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Anchor Steam ends National Distribution, wont make Christmas Ale anymore

AUS-97HORN

By AUS-97HORN
in Food and Travel

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cactusflinthead

cactusflinthead 27598

Posted
Posted
26 minutes ago, Blotto said:

have no idea about 99.75% of the beers in there. 

Me either. I don't know about most of what is posted in the beer thread. I'm fine with what I have tried with a few exceptions, but I don't think I will be trying 85-90% of what is available.

 

10 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

high schooler doesn't really know any teens that drink.

There are a few my kid's circle that will have a drink, but not like we did. 

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Bateshorn

Bateshorn 9927

Posted
Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, Trey3216 said:

I remember when I'd start off a Friday or saturday at a brew pub near me with an Anchor Old Foghorn.  Like 14% ABV.  I'd sip on that for about an hour, then would move onto the lighter things.  Would end up saving me some scratch by the end of the evening rather than ripping through quantity beers every 12-15 minutes.  

Anchor, as far as I know, was the only company that made a commercial Small Beer, which is a second brewing off the dregs of Barley Wine.  It's an ancient English style and not well known, Very low ABV.  I had it in San Diego about a decade ago on tap.  Just the kind of stuff Fritz Maytag loved to do:

"People are demanding a high ABV beer!"

"Cool.  We will give it to them.  Then we will make an extinct style of beer that I've been wanting to do for years off the second runnings"

Edited by Bateshorn
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Texzilla58

Texzilla58 4735

Posted
Posted

They should have moved operations to Nevada. They advertise they are America’s first craft beer company. Uhh I think all breweries in North America were craft breweries until the late 1800’s. Just an arrogant company that didn’t move and sat in their west coast Sam Adams position and didn’t make any moves in the 90’s as the Portland brewers kicked their ass.

They are owned by Sapporo. This isn’t a story of some little guy getting crushed. It’s just a big corporate shedding of an underperforming stale brand.
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Bateshorn

Bateshorn 9927

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Texzilla58 said:


They should have moved operations to Nevada. They advertise they are America’s first craft beer company. Uhh I think all breweries in North America were craft breweries until the late 1800’s. Just an arrogant company that didn’t move and sat in their west coast Sam Adams position and didn’t make any moves in the 90’s as the Portland brewers kicked their ass.

They are owned by Sapporo. This isn’t a story of some little guy getting crushed. It’s just a big corporate shedding of an underperforming stale brand.

Japanese booze corporations are weird. They will buy a tradition brand because of nostalgia/feels and sometimes try to turn it into something and wildly succeed.  Other times, they will just totally misunderstand the market and let it die on the vine. 
 

for every Four Roses, there’s a Anchorsteam. 

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freyguy

freyguy 4271

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Rimbo said:

What bugs me is that I'll go to the local craft brew section of the store, and what you see are twenty three different brands of IPA. And I guess that's great, if you like IPAs. But it's not really variety, is it?

John Daker GIF by Eternal Family

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We’reTexas

We’reTexas 1473

Posted
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5 hours ago, Bateshorn said:

Japanese booze corporations are weird. They will buy a tradition brand because of nostalgia/feels and sometimes try to turn it into something and wildly succeed.  Other times, they will just totally misunderstand the market and let it die on the vine. 
 

for every Four Roses, there’s a Anchorsteam. 

My understanding is Sapporo bought Anchor to brew Sapporo stateside and totally misjudged the feasibility. The brewery also unionized a few years ago, which raised labor costs (I mean, I supported it, just not surprised it caused complications). As they scaled back, they tried to pivot to on-premise in the SF area … right before COVID. Their distributor also sucked. Been hard to find Anchor Steam on tap in SF the past few years. 

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Texzilla58

Texzilla58 4735

Posted
Posted
My understanding is Sapporo bought Anchor to brew Sapporo stateside and totally misjudged the feasibility. The brewery also unionized a few years ago, which raised labor costs (I mean, I supported it, just not surprised it caused complications). As they scaled back, they tried to pivot to on-premise in the SF area … right before COVID. Their distributor also sucked. Been hard to find Anchor Steam on tap in SF the past few years. 

