Anchor Brewery is a legendary brewery hailing from San Francisco. It was the first in America to position itself as a craft brewery and was the catalyst for the craft movement in Europe. It sets trends in brewing, despite the fact that in 2 years it will celebrate its 150th anniversary and is called Anchor.
The most popular brews from Anchor are sold all over the world and have been in the lineup for decades. But at all times, all of the brand’s beers are handcrafted in a brewhouse with copper equipment in its home state of California.
Chronicle
- Mid-18th century, California is in the midst of a “gold rush.”
- Famous German brewer Gottlieb Berkle arrives in San Francisco;
- 1871, Berkle buys an old saloon with a pub and billiards for $3500;
- The saloon “grows” into a brewery;
- 19th century, the brewery is taken over by Ernst Baruch and Otto Schinkleri and named Anchor;
- The brewery experiences a fire and remodeling;
- Another German, Fritz Maytag, appears and successfully revives the brewery;
- 1993, Anchor Brewing becomes the first brewery in the world with its own distillery;
- 2010, the new owners gain leadership in the global craft brewing market.
Anchor Steam Beer
The legendary Steam Beer is just the kind of beer worth talking about separately. The first beer in the United States brewed with the use of steam technology, first released in the 30s. It was mass-produced and bottled by Fritz Maytag in 1971.
Maytagi
In 1965, Anchor Brewery was on the verge of bankruptcy. The great-grandson of the founder of a large home appliance company, Fritz Maytag from Iowa, became interested in the brewery. He bought the brewery for a ridiculous amount of money, but he invested much more in remodeling. Thanks to which it was possible to improve the quality of products and raise sales tenfold.
It was during the Maytags’ time that the modified iconic Steam Beer and the very first modern American IPA Liberty Ale saw the light of day. In 2010, a member of the Maytag generation decided to sell the brewery to its current owners – Americans Keith Gregor and Tony Foglio.
