Anchor Steam Beer

 

Anchor Steam Beer can often be found on supermarket shelves but strangely enough it wasn't a beer I'd tried until someone bought me one as a gift.  On seeing the glorious amber coloured beer with its thick and tight creamy head, I couldn't believe it had taken me so long to try it.  With the amber colour creating a beautiful orange glow in the glass, it really is a beauty to behold but let's see if it tastes as good as it looks.

The aroma is very hoppy with a hint of fruit, sweet caramel and malt.  My mouth was watering as I leant in for my first sip and I was not disappointed.  It is deliciously malty with hints of biscuit, bread and caramel, resulting in a beautifully dry and crisp flavour with a slightly metallic bitter finish.  With a decent body it is quite fizzy but not harsh.

I haven't had many American ales, but Anchor have certainly nailed the Yorkshire head; a head so thick it clings to the glass and lasts to the final drop, which you almost always experience in ales from Yorkshire and North East England.  The mid-amber colour makes it a bit of an in-between beer, being neither light nor dark, so it will definitely appeal to many palates.

I absolutely love the crisp, dry and refreshing flavour and can see why Anchor Steam Beer is a permanent feature on supermarket shelves - it should be a staple beer in any beer stash and Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Anchor Brewing Co, San Francisco, USA
4.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at Anchor Brewing Co

Anchor Steam Beer Dry Hopped

How have I not tasted Anchor Steam Beer before now?  It's not something I would usually pick up as I tend to stick to 500ml bottled ales but I received this as a gift and I'll certainly be adding it to my shopping list in future.  Anchor Steam Beer is one mighty fine beer that ticks all the boxes and my only disappointment was that it only comes in a 330ml bottle.

It is a beautiful cloudy amber colour with a blood orange glow and a HUGE frothy cream coloured head.  It hissed and fizzed out of the bottle on opening along with subtle aromas of hops, orange citrus and tropical fruit.  It has a lovely dry bitter taste and it wasn't as fizzy as I expected.  The carbonation is very soft making it a smooth, refreshing, perfectly balanced and easy drinking beer.

This is definitely a beer Ale Be Seeing Again, and it certainly shows that good things come in small packages.

Brewed by Anchor Brewing, San Francisco, USA
4.9% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Anchor Brewing

Beery Christmas Day 23

Only 2 more sleeps and unfortunately only 1 more door to open after this one.  So don't forget to join me tomorrow for the final beer revelation.

Today's beer is Anchor Dry-Hopped Steam Beer from San Francisco - it's not an IPA hurrah!

From Anchor Brewing's website:

San Francisco’s famous Anchor Steam® Beer is unique, for our brewing process has evolved over many decades and is like no other in the world. To give this classic beer a radically traditional twist, we created Anchor Dry-Hopped Steam Beer™. Made with its own special recipe, this brew is dry-hopped with a blend of new and traditional hops. The result weds the rich maltiness of Anchor Steam with the alluring fragrant hoppiness of our ales. 

California Commons are a unique American style of beer created by fermenting lager yeast at warmer temperatures similar to ales. This creates a hybrid between the two beer styles, though lager yeast is always used. Anchor Steam Beer is the original California Common made in San Francisco since 1896.

The original Anchor Steam Beer has rich caramel malt flavors balanced by an herbal hop spiciness. Anchor Dry-Hopped Steam Beer, on the other hand, has flavors of light malty sweetness and a lingering, bitter hop finish with distinct aromas of citrus and pine with hints of ripe fruit and subtle maltiness. Brilliant amber in color with a tight, tan head, Anchor Dry-Hopped Steam Beer is moderately full in body, smooth and velvety. Dry-hopping since 1975, Anchor was the first craft brewery in modern times to revive this century old brewing method in America. The same radically traditional techniques are still being used today.

5.4% in a 355ml bottle

Found for sale on The Beer Boutique for £3.00 or The Beer Shack for £2.75