Anchor Steam Beer | Anchor Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Anchor Brewing Company
California, United States
anchorbrewing.com
Style: California Common / Steam Beer
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.90%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
Anchor Steam® Beer owes its deep amber color, thick, creamy head, and rich, distinctive flavor to a historic brewing process like none other.
It is a process that combines deep respect for craft brewing tradition with many decades of evolution to arrive at a unique approach: a blend of pale and caramel malts, fermentation with lager yeast at warmer ale temperatures in shallow open-air fermenters, and gentle carbonation in our cellars through an all-natural process called kräusening.
Added by BeerAdvocate on 07-08-2001
Ratings: 5,961 | Reviews: 2,042
3.83/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Got one at the Londoner, Addison TX today.
Great malty smell.
Good taste also, quite balanced between the hoppiness and the maltiness. However, the longer it's left out there, the more hoppy it became. But overall, a good refreshing beer.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Got one at the Londoner, Addison TX today.
Great malty smell.
Good taste also, quite balanced between the hoppiness and the maltiness. However, the longer it's left out there, the more hoppy it became. But overall, a good refreshing beer.
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4.56/5 rDev +18.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
3.89/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
This beer tasted fine. It smells good and tasted pleasant on the tongue, but I do admit a prejudice as lagers simply do not thrill me. That noted, I enjoyed Steam.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
This beer tasted fine. It smells good and tasted pleasant on the tongue, but I do admit a prejudice as lagers simply do not thrill me. That noted, I enjoyed Steam.
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4.25/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.36/5 rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.62/5 rDev +19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
3.35/5 rDev -13.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.25/5 rDev -15.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.87/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.79/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.39/5 rDev -12.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
3.31/5 rDev -14.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
4.25/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12 oz. Bottle
Pours a nice yellow color, nice carbonation, with a pretty nice small off-white head, which leaves some sticky lacing behind. The nose is hoppy, malty, yeasty. The taste is hoppy, malty, kinda yeasty. Medium body, with a nice dry/bitter finish. Overall, a pretty tasty brew.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12 oz. Bottle
Pours a nice yellow color, nice carbonation, with a pretty nice small off-white head, which leaves some sticky lacing behind. The nose is hoppy, malty, yeasty. The taste is hoppy, malty, kinda yeasty. Medium body, with a nice dry/bitter finish. Overall, a pretty tasty brew.
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3.7/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
The beer is a clear orange color and you can see the carbonation that leads to the thin white head. Lots of bready notes in the nose. Yeast, malts, bread, is all I get on the nose. The taste is similar to the aroma, maybe with a little sweetness at the beginning, a nice crispness, and a slight bitterness at the end. The beer has a refreshing quality to it, crisp as well as a nice feel of carbonation.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
The beer is a clear orange color and you can see the carbonation that leads to the thin white head. Lots of bready notes in the nose. Yeast, malts, bread, is all I get on the nose. The taste is similar to the aroma, maybe with a little sweetness at the beginning, a nice crispness, and a slight bitterness at the end. The beer has a refreshing quality to it, crisp as well as a nice feel of carbonation.
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3.98/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
I've heard about this beer for years now and never picked it up. I finally decided to do just that a couple days ago and I'm really excited to finally review this guy.
This beer pours a deep copper color that is clear and features light carbonation. The head is thick, frothy, white and dissipates quickly to a rocky layer with a neck. 4/5 The aroma is quite strong with both toasted and caramelized malt, providing a bit of a burnt note while also being quite sweet. There are some grassy and herbal hops that come through and a bit of Grape Nuts as the beer warms. It comes across as very similar to a Sam Adams/Vienna Lager. 4/5 The caramel and burnt sugar lead off a fairly strong flavor profile that is a bit more sweet than bitter, but overall very well balanced. The same grassy and herbal hops return here and are joined by a bit of an earthy note. Bitterness is moderate and lingers for quite some time after swallowing. 4/5 This beer is moderately drying with a light carb tickle/prickliness with the dryness lingering after swallowing for a good while. I would characterize the body as being light-medium in nature. 3.75/5 This is a really enjoyable beer to drink. It is light while retaining a very good amount of flavor. The low abv helps it to be very sessionable. More than anything I wish that I would have discovered this beer earlier. 4/5
1,376 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
I've heard about this beer for years now and never picked it up. I finally decided to do just that a couple days ago and I'm really excited to finally review this guy.
