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
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers
Ratings: 6,083 | Reviews: 2,079
3.39/5 rDev -11.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.84/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.81/5 rDev -1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.94/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A nice beer in a different style. I drank it on the warm side and found it to be quite good.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A nice beer in a different style. I drank it on the warm side and found it to be quite good.
92 characters
3.94/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Malty, caramel, yeasty aroma. Taste was similar but much more hop bitterness than expected and the bitterness lingered a bit. Overall an interesting beer that I've always enjoyed every now and then
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look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Malty, caramel, yeasty aroma. Taste was similar but much more hop bitterness than expected and the bitterness lingered a bit. Overall an interesting beer that I've always enjoyed every now and then
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3.52/5 rDev -8.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
4.67/5 rDev +21.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
2.93/5 rDev -23.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
3.14/5 rDev -18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
An interesting beer with a light amber color with a quick dessipating off white head. Has a malty scent, and tasted a little grassy. A kinda unique lager that i wasnt expecting. Im glad i tried it, but honestly not a big fan of the style.
238 characters
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
An interesting beer with a light amber color with a quick dessipating off white head. Has a malty scent, and tasted a little grassy. A kinda unique lager that i wasnt expecting. Im glad i tried it, but honestly not a big fan of the style.
238 characters
4.18/5 rDev +8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a bottle into a Kolsch glass, cause I had one. Golden brown color with moderate fisheye head, some lacing. Smell is slight malt, slight grassy hops, fairly delicate. Taste is more hop bitterness than I would expect from the smell, spice and biscut, lots of carbonation, not much hop flavor. Overall more flavorful than a larger, less Kick than a IPA, wouldn't call it sessionable, but could drink two in a sitting.
428 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a bottle into a Kolsch glass, cause I had one. Golden brown color with moderate fisheye head, some lacing. Smell is slight malt, slight grassy hops, fairly delicate. Taste is more hop bitterness than I would expect from the smell, spice and biscut, lots of carbonation, not much hop flavor. Overall more flavorful than a larger, less Kick than a IPA, wouldn't call it sessionable, but could drink two in a sitting.
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4.55/5 rDev +18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Look: Pours a clear amber with a substantial, fluffy, straw-yellow head. Solid.
Smell: Malty and sweet, a little spicy, and more hops than I expected on the nose. A real classic "beer" smell.
Taste: Clean and slightly floral upfront, resolving to a bright, spicy, malty flavor mid-palate, and finishing rich and biscuity/bready. Really excellent, and not similar to many other beers. I can understand its mass appeal based on taste alone.
Feel: I recall having some Steam poured from a tap a while ago and thinking it was rather thin, but I've just poured this one from a bottle and it feels more substantial. Either way, this is a lagerish beer, so the feel is appropriate for the type. It's highly carbonated, too, and that's really nice--the fizz makes it almost like a savory soda.
Overall: This was my first beer from Anchor, but it won't be my last! It has a lot of the qualities you get from other regional beers that have blown way up (think Fat Tire or Spotted Cow), chief among which qualities is a very pleasant drinkability coupled with enough character to retain street cred with the craft beer set. Steam is unique, it's *really* tasty, and it's now my go-to session beer. If you haven't tried one, go get it. It's out there.
1,243 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Look: Pours a clear amber with a substantial, fluffy, straw-yellow head. Solid.
Smell: Malty and sweet, a little spicy, and more hops than I expected on the nose. A real classic "beer" smell.
Taste: Clean and slightly floral upfront, resolving to a bright, spicy, malty flavor mid-palate, and finishing rich and biscuity/bready. Really excellent, and not similar to many other beers. I can understand its mass appeal based on taste alone.
Feel: I recall having some Steam poured from a tap a while ago and thinking it was rather thin, but I've just poured this one from a bottle and it feels more substantial. Either way, this is a lagerish beer, so the feel is appropriate for the type. It's highly carbonated, too, and that's really nice--the fizz makes it almost like a savory soda.
Overall: This was my first beer from Anchor, but it won't be my last! It has a lot of the qualities you get from other regional beers that have blown way up (think Fat Tire or Spotted Cow), chief among which qualities is a very pleasant drinkability coupled with enough character to retain street cred with the craft beer set. Steam is unique, it's *really* tasty, and it's now my go-to session beer. If you haven't tried one, go get it. It's out there.
1,243 characters
3.42/5 rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours a dark orange golden color with a white head. Not much lacing. Smell is malty sour. Taste is the same. Mouthfeel is light, crisp and refreshing. Overall, would make a good summer beer.
190 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours a dark orange golden color with a white head. Not much lacing. Smell is malty sour. Taste is the same. Mouthfeel is light, crisp and refreshing. Overall, would make a good summer beer.
190 characters
3.92/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
has a nice sourness to it but is expensive for what you get. i really want to love it but the price point of $2.40 per 355 ml is a tad much. otherwise its a great beer and a shining example of a California common brewed in California.
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look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
has a nice sourness to it but is expensive for what you get. i really want to love it but the price point of $2.40 per 355 ml is a tad much. otherwise its a great beer and a shining example of a California common brewed in California.
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2.63/5 rDev -31.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5
This is the first and last california common style of beer for me. I notice that a lot of people seem to like this beer, but I don't maybe there is something seriously wrong with me. It just taste funny to me & is not my cup of tea I guess. Cheers! C- (70-74) score range
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look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5
This is the first and last california common style of beer for me. I notice that a lot of people seem to like this beer, but I don't maybe there is something seriously wrong with me. It just taste funny to me & is not my cup of tea I guess. Cheers! C- (70-74) score range
271 characters
3.87/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.25/5 rDev -15.6%
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
4.46/5 rDev +15.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.28/5 rDev -14.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.25
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.25
4.1/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
My first review here... just wanted to start writing thoughts down, call it a public beer journal, if you will.
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If I were to one day become a rich man, this west-coast brew would be a fine one to stock up on and leave around for myself and others to enjoy at leisure. It has a strong mouth feel and depth of flavor coming in at a decent 4.9%. Crisp, refreshing, dependably solid... and enjoyable - always feels like I want to have another one!
450 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
My first review here... just wanted to start writing thoughts down, call it a public beer journal, if you will.
~~~~
If I were to one day become a rich man, this west-coast brew would be a fine one to stock up on and leave around for myself and others to enjoy at leisure. It has a strong mouth feel and depth of flavor coming in at a decent 4.9%. Crisp, refreshing, dependably solid... and enjoyable - always feels like I want to have another one!
450 characters
Anchor Steam Beer from Anchor Brewing Company
Beer rating:
3.85 out of
5 with
6,083 ratings
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