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Score
2313
OVERALLStyle
Serve in English pint

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution

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RATINGS: 505   WEIGHTED AVG: 2.67   EST. CALORIES: 99   ABV: 3.3%
COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
The tradition of brewing two distinct beers from one mash has existed for thousands of years, and for centuries the term "small beer" was used in English to describe the lighter and weaker second beer. We make our Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale from the rich first runnings of an all-malt mash, and Anchor Small Beer is our attempt to duplicate the "small beers" of old by sparging that same mash: sprinkling warm water over the Old Foghorn mash after the first wort has run off, thereby creating a second, lighter brew from the resulting thinner wort. We believe you will find Anchor Small Beer delicious—similar to what modern brewers call a "bitter"—and we hope you will also enjoy the idea of reviving an ancient brewing tradition, which is something of great importance.


2.6
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 4/10   PALATE 2/5   OVERALL 10/20
rjplumer (254) - Providence, Rhode Island, USA - DEC 24, 2011
Pours a clear golden amber color with two finger head that lingers for little bit. Has a mild grass aroma. Has a bitter bite right at the beginning. Then it goes sour. The bitterness fades a bit but still lingers. I’ll drink this one but won’t get it again.

2.3
   AROMA 3/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 4/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 9/20
hughie (3992) - Bedford, Bedfordshire, ENGLAND - DEC 24, 2011
Bottle from BoE. Amber gold with a large gushing head. Good attempt by Anchor to produce a low gravity British bitter, but unsurprisingly it doesn’t really work. Odd aroma of plastic and not much else except some bitterness. Slightly disappointing accompaniment to Christmas Eve sirloin.

3
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 5/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 12/20
beerfest5 (733) - Simsbury, Connecticut, USA - DEC 13, 2011
ummm, this was an interesting surprise but overall not the best beer ive ever had, a little funk in the end that was unappetizing. couldnt get the feeling that I was drinking the "backwash" of a real beer.

3.4
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 2/5   OVERALL 14/20
Aquilo (456) - Berkeley, California, USA - DEC 2, 2011
Pours a clear golden-amber color with a thick white head. Smells just like Anchor Steam; very herbal and bready. Flavor is very bitter, and the finish is abrasive. Overall, it could be better.

1.6
   AROMA 3/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 3/10   PALATE 2/5   OVERALL 5/20
glennmastrange (1547) - hobe sound, Florida, USA - NOV 23, 2011
Bottle. Moderate hay for the (spent) malt, light dried grass for the hops with hints of cooked vegetable and paper. Head is average size, fizzy turning rocky, white with just a bit of lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is sparkling clear light amber/orange. Flavor starts moderately acidi and sour, then the long finish is lightly acidic and bitter. Palate is light to medium, dry with a lively to fizzy carbonation and a metallic and lightly astringent finish. Only a few good aspects made it worth drinking the whole bottle. My advice: toss the wort. Blah.

2.3
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 4/10   PALATE 2/5   OVERALL 9/20
curly (2203) - Seattle (Newcastle), Washington, USA - OCT 28, 2011
Pours clear amber with a small white head. Aroma of overripe fruit, burnt malts and light earthy hop. Taste moderately bitter with some resin and burnt ashy malts again. Pretty watery texture. Not really what I was a expecting knowing that it was a second running of Old Foghorn. Overall this has too much burnt grainy taste to it.

2.6
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 1/10   PALATE 2/5   OVERALL 13/20
Benjii (1686) - Edinburgh, SCOTLAND - OCT 16, 2011
Bottle from Nina’s. Pours an amber colour with a fair beige head. Aroma of caramel, candy sugar and barley. Similar flavours with mild bitterness, moderate carbonation and a foamy mouth-feel. Quite thin and over carbonated. Interesting and quite refreshing but not sure if I would drink this regularly.

3.6
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
bbbrew (187) - Hawaii, USA - OCT 15, 2011
What a great drinkable beer. I’ll be stocking up on this one. Light feel perfect amount of bitterness for a lower alcohol beer. Love it.


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Rating Notecard:
Beer: Anchor Small Beer Rating Avg: 2.67 No. of Ratings: 505
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