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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Rated: 4.21 by KeithGreatNorth from Canada (BC)

Dec 04, 2023
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Reviewed by SoCalNative from California

4.72/5  rDev +27.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Anchor Brewing makes a ton of hoppy beer.

This is the exception.

I first tried these California Lagers years ago and fell in love immediately. (I'm not a big fan of beers with a bitter hop approach. I'll drink them, but it's a "once in a great while" thing for me.) Finding a beer with a malty approach from Anchor was an eye opening moment.

This beer pours gold. I mean LITERALLY golden. Nice head for a lager, it disappeared rather fast, though. Not much visible carbonation, some, but not much. Smell is a nice mix of malt and (VERY LIGHT) fruity hops. Taste is a strong malt with slight bitter bite. (Less than a lime in a Corona.) Wonderful fullbodied flavor, nice amount of carbonation.

Overall my FAVORITE beer for the summer. You name it, it's good for it!!! From bbqs to reunions. Everyone seems to like this West coast lager!
Jul 08, 2021
California Lager from Anchor Brewing Company
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 1313 ratings