Anchor Liberty Ale

Brewed by Anchor Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
San Francisco, California USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker

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UPDATED: JAN 17, 2003 Really good beer, very tasty (fruity), nice bitterness on the finish, good yanky beer.

UPDATED: DEC 20, 2008 A Pleasing floral bouquet that upon first sip translates into exquisite drinking experience. Superbly balanced, this beer has a flawless, full flavor that is smoothly enjoyed. This is one of my top five beers and the best offering from ABC. A truly American Ale.

RE-RATE: I’m leaving the numbers pretty much the same after tasting again last night. This is a decent APA, but IPA? Give me a break. This has everything you would expect, but not in significant enough amounts. Not enough hop bitterness, flavor or aroma. Only slight maltiness. Disgusting color of urine. ORIGINAL: I must say I was quite disappointed in this beer. The color is somewhat weak and I didn’t get the hoppy Cascade aroma I was expecting. I also didn’t get the fruity ester flavor I expect from an ale without overpowering hop flavor or bitterness. Instead the flavor was somewhat spicy. Weak head and overall body and flavor. It certainly didn’t live up to the hype for me. Maybe it was skunked (I live on the East Coast). I’ve heard it doesn’t travel well.

One of the best offerings from Anchor Brewing and my favorite from them. A hops-head I am and this is an excellent variation on the theme. Not as hopped up, but imparts great flavor.

UPDATED: APR 9, 2003 From the bottle: nice light orange color with a beautifully thick frothy head; good floral nose that could be stronger; nicely balanced caramel malts and citrusy flowery hops; good finish; seems rather light, but without being thin. Not as hoppy as some IPAs, mild for a West-Coaster, but well balanced, wonderful session beer.

A top ten. There are very few beers that are this good for this long. I really love this beer, and it is worth whatever I have to pay to get it. Wonderful hop bite, this is a great beer.

Very tasty and has a good bite to it. Will buy again.

UPDATED: APR 1, 2003 Pours to a cloudy, pale orange hue, with good head formation and lively carbonation. The aroma is especially hoppy and fruity. A sweet minty herb and peppery spice comes through alongside the piney, floral hops and a touch of orange zest. A hoppy, prickly bitterness at the front introduces the fairly light, well carbonated palate. This is balanced well in the middle with a fair sweetness that is biscuity with lemon and orange fruits. The hops are assertive in the finish, both in their dryness and in their bitterness, a bitterness that lingers well into the aftertaste. The aftertaste itself has an exceptional complexity with strong hop bitterness and fruity sweetness playing well against each other.

As a friend of mine explained to me before drinking Anchor Liberty. ’Drink it last because your tastebuds get blown out on this one.’ Its true. Definitely wakes you up. Great Ale.

This beer has a strong aroma of conspiracy about it. You crafty americans convince us that the pinnacle of US brewing is bud, coors miller etc, ship all you produce to the UK for suckers like us to trip over every time we go shopping and save the truly excellent beers like Liberty Ale all for yourselves. This is one of the few US microbrewery beers I can find locally, but judging by the ratings on this site there are many beers better than this available. How do I gain US citizenship, Do green cards entitle the bearer to quality beer? Will my nearest american embassy carry emergency stocks? I need to know.