SF Beer Week: Anchor Barrel Ale Launch
Anchor Brewing kicked off SF Beer Week today with the launch of a new, very limited beer: Our Barrel Ale. It’s a special blend of their ales no Steam Beer here – and aged in their own Old Potrero Rye Whiskey barrels. They hosted the event in the brewery to celebrate, which brings me to an awkward admission: even though I live close enough to the brewery that I’d usually smell the malt and yeast on the bus ride to work, I’d never been inside. I have all sorts of excuses, but really, none of them hold any water. Tonight I relished the chance to finally step inside and poke around the brewery, meet Fritz and several members of his team, and try their new barrel ale.
It was a delicious celebration, and you could feel a collective inhale around the crowd as it sunk in that SF Beer Week was finally here, and all of this hard work was going to pay off. The Our Barrel Ale felt analogous to the week to come: new, exciting, big, high in alcohol, and rooted in the local tradition, and bigger than anyone dared hope. It was then deployed in the service of a toast to the week of celebration of the San Francisco brewing tradition.
Like most of their beers, it’s a well thought out endeavor. It’s a malty brew, with a restrained palette that reveals a nuanced depth of flavor. The oak is clearly present, and the bittering hops have melded into a pleasant finish with the remaining sugar. With all of the local brewers and beer aristocracy of San Francisco around to try it, I’ll leave it to more discerning palettes than mine to get into the detail of the beer.
My other favorite discovery of the night was Liberty Ale. I’d had it plenty of times from a bottle in the past, but from the tap – wow. The Cascade hops really snap with a citric and grapefruit bitter flavor, and its that crisp edge that made it really spectacular. I’m going to miss the Double IPA Festival at The Bistro tomorrow, so intrepid beer drinkers of San Francisco (and out of town guests,) I’d like a full report. In the meantime, enjoy some Anchor Brewing equipment porn. That is one pretty brewery.
Tags: Anchor, SF Beer Week
