Anchor Steam Beer

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

It’s aroma is of very subtle roasty malt. Solid copper in appearance with a quickly disappating head. Taste is of caramel malt, followed by a very dry finish. Not too much going on at all. Not bad but not enough flavor for me.

boring - like a slightly better pale lager - peppery, very carbonated, slight hoppiness

Pours a nice, bright copper with a thick slow falling head. Nose is, well, kind of uninteresting and a little light. Taste is initially a biscuity caramel malt, then overcome with a slightly sour, yet dry bitterness that shows ’fall harvest spices’ (cinnamon, nutmeg, et al) as it warms. Very drinkable, and a hallmark of the style for sure, but not very interesting.

33cl bottle, as pictured. Pours a nice, slightly hazy copper with a formidable, frothy off-white head with great retention and plenty of lacing. Aroma of toffee and hops, with some unidentifiable spices in there too. Wee note of vanilla. Floral notes dominate the taste at first, something very un-lager-like. There’s aniseed, too, some light malt, a resinous note - with herbal, dry hops in the middle and finish. After taste is bitter, but very moderately so. Unusual mix of flavours of blond and darker beers. Bitterness makes it very refreshing, though there is indeed a somewhat metallic note in the after taste as you keep drinking. To avoid it, you’ll have to keep the time between individual sips short - which is fine by me. ;=) Well-balanced, stimulating beer, a cut above most blondes, kind of unique. Will test and re-rate again later.

12 oz. bottle from Total Wine in Chesapeake. Pours dark orange with a huge, fluffy off-white head. Very much a lagerish aroma of sweet caramel malt and some other vegetal aromas. Metallic flavor, some sweetness, and hint of tomato juice. I respect Anchor and its history but I really don’t care for this beer much at all. As I have stated before, lagers are not my style. I know this isn’t technically listed as a lager but it’s damn close, and close enough that I hope someone that is being introduced to craft brewing wouldn’t mistake as something that is representative of how great craft beer can be.

12 oz. bottle. Minimal head, Amber, clear in appearance. Very little aroma, (a little single malt?) with some hops. Very British in taste. Not what I was expecting from Anchor, but good. Compared to Liberty Ale, this is slightly disappointing.

Brown bottle, 1 pint 6 ounces, via Importations Privées Bièropholie, savoured on November 15 2009; eye: polished copper, clear, no effervescence, beige head that falls and turns into a tiny ring, no lacing; nose: resinous hops, malt, light fruity, light citrusy, caramel, grain; mouth: resinous hops, malt, light citrusy, light orange, dry finale in hops with presence of malt, nice bitterness, slightly sweet, surprising astringency, medium body, slick, rather carbonated; overall: fine FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 1 pinte 6 onces, via Importations Privées Bièropholie (merci Hughes!), savourée le 15 novembre 2009; œil : cuivre poli, claire, pas d’effervescence, mousse beige qui tombe et se transforme en un petit anneau, pas de dentelle; nez : houblon résineux, malt, léger fruité, léger citrique, caramel, grain; bouche : houblon résineux, malt, léger citrique, léger orange, finale sèche en houblon avec présence de malt, bonne amertume, très légèrement sucrée, surprenante astringence, corps moyen, coulante, plutôt carbonatée; en résumé : bien

Bottle. 12 oz. Pours clear amber/orange with a modest white head. Aroma of hops, citrus, hay, wheat, and hints of banana and vanilla. Medium bodied with a light, easy finish. Good brew.