Anchor Liberty Ale

Yeah, I always thought it was an APA. Then I was in a bottle store and saw it listed as an IPA. I thought, they're seriously misinformed. Got home & checked BA & much to my surprise, it's listed as an IPA.

Haven't had it in a while, but I don't recall it having the profile of an IPA.

 

This issue came up a while back in an earlier thread.

http://beeradvocate.com/community/t...that-dont-make-ipas-or-ris.14359/#post-174435

Turns out its always been an IPA.

 

when you have 100,000 informed to highly informed individuals finding it difficult to understand the minutiae of beer styles, it is probably a good time to re-evaluate beer style definitions.

we recently discussed APA vs PA vs AIPA vs EIPA, not to mention stout and porter. basically, no overwhelming consensus.

Liberty is an AIPA and not an APA at the moment. ask again in 3 years.

 

From the Anchor website: "As the first modern American IPA brewed after prohibition and the first modern American single-hop ale and dry-hopped ale, Anchor’s Liberty Ale® is the original craft brewed ale and the beer that started a revolution." Nuff said.

 

I just tried this beer expecting an APA, tasted like an APA, and then I go online and see that it was an IPA. Hmmm... I guess that it fits under the old style definition of American IPA, when they weren't so hop forward.

 

If Anchor calls it an IPA it's an IPA.

 

"Nuff?" Well, except it's not true. There were over a dozen US IPA's brewed after Prohibition and dozens more dry hopped ales, and (tho' recipes aren't available) probably many of both that were single-hop ales as well.

 

Show me Anchor marketing copy from 1975 claiming Liberty Ale to be an IPA and we might be getting somewhere. Otherwise it's more likely just a revisionist claim.

 

well, let's not get too hung up on the American part of the definition. Anchor is brewed in California, and they are 100% correct to call any beer they brew an American example.

 

You are MY hero...

Actually, no sarcasm involved with your response. Was about to reply with something very similar.

 

Especially since Anchor probably hasn't changed the text on its website since 1975. Wait... what?

 

I was just talking back a little trash to our friend Anchorbaby from a previous discussion, keeping it fun on here...

 

OK, missed that.

 

This is all quite alarming.

 

I want a brewer to make basically a triple IPA and call it a pale ale as a big fuck you to style guidelines.

 

Very true. As I often try to explain, if you go to a breweriana website, you can find plenty of labels from small regional breweries that made IPAs post-prohibition. Here's one:

http://taverntrove.com/item.php?ItemId=31594&goback=results.php?intPageNumber=1&intResults=10

 

They can call it whatever they want, but it's definitely a pale ale, taste-wise. I'd even say it tastes more like an English pale ale than an American pale ale.