A highly illustrated guide to craft beer from America's oldest and most iconic craft brewery, with a history of American and San Francisco brewing traditions, clone beer recipes for Anchor's top brews including Anchor Steam and California Lager, and beer profiles showcasing the range of flavors and styles in Anchor's lineup.
Through narrative history and hundreds of archival photos, The Anchor Brewing Story recounts the brewery's many travails and its ultimate rise to success, with plenty of California history along the way. Anchor Brewing resident historian David Burkhart tells the story of the iconic San Francisco microbrewery, beginning with the original brewery's founding during the Gold Rush. We learn of the brewery's rebirth as Anchor in the late 1800s, and of its savior, Fritz Maytag, who rescued the company from bankruptcy in the 1960s. Maytag revitalized Anchor's brewing process and as a result its business, refocusing on craftmanship, ingredients, and flavor in a market otherwise dominated by cheap, mass-produced lagers, making Anchor a landmark in the business. Heavily illustrated with unseen images from the brewery's vast collection, and a closing chapter featuring clone recipes for Anchor brews will make this a must for any homebrewer or beer buff.