Anchor Brewing Rebrand: Raise Anchor to the Next 125 Years!

Hope makes it to Florida

 

I used to see their stuff occasionally here in West TN but now it's only the Christmas Ale...I would love to see the Steam and Liberty in cans for warmer weather...

 

Rebranding. Hmm.

At least we'll know what's fresh. For a little while.

 

Question: Is Liberty Ale and Liberty IPA the same beer?

 

I really enjoyed that California Lager. Would love to get some more.

 

No
https://www.anchorbrewing.com/beer/liberty_ale
https://www.anchorbrewing.com/beer/liberty_ipa

 

Ugh. Reminds me of the ill-considered Green Flash re-branding. Matches the overall blandification of SF, though.

 

Well, given what I typically see when a store gets a delivery of an Anchor beer, I expect to see the first ones hit the NJ shelves just in time for fall leaf collecting season.

Ya know, when I first read the subject line, I thought "Oh, no... classic labels defunct!" but, I kinda like the new clean-look design. But I see that the new Anchor owners are continuing the traditional of... uh, "misrepresenting" (nicer than "lying") facts about the history of Anchor's beers. Such as:

Sure, if you don't count these, or dozens of other US post-Repeal Porters:


or this:

Other than the ones listed at Dry-hopping in the US in the pre-craft era (and many others in the pre-Pro era, too).

I'm beginning to doubt this, too. It's based on the claim of the Boca brewery in Truckee being the first lager brewed in California, but there's some evidence of lager brewers in California in 1860s-1870s, as well as this claim "Henry Rust commenced brewing lager beer at Baker City, Ore., in 1874…" from 100 Years of Brewing, the source for Anchor's claim about Boca, IIRC.

 

I agree on the graphics, but I had some Steam recently (new owners-brewed, being the point) and was pleasantly surprised that it hadn't changed from what I remembered.

Time will tell, though.

 

Just my personal aesthetic and marketing knowledge, but I think the moved too far from the old branding -- gonna be hard to recognize the label for a while. Wish they'd incorporated a little more of the original feel than just the anchor into the design.

Ugh -- really don't like the bottle labels.

@zid any idea who created the redesign? Lotta design firms in SF.*

*Hmm.
https://www.sfgate.com/beer/article/Anchor-Brewing-new-bottles-cans-design-15888662.php

 

If the really want to get with the times they can put regular package dates in the cans.

(unless they’re already doing this? Don’t really see Anchor much around here except the Christmas Beer, which I need to try before it’s gone)

And I never replied to the “your first IPA”, nor do I know the exact answer, but Liberty Ale may be my answer in the early 90’s, it was my go-to pint at my local establishment Kinsale Tavern in NYC

 

Yeah, I thought that, too, at first (maybe start with a "two sided" old/new can label and rear bottle label w/ the 1960s era ovals?)

But, then I remembered what its like to look at all the "cool/modern" beers cans behind the cooler doors (like the below beers from a brewery that just hit NJ last month or so)

and thought, "Well, at least I'll be able to find it easily..." So, my opinion is not based on aesthetics but a more selfish reason. I'm tired of saying, "WTF is that beer?" and opening and closing cooler doors, putting on my most powerful reading glasses...

 

I can understand that, but to an opposite effect of all those new labels, I have the feeling my eyes will pass right over the new Anchor graphics because I won't recognize it -- blend right in with all thise other unfamiliar labels.

 

Ya count me as not a fan of the new redesign. But if it helps sell.more anchor so that fresh steam stays available and maybe some other options from them then I'm all for it.

And @pbrian , they did move to normal.dating on their bottles in the last few years and the stove pipe cans of steam have normal packaging dating so I'm optimistic!

 

Ya to me the redesign manages to look old without looking classic.

I thought the tall cans of steam looked good already
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...4SM&tbnid=xec3YTNFkhxS3M&vet=1&source=sh/x/im

 

It's all about the quick glance over the shelves, I don't spend a lot of browsing time in the liquor store -- sorry you can't understand that, but there's no need to be sarcastic.

As to your perception of "clean & crisp," I was a graphic designer for 30 years and can honestly say the new labels are just rather boring. Sorry.

 

Yes, and I've worked alongside graphic designers for just as long. I'd go so far as to say "lazy" rather than boring. Or, they focus-tested every last drop of creativity out of it.

 

It's a very fine line.

 

Good observation.

 

Curious to see if/how the new branding impacts the Our Special Ale label in 2021.

 

There's some mention of that in the link I posted above.

 

Since you've worked in marketing you know about eye-catching shelf presence. To me, Anchor missed that with the new graphics.

To that, once you pick up the can I'm sure you'll get all the info you need -- but they aren't going to get me to pick that can up at first scan.

 

Of course, the positive reinforcement of the chatter in this thread is probably going to make me remember the new branding forever.

Wonder what the 12-packs will look like?

 

I just want some Anchor Porter in my life

 

Per this article, it seems the OSA label will not be part of the new branding in 2021 at least. Also, Old Foghorn will be revealed soon.

 

This is honestly all I see when I look at those Steam cans:

 

I thought that new logo looked familiar...

 

The old Anchor branding was the exact opposite of the cartoonish/"cool" branding you mention. The old logo was, like Sierra Nevada, one of the classic craft designs. The new one looks ok to me, but nowhere near as "cool" or classic as the old design. The old one stood out precisely for being unchanged for decades. In the age of cartoony IPA-factory labels, I consider that a positive.

I'm generally not a fan of breweries 'rebranding'. I'm struggling to think of a well-received rebranding of a brewery of Anchor's scale that has resulted in large growth and/or expansion.

Edit: Also, that new website is awful. And I don't see any mention of Old Foghorn on it, which is ominious...

Edit 2: Missed the mention of Old Foghorn above. If there was any beer to keep the old design for other than OSA...

 

Wonder what logic was behind breaking consistency with the Porter label?

 

Are the crowlers available locally only?

Pretty cool to be able to get that packaging direct from a brewery.

 

Wait, what was that toward the bottom... Crip Pilsner?! Hello?
@TongoRad @AlcahueteJ @FBarber

 

What's frustrating is when this doesn't happen, the rest of us still be stuck with the boring new branding and a diminished lineup.

Regional breweries can't seem to grasp that they are not going to grab that fad-of-the-moment buyer.