Anchors Aweigh

Anchor Brewing Company has been brewing beer in San Francisco since 1896, although it emerged on the craft/micro brewing scene after Fritz Maytag acquired and subsequently saved the brewery from closure in 1965. The brewery is one of the last remaining producers of Californian Common beer, which is colloquially known as steam beer. Actually, Anchor have an appellation stating that they alone can call their product "Steam Beer".

I have had these three bottles of beer from Anchor Brewing Company sitting at home for a while since picking them up from Whole Foods, Kensington. I have enjoyed the Steam beer before on a few occasions, but had not come across the Liberty Ale or Porter.

Anchor Steam is an interesting beer. It is a lager, but is fruity and has a caramel edge like an ale. It is fermented at ale yeast temperatures which results in both lager and ale characteristics emerging in the flavour profile. I enjoy this beer, but I don't think it's for everyone. It is even better when consumed during a "Come Dine With Me" omnibus on a Sunday afternoon!

Anchor Liberty Ale is an American style IPA in a similar vein to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It is a good beer, but this beer style is becoming as common as muck these days. The Liberty Ale is a good interpretation of the style though and well worth picking up if you see it about, but I would not go hunting it down specifically. I feel the same about the Porter as well. It is a good beer and incredibly robust, but just lacks the subtle nuances that you get with a well presented cask of Fuller's London Porter. I think Fuller's really do have the best porter that is available. Maybe I am slightly biased as I live so close to the brewery, but that's my opinion none the less.

Anyhow that's all I care to say about these beer's from Anchor, although I would like to get my hands on a bottle of their "Old Foghorn" Barley Wine which I hear is a cracker.

http://anchorbrewing.com/

The wife and I are off to St Ives for an extended weekend tomorrow and I am looking forward to getting away, breathing some ocean fresh air and having a few pints of St Austells and some harder to track down beers from Sharp's (I'm over Doom Bar). If anyone can recommend any good restaurants or pubs that I 'must' visit while I am in Cornwall, I would be most grateful. I have not been out to that part of the country before and it should be fun.