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Anchor Christmas Ale - San Francisco, California
Anchor
Christmas Ale
Each year since
1975, Anchor Brewing creates a distinctive Christmas Ale, available from
early November to mid-January. A rich, dark spiced ale, our secret recipe is
different every year—as is the tree on the label—but the intent remains the
same: joy and celebration of the newness of life.
Since ancient times, trees have symbolized the winter solstice when the
earth, with its seasons, appears born anew. Our tree for 2012 is the Norfolk
Island pine. Captain Cook discovered this South Seas isle and its native
tree in 1774. These tropical-looking conifers, which thrive in sandy soil
and coastal climes, were first planted in California in the 1850s. The
Norfolk Island pine on this year’s label, hand drawn from life, resides in
San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
Each year our Christmas Ale gets a unique label and a unique recipe for the
Ale itself. Although our recipes must remain a secret, many enthusiasts save
a few bottles from year to year—stored in a cool dark place—to taste later
and compare with other vintages. Properly refrigerated, the beer remains
intriguing and drinkable for years, with different nuances slowly emerging
as the flavor mellows slightly.
Anchor Brewing Company
Anchor Brewing Company is an American alcoholic beverage producer, operating a
brewery and distillery on Potrero Hill in San Francisco, California. The brewery
was founded in 1896, and was purchased by its current owner, Frederick Louis
Maytag III, in 1965, saving it from closure. It moved to its current location in
1979. It is one of the last remaining breweries to produce California Common
beer, also known as Steam Beer, a trademark owned by the company.
Anchor Brewery is largely responsible for the growth of the microbrewery
movement in the United States. After prohibition ended in the U.S., many small,
locally-operated breweries were able to re-open and recommence brewing (although
many more, perhaps most, were not). The vast majority of these concerns served
only the immediate vicinity of their sole plant, a radius of a few miles to
perhaps a 100 or so. Local breweries and beers were the source of local pride in
many communities, especially those with large populations of German, Polish, or
Czech extraction. Many of these thrived on through World War II and into the
1950s. Most did not survive the 1950s, however, due to the influence of
television advertising and the mass marketing tactics of major national
breweries such as Anheuser-Busch, Schlitz, Pabst, and Miller. The whole idea of
such beers and breweries was largely forgotten in the U.S. Maytag desired to
establish such a small-scale brewery, with small-town quality and taste being
the hallmarks of his beer. He was already a fan of Anchor Steam Beer when he
learned that the brewery was about to close. In 1965, Maytag purchased 51
percent of the brewery for a few thousand dollars, and later purchased the
brewery outright.
