Anchor Small Beer

Brewed by Anchor Brewing Company
Style: Bitter
San Francisco, California USA

Serve in English pint

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Strange what a departure from Foghorn this is. The aroma is toasted malts, cereal grains, nutty, metallic and earthy hops. The appearance is clear gold/amber, white head. The flavor is same as the aroma exactly. A bit thin and watery. The finish is metal and resin hops. Not bad. Not a great beer in its own right, but I wanted to try a "small" beer, and I’m glad I tried this one.

5/16/11. Bomber. Clear golden pour with a big fluffy off-white head that looks like the top of a cappucino. Bitter, grainy aroma of mashing malts. Distinct bitter grainy flavor as well but very light, almost watery. Interesting.

Pours a nice golden yellow with small head but active carbonation. Aroma is of pale malt. Taste is malt forward sweetness followed quickly by sharp bitterness that lingers. Very dry and crisp.

Poured with a finger’s worth of fine head. The appearance was very clear pale yellow, akin to apple juice. The aroma was not particularly strong, though some resin like hops were noticeable. The taste is quite strong on the bittering hops, though not too much else. Not much in the way of malts, with a very weak body. Nothing exceptional but certainly true to style in my opinion.

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 1pt. 6oz bottle into an imperial pint glass. The neck label has a short description of the beer but there is no freshness date or abv%. Appearance: The body has a light amber to orange amber color with good clarity and some visible carbonation. From the pour I got an average size head (about two fingers) with a just off white color. This head fades slowly and makes some nice lacing on the glass as I drink. Smell: It light overall and has a light pale biscuit like maltiness with some mild grassy/herbal hops. (This was not what I was expecting at all.) Taste/Palate: The flavor closely matches the smell. It starts with a thin pale malt with light bready and biscuity notes. This is then quickly over run by a slightly citrusy, almost astringent, grassy hop character. It finishes with this acidic bitterness hanging on to the tongue. The body has a light and fairly thin feel with plenty of scrubbing carbonation. Notes: For a beer based off the second running of there Barleywine this was not what I was expecting and not a beer that I would seek out again.

A small beer with small flavor but not necessarily for small people... She pours a deep gold with shades of brown and smells of minute malt traces and mineral water, perhaps a touch of pine. A light, spritzy brew with flavors of dry biscuits and a bitter finish that reminds me of sparkling mineral water. Finish is very dry. Too carbonated and too bitter to be balanced. I would have liked a little more residual sweetness to round the little guy out.

Bottle at the Anchor tasting after the tour. Pours a clear, dark golden amber color and topped by a small off white head of foam that settles quickly and leaves sticky spots of lacing on the glass. The aroma is fairly simple showing notes of toasted bread malts, cereal grains, and some floral hop bitterness. The flavor follows suit with the floral hop bitterness being balanced out by the toasted bread malts. Not much going on in the flavor. Thin in the body with subtle carbonation and easy drinking through the clean, semi dry finish. A decent session beer and inoffensive, but just lacking in a few areas.

crystal medium brwn with large frothy head. moderately attractive beer. an oxidized and "skunked" nose. firm bitterness with some grainy toasted malt component before the oxidized flavor takes over and dominates the mild hop flavor. overall this is a touch beer to discern the flavor because this is such a poorly handled version, but nothing stands out to make it remarkable

Bottle, shared with Parksy. Light amber, clear and bright, medium white head. Aroma is tea-like, almost woody. Flavour is tea and caramel, with a leathery tannic dryness that isn’t really supported by enough malt. The result is a thin beer that is astringently dry. Not unpleasant, just not that great either. An interesting nod to history though.

Aroma: hay, grass Appearance: minimal head, clear, golden, Taste: medium bitterness Palate: medium body, average carbonation, bitter I love Anchor Steam Brewing, this is not a style I would look for again.