Anchor Small Beer from Anchor Brewing Company, a Bitter style beer: An unofficial page for Anchor Small Beer from Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco, California , United States of America
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Anchor Small Beer

Anchor Small Beer

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 Percentile 
21
overall
A Bitter brewed by
Anchor Brewing Company

San Francisco, California USA

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
3382.64/5.02.64/5.03.3%11.5 English pint P  Stats

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.

Most RecentTop RatersHighest Ratings Who's Rated This?
 kujo9 (1044), North Ridgeville, Ohio, USA
3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
4/104/56/104/512/20

Apr 15, 2005  
22 oz bottle: very light amber w/ a lasting, medium white head. Smells like a bitter. Herbal, tobacco hop very much fresh in the nose. Very light on the malt aroma, but at 3.3 ABV, what would you expect? Very light yeasty character w/ a hints of fruity esters. Herbal hoppy flavor, again, light on the malts, some light fruitiness. Light bodied, higher level of carbonation, dry mouthfeel. Overall, very flavorful for a smaller beer. I find it much better that your typical macro swill for the low ABV. Thankfully this is still fresh though, I don’t think I’d want to have this out of date.

 BigBen2120 (558), Gardiner(52 miles from Allagash), Maine, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/57/103/516/20
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.


 unclemattie (1584), Georgia, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/104/514/20
Aug 31, 2008  
Big 700ml "Anchor" bottle. Light copper color, white foam. Technically, this should be listed as a Mild Ale, but taste it and you will believe it is a Premium Bitter... Quiet scent of malt. Distant hints of malty WonderBread. Slight fruit, even some Darjeeling Tea. Flavor is light, crisp, refreshing. Clean. Some bread, light hop bitterness. It really is a Foghorn Jr. This is exactly how I imagined it to be. Finishes like a Pale European Lager. Crisp hop florals, refeshing malt character. For the style it is a wonderful beer. Superb offering from Anchor Brewing. If I only had a Surf n Turf Plate, mmm steak and lobster.


PaulHegedus (66), Brampton, Ontario, Canada
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/56/103/512/20
Aug 27, 2008  
Foghorn’s little brother. Draught at the brewery, Aug 2008. Ironic bottle indeed. This has a simple, dry flavour, but simple does not mean bad by any means. There is subtle hops, a bit of fruit. Someone wrote tea, I could see that maybe. A good session beer. I respect the brewery for making this unique, witty little beer.


 yobdoog (367), Woodridge, New York, USA
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/103/56/104/513/20
Aug 10, 2008  
Clear light brown yellow. Light bitterness and easy to drink. Smooth and not much flavor. Really interesting how this is made and is well done IMO.


 17thfloor (650), Chicago, Illinois, USA
2.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
4/103/56/103/512/20
Aug 5, 2008  
Pours a nice clear amber with a medium off-white frothy head. Weird funky moldy sour malt aroma with some mild hops. A nice dry bitter flavor, tea like, softly fruity. Toffee finish. Easy drinking for a bitter, avoids all that chewy sweetness. Recycling is good.




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