San Francisco — The Anchor Brewing Company and beer have long been part of the San Francisco landscape.
“We’ve been here since 1869. We’re an essential company to this town,” reveals Anchor Brewing Brewmaster Tom Riley, “We literally grew up with San Francisco.”
More than a century later, the company still produces “steam beer,” a type of beer born in San Francisco during the Gold Rush days.
“The Anchorsteam beer is the same it’s always been,” Riley says.
Starting with the packaging line in 1984, Tom Riley, now a brewery manager, understands the importance of the company’s past.
Adds Riley, “This company is steeped in history. If you learn these stories, you can have the beer that really tells the story, history in a bottle.”
In 1965, Fritz Maytag bought Anchor Brewing when it was about to close.
“Fritz Maytag understood the historical importance of this beer, of this small company that maintained this operation, and that’s what he fell in love with when he bought the company,” explains Riley. “From there, he just went on a mission to improve the quality of beer, and ended up bringing it into the world.”
Maytag honored the past, but was also looking to the future. When he reproduced other traditional beer styles such as porter and wheat beer, he became the “father of the craft brew movement.”
“He created this amazing range of beers we have today based on the idea of handcrafting, exploration, and artistic ways of doing things,” says Dane Volek, Associate Anchor Brewing, Brewmaster.
Beginning in 1975, the annual Anchor Christmas Ale is a prime example of the company’s commitment to innovation.
“Different recipes. Different ingredients,” Volek explains, “It’s something we really look forward to as brewers because we know, no matter what, beer is going to be a different beer every year. It’s always fun.”
The Anchor Brewing Company has opened Public Taps, a space for people to try beer, both old and new as the West Coast IPA.
“This is our innovation lab, where we innovate with our new products, where people can come to try beer at any time that suits them,” Volek shares, “It means a lot to see people enjoying our products across the country. It’s just a highlight of my days.”
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