This beer pours a deep copper color that is clear and features light carbonation. The head is thick, frothy, white and dissipates quickly to a rocky layer with a neck. 4/5 The aroma is quite strong with both toasted and caramelized malt, providing a bit of a burnt note while also being quite sweet. There are some grassy and herbal hops that come through and a bit of Grape Nuts as the beer warms. It comes across as very similar to a Sam Adams/Vienna Lager. 4/5 The caramel and burnt sugar lead off a fairly strong flavor profile that is a bit more sweet than bitter, but overall very well balanced. The same grassy and herbal hops return here and are joined by a bit of an earthy note. Bitterness is moderate and lingers for quite some time after swallowing. 4/5 This beer is moderately drying with a light carb tickle/prickliness with the dryness lingering after swallowing for a good while. I would characterize the body as being light-medium in nature. 3.75/5 This is a really enjoyable beer to drink. It is light while retaining a very good amount of flavor. The low abv helps it to be very sessionable. More than anything I wish that I would have discovered this beer earlier. 4/5
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4.75/5 rDev +23.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Poured into a Pint Defiance tulip. Body is clear amber, with a finger white head. Aromas consist of baked bread, caramel, plum, raisin, apple, and some spices. Flavors are the same. The feel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Foamy and easy drinking.
258 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Poured into a Pint Defiance tulip. Body is clear amber, with a finger white head. Aromas consist of baked bread, caramel, plum, raisin, apple, and some spices. Flavors are the same. The feel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Foamy and easy drinking.
258 characters
3.73/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Copper body topped by off white stable head that leaves little or no lacing.
Pleasant malt aroma with some soft fruit and yeasty/ bready notes
Medium body with flavours of caramel, bread, slightly metallic end from the hop bitterness. Nothing jumps out unexpectedly in this well balanced beer.
Excellent
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Copper body topped by off white stable head that leaves little or no lacing.
Pleasant malt aroma with some soft fruit and yeasty/ bready notes
Medium body with flavours of caramel, bread, slightly metallic end from the hop bitterness. Nothing jumps out unexpectedly in this well balanced beer.
Excellent
307 characters
3.99/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Very pretty amber body, two finger head. No lacing.
Smells of apple, caramel and bread. A kind of hay fragrance as well. Butter, grain. Kinda metallic.
Tastes of apple, bread, caramel. Some pepper. Slightly bitter in the aftertaste. Pretty sweet. Very grassy. Some kind of lemon taste as well.
Medium body and carbonation.
You know what? It may just be because I'm drinking this on a beautiful spring afternoon, but this beer made me feel really, really great. I'm so pumped right now! Great stuff, go try it, yadda yadda yadda.
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look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Very pretty amber body, two finger head. No lacing.
Smells of apple, caramel and bread. A kind of hay fragrance as well. Butter, grain. Kinda metallic.
Tastes of apple, bread, caramel. Some pepper. Slightly bitter in the aftertaste. Pretty sweet. Very grassy. Some kind of lemon taste as well.
Medium body and carbonation.
You know what? It may just be because I'm drinking this on a beautiful spring afternoon, but this beer made me feel really, really great. I'm so pumped right now! Great stuff, go try it, yadda yadda yadda.
532 characters
3.93/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.19/5 rDev +8.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This is a well-made, brilliantly simple beer. No bells and whistles, just quality. Pours a clear, deep copper. Lacing and decent head. Great malty, slightly toasty and bready backbone supported by a firm bitterness and earthy hop character. This beer is as drinkable now as it was 20 years ago. A classic worth always having around.
332 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This is a well-made, brilliantly simple beer. No bells and whistles, just quality. Pours a clear, deep copper. Lacing and decent head. Great malty, slightly toasty and bready backbone supported by a firm bitterness and earthy hop character. This beer is as drinkable now as it was 20 years ago. A classic worth always having around.
332 characters
Anchor Steam Beer from Anchor Brewing Company
3.86
out of 5
based on 5,961 ratings.
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25