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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.


2.7
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 5/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 11/20
oteyj (1753) - Washington DC, USA - NOV 26, 2008
Pours hazy amber with white billowy head. Aroma is grainy with some sweet malt. Flavor is somewhat lacking- a bit astringent with some sweetness and decent hop bitterness. Palate is smooth and refreshing- dry finish. Interesting but not too great.

3
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 13/20
Petrucci914 (787) - Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA - NOV 16, 2008
Pours a lightish amber color. Aroma is biscuity malts, some caramel, and a tiny bit of bitter hops. Taste is much the same. Nothing exciting going on, but that is the style for you. Easy drinking, I’ll give it that. not THAT bad.

2.5
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 4/10   PALATE 2/5   OVERALL 11/20
Juelze (1116) - Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA - NOV 15, 2008
Pours orangish tinged amber color with off white head. Aroma is of biscuity malts and light caramel. Hops are pretty non-existant as well as the reason for drinking this. Bland and mediocre.

2.1
   AROMA 4/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 3/10   PALATE 2/5   OVERALL 9/20
DrDavid (957) - Johnson, Vermont, USA - OCT 30, 2008
(Bottle). Mild aroma. Orange body, off-white head. Mild nondescript flavor, slightly bitter finish. Interesting commercial description, to be sure. This is a brewer of some fabulous beers, not least of which their Liberty Ale, so I guess we can forgive them this little misguided experiment.

3.3
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 13/20
illidurit (1274) - Santa Cruz, California, USA - OCT 30, 2008
On tap at the brewery. Gold with a hint of orange and a white fluffy head. Nice lacing and retention. Aromas of fresh bread and cereal grains. Flavor is fresh and pale malty, with a touch of grassy hop bitterness in the finish. Smooth and crisp. A simple but effective beer.

1.5
   AROMA 4/10   APPEARANCE 2/5   TASTE 2/10   PALATE 1/5   OVERALL 6/20
Nik925 (584) - California, USA - SEP 20, 2008
The only brew they didn’t have after the brewery tour, I had been looking for this one for a while. Oops, this is not good at all. Taste of adjunct grains, odd bitterness, bad mouthfeel. All around missed the mark. I’m surprised Maytag put his name on this one, the worst beer they brew. Cool idea, second runnings from barley wine, but that grain should have been sold off as cattle feed instead of making this beer. This is what I expect the new bud ale to taste like.

3.2
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 13/20
Trev (1424) - Lakeville, Minnesota, USA - SEP 19, 2008
pours an orangeish gold with a thick creamy off white head. Aroma is malty aroma with a light orange citrus and mown hay bitterness. Flavour is again mainly malty with a sourish tinny bitterness that lingers in the finish.

3.9
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 16/20
BigBen2120 (688) - Derry, New Hampshire, USA - SEP 5, 2008
1 pint 6oz bottle from a liquor store in Nashua, NH. Pours a crystal-clear golden body with nearly an inch of off-white head that slowly dissipates leaving some impressive lacing. Smells malty, fruity, with caramel and brown sugar notes, and a strong citrussy hop presence. Tastes grainy with caramel and citrus hops. Tastes a little watery, which matches the aqueous refreshing mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Very drinkable and refreshing. Flavor (other than the hop presence) reminds me more of an American blonde or pale wheat maybe, rather than an APA or bitter. Still, reasonably priced (3.50$ per bottle) and is great for a hot summer day like today.


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