ScottFromWyoming wrote:
Yeah, I saw that; it seems like a likely scenario.  As mentioned somewhere earlier in this thread, Stone was teetering on bankruptcy with all their lawsuits and bizarre expansions.

 Proclivities wrote:

The article I linked below says that Sapporo wanted to also brew one of their "Japanese" beers there, but that the equipment for the "steam" style didn't allow the stage where they add corn syrup. So they bought Stone in San Diego and my takeaway is that they lost interest in Anchor. 

 rgio wrote:
I'm not sure if that necessarily will always be the outcome.  The vast majority of "craft" or "micro" brew companies are now owned - or at least distributed - by major brewery entities.  Most of them have been for quite a while.  Anchor had apparently been having money issues off and on for decades.   Too bad though, that Liberty Ale was good stuff but I haven't seen it in at least ten years.  The local Food Lion does sell the "regular Anchor Steam though - I'll have to pick up some.

 ScottFromWyoming wrote:
Decided to run out and see if I could find some... no luck.

 rgio wrote:
One of my all-time favorite beers is Anchor Steam. I liked it so much I used to brew a copy of it, lost count of how many 5 gallon batches I made.

 rgio wrote:

Tragic. This article gets into the heart of it a little more. Liberty Ale was that beer, before Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, that introduced pale ales to the West Coast anyway. At the time it was inexplicably hoppy and strange. I haven't been able to find it in decades—apparently they couldn't sell it at all anymore since it's such a tame thing compared to the cranky hazy beasts we get now. I remember moving to Oakland in '82 and a bar in the Temescal district had a gorgeous Liberty Ale neon sign in the window that, when I think of Oakland, that's one of my favorite images. Temescal at night in the rain, SF City lights on the horizon and the rain dripping down the window in front of that sign.

Anyway. Off to the liquor store to buy out the remaining Steam. If I can find any.

 black321 wrote:
It's 1984 and I'm brand new in town, starting some training. A random guy posts that he needs a roommate (and that he likes Genesis and Yes) so we meet up on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland and he orders something I've never heard of, an "Anchor Steam"? We're in training together and friends for many many years until he starts falling off his bike, lacking a sense of balance for some reason. And the reason, the growing brain tumor, kills him shortly thereafter. RIP, Brent. Drinking an Anchor Steam has always reminded me of you.

Since beer came up to the top...this was a surprise to me (as an east coast guy that had to look for Anchor Steam with the imports in the 90's...)

San Francisco's beer pioneer, Anchor Brewing Company, is closing its doors after 127 years

Haven't had one in years, but...


Pour one out for Anchor Brewing: America’s oldest craft brewer is shutting down after 127 years in business.

The San Francisco-based company announced Wednesday it’s ceasing operations and liquidating the beloved business “following a combination of challenging economic factors and declining sales since 2016,” a press release said. Craft brewers, in particular, have been struggling for a variety of reasons including changing consumer habits, rising costs and lingering supply-chain challenges.

Another problem has been Sapporo, the Japanese beer company that bought the brand in 2017. Employees complained to VinePair last month about Sapporo’s alleged mismanagement and lack of understanding of craft beer in the US. In addition, a 2021 rebrand of Anchor was also criticized for pivoting too far away from the brand’s classic look.

 DaveInSaoMiguel wrote: 

Todays new to me beer:
1906 GALICIAN IRISH RED ALE. Not bad for 7 euro/six.

Tonights beer is Sagres. Super Bock and Sagres are the most popular beers here.  Most beers here are sold as 'minis' which are 25cl about 8.45 ounces. It's actually hard to find full size beers here (33cl). As inquirng mimes wanted to know why, I asked. Was told it's because most fridges sold here are small and don't have the shelf height for full sized bottles. Sure enough my new LG fridge is tall and skinny and you can't adjust the shelves apart enough to stand up a normal sized bottle. They do sell "American' size fridges here but they are very expensive and you need the space to put it as most kitchens are small by US standards. There is one store in this village that sells imported beers such as Lowenbrau but even they are minis. They have Buttwiper and Shitz but only in cans not that I would buy them anyways.  The Sagres tastes different than any of the several Super Bock variants (lager, ale, dark etc) but it's not better. It's also different that beer here is sold by the bottle and you can just take one or 2 bottles from a six at a store. The prices listed are for a bottle on the shelves.

 Red_Dragon wrote:
Seems like it's mostly beer and wine here. One of the main exports here is wine and it's dirt cheap here. There are several liquors made here mostly brandy flavored with passion fruit or pineapple. Pineapple is a main export here also.

 DaveInSaoMiguel wrote:

Do they have a preferred spirit over there? Rum, maybe?

 DaveInSaoMiguel wrote: 
Hard to go wrong on a six pack that costs less than 6 bucks.

Trying Super Bock Abadia  tonight - One of the cheapest beers here. So far not too bad for 5.37 euro a six pack. From their website : (33cl about 11.15 ounces)

"Super Bock Abadia is a journey to the artisanal flavour of the best beers produced in the Middle Ages. A beer of outstanding quality, produced with a special variety of malt and spices that give it an unmistakable ruby colour.."

So file this one under "how much would you pay for a beer"?

This picture is from the past few days.   I don't know who they are, but I know precisely where they are and what they are drinking.  The 3 yellow glasses contain a beer called "Ann", which was brewed in 2017 at Hill Farmstead Brewing in Northern VT.    It started life as Anna (a honey farmstead ale)...but dropped the "a" when it was selected as "special".

The description of the beer by Hill is:

Ann is a wine barrel fermented and aged version of Anna (1902-1993), our grandfather’s sister as well as the name of our honey Farmstead® ale. In honor of Anna, her namesake beer is the result of patiently waiting and then selecting our very best wine barrels of Anna – barrels that have been aged and conditioned for between 1 and 3 years. After being placed in wine barrels, the evolution of Anna into Ann is an indeterminate and metamorphic occurrence. Only a single digit percentage of all wine barrel-aged Anna becomes what is unmistakably identifiable as Ann. The beer, the barrel, and some yet unknown, unquantifiable condition seems to dictate its path and appearance. It is identified and selected only through the emotional response that it induces during barrel tasting. 

So how much would you spend?

Those 15cl pours (just over 5 ozs) cost $30 each.  If you doubt that...zoom in on the document and look at Ann.  Limit 1 pour per day.

The 750ml bottles are $95 each (limit one for the year).  

I love their beer and wouldn't argue with anyone who says Shaun Hill is the best brewer on the planet (he's won that title a bunch of times... here's the first that popped up)...but $95?  For reference, Anna is awesome and $12/bottle. 

What's the most you would pay for a beer?

 R_P wrote:


Hold my beer...

 Proclivities wrote:
Yeah I can't find it now but I was reading something about Koch's constant bleating about other breweries being sellouts; that article was as amused about it as yours.

I see a $56million settlementin the Molson/Coors lawsuit over their rebranding Keystone Light as "(key)STONE"