balance of malt body and crisp hops.
Oct 28, 2021
 
Rated: 3.81 by JTuomi from Finland

Oct 01, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by Hefsbeercaps from Ohio

Aug 22, 2021
California Lager from Anchor Brewing Company
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 1313 ratings