OK, so you heard that Anchor Brewing of San Francisco, THE original American craft brewer, was sold to Japan’s Sapporo brewery last year, right? I’m sure you did. Anchor dates back to 1896, although they were a regional brewer of no special regard until the 1960s. Then, the brewery came close to closing, but was rescued by washing machine magnate Fritz Maytag. Fritz revived the company by revitalizing its beers with an array of classic styles, including the uniquely American local specialty Steam Beer (aka California Common).

For some reason, Sapporo’s acquisition of Anchor does not seem to aggravate American beer geeks in the same way that they it does when Anheuser-Busch Inbev buys a beloved craft brewing icon. This puzzles me since, for me, Anchor is one of the most beloved of all. I must confess the loss of Anchor’s identity was a concern for me.

To be fair, Sapporo has promised to leave Anchor alone, and I believe them. Beer geeks can’t seem to get this when AB buys a brewery but dumbing down the beers is a good way to throw away your investment. Be that as it may, Sapporo has been true to their word if Anchor Coffee Porter is any indication.

From the neck label:

Our historic, art deco building on San Francisco's Potrero Hill was a coffee roastery before it was our brewery. So it’s high time that it became the birthplace of Anchor Coffee Porter™. We've joked for years that it takes a lot of coffee to make beer. Now, in collaboration with local roaster Four Barrel Coffee, we are doing just that-- literally.

We start in the brewhouse with our radically traditional recipe for Anchor Porter, which we've been brewing since 1972. We end up in the cellar, where we add Four Barrel Flash-Chilled Coffee-- developed with Anchor especially for this beer-- during secondary fermentation. The result is a coffee porter of immense richness, intensity, boldness, and smoothness, with deep aromas and mouthfeel of fresh-roasted coffee melded with dark-roasted maltiness.

Ingredients from the website:

Malt: 2-Row Pale, Caramel, Black & Wheat

Hops: Apollo

Anchor Coffee Porter has an alcohol content of 6.7% by volume and is a November-December seasonal offering. It runs $10.99 a six-pack at Total Wine, about a dollar more than average.

Anchor Coffee Porter pours to a jet-black color with a thick fluffy tan head and a massive coffee grind nose. Taking a sip, the beer is full in body with an oily texture up front that is all coffee, coffee grinds, and smooth roasty coffee with a hint of dark chocolate, dark fruit and more (coffeeish) espresso. It finishes roasty bitter and well balanced.

I found Anchor Coffee Porter to be simply wonderful, and it brings out the coffee better than most coffee beers I have ever tried. Smooth, chocolaty and coffeeish all the while preserving the classic Anchor Porter, it is indeed the perfect coffee beer.

Keep on keeping on, Anchor. You’re still the original in my book.



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