Raise your Anchor!!

I guess either Anchor wants their beers to not be aged (so they eliminate that with the unreadable code), or their beers sit on shelves for so long they don't want the freshness date to be unappealing. My guess is the latter.

 

Their Brekle's Brown Ale is probably my favorite brown ale, but I stopped drinking it because I never saw it around.

 

One of my favorite brewers. Porter, Steam & CA Lager!

 

This is a great post @BeerVikingSailor! I've been saying the same thing about Anchor being underrated! I love their beers and they're always my go-to for newbies to the craft drinking world as they're so drinkable and consistent.

 

This week was the 50th Anniversary of the date of purchase, August 2nd 1965

this week's beer column in the Philadelphia Inquirer was dedicated to it:
http://www.philly.com/philly/food/20150806_Joe_Sixpack_toasts_Anchor_Brewery_on_its_50th.html

 

Anchor Porter is fucking great. Steam beer is fucking great. Brekle's Brown is fucking great. Old Foghorn.....well, something happened to that beer, as my latest sixer was shit....but hey, I once loved it as my favorite BW. The Bock was decent, and Liberty Ale is a quiet legend

 

Mitch Steel's IPA book had a nice section on Liberty Ale's development and history as one of the first American IPAs (even though not labeled one), and the pioneering usage of the new Cascade hop variety.

 

Old Foghorn is a great English style BW to stock up on. I have quite the collection going from 2 different batches over the last 3 years.

 

The porter is among the GOAT porters in my opinion. I enjoy their whole line of beers, except the saison which - once tasted, unfortunately - cannot be untasted.

 

Double Liberty was BOLD! It really surprised me as I didn't imagine that would market such a bitter, hoppy brew.

 

The summer wheat was excellent and really nails the new style american pale wheat ale, the stout argonaut is luscious and the lager is very nice!

 

Did you purchase this in NY?

 

Yes. It's called san francisco stout. Sorry.

 

For me, the porter is an American classic. When I think of American beer I think of this one. It is superior to all other porters I've tried (it's actually different from them all), and is perhaps the greatest beer to come out of America.

 

Yeah, Flying Cloud. I've been looking for any of the Argonaut beers in my area but with no luck.

 

You prefer the Anchor porter over any of the porters/stouts you've had from the UK?

 

Yes.

 

There weren't too many US beers that I found when I visited Belgium, but Anchor was well represented there.

 

It's got an English yeast signature with American hopping/construction, so it's a fantastic hybrid of approaches, imo. Totally delicious and complex enough for a 'session, as well- one of my all time faves, too.

 

That beer (the porter) is a great showcase for hops, in its own way...Yes, substantial and highly drinkable...Since they were taken over (?) Anchor has had much better distribution. Many of their beers (Porter, Steam Beer, Old Foghorn etc.) seem to me to be 'old fashioned' American...not quite part of the contemporary American beer 'world' (though obviously doing very well).