So total stupidity on the part of everyone involved in this company. They Darwined themselves from execs, Corp overlords, labor, marketing and logistics. Deserved too die.
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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 31470

Posted
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14 hours ago, Bateshorn said:

Buckle up, because a lot of craft beers you either know or love are going to disappear over the next few years.  I was taking to a local brewer this weekend and he basically summed up the industry this way:  if you are a macro, or a tiny tap room, you are doing fine. Everyone else is getting squeezed six ways from Saturday by inflation, leveraged PE, and over saturation 

Was it owned by Sapporo or not?  Did Sapporo pull the plug?

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Bateshorn

Bateshorn 9927

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Before Sapporo it was owned by a PE firm. Maytag sold Anchor in 2010, because he was tired and I don’t think there was a successor stepping up to take the lead (unlike Sierra Nevada, where the kids have taken over). I remember them shuffling their line up (I think there was a lager for awhile). I don’t dispute Sapporo ran it into the ground, just that Japanese liquor conglomerates are weird. They aren’t Diageo. 
 

Kirin owns Four Roses.  They took it from being a rotgut blend to arguable the best affordable premium bourbon.

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After irth

After irth 1243

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, We’reTexas said:

My understanding is Sapporo bought Anchor to brew Sapporo stateside and totally misjudged the feasibility. The brewery also unionized a few years ago, which raised labor costs (I mean, I supported it, just not surprised it caused complications). As they scaled back, they tried to pivot to on-premise in the SF area … right before COVID. Their distributor also sucked. Been hard to find Anchor Steam on tap in SF the past few years. 

Did two weeks based out of Calistoga in April.  Was pleasantly surprised to see it everywhere I went.  Tried to drink as much as I could.  

The death of the Christmas Ale hurts my soul, though.  Love that beer.  Hell, I'm still pissed that Shiner doesn't make it's original Winter Ale anymore.  

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Bateshorn

Bateshorn 9927

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Posted (edited)
14 minutes ago, After irth said:

Did two weeks based out of Calistoga in April.  Was pleasantly surprised to see it everywhere I went.  Tried to drink as much as I could.  

The death of the Christmas Ale hurts my soul, though.  Love that beer.  Hell, I'm still pissed that Shiner doesn't make it's original Winter Ale anymore.  

Getting the SN Celebration and the Anchor Christmas was pretty much a ritual for me, but I did notice the Anchor Xmas had gotten very hard to find in the last couple of years.

Edited by Bateshorn
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Deej

Deej 76790

Posted
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50 minutes ago, After irth said:

Hell, I'm still pissed that Shiner doesn't make it's original Winter Ale anymore.

I'm still pissed that Shiner Bock isn't the earthy, silty beer it was back in the 80's/early 90's.

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12463

Posted
Posted
58 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

A lotta teeth gnashing over what is now a below average brewery. They got passed up just like Coopers and Luling City Market. Shit, I bet most people on here havent had a beer from them in months, if not years.

 

It sucks but its not a big loss at this point. 15 years ago, yes. Now, who cares

 

 

It's been a long god damn time for me.

I have a certain nostalgia for it, but they pulled out of the Midwest at least a decade ago and I kind of completely forgot about it until this thread came up.

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Captain Ron

Captain Ron 12876

Posted
Posted (edited)
15 hours ago, Bateshorn said:

Japanese booze corporations are weird. They will buy a tradition brand because of nostalgia/feels and sometimes try to turn it into something and wildly succeed.  Other times, they will just totally misunderstand the market and let it die on the vine. 
 

for every Four Roses, there’s a Anchorsteam. 

Man, it really sounds like Saporo ran them into the ground.

https://defector.com/anchor-brewing-was-san-francisco

RIP - it will be missed, hopefully someone can pick up the pieces.

 

And the rebranding was criminal

image.png?w=710

Edited by Captain Ron
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mycox

mycox 582

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

does anyone really like ipa's ?

 

11 hours ago, Texzilla58 said:


Mostly assholes

Only west coast IPA.  Not too hoppy though.  None of that shitty east coast hazy shit. 

I guess that makes me a smug asshole.

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gyroprotagonist

gyroprotagonist 2592

Posted
Posted

tangential, but saw an article that said craft beer festivals are seeing a massive decline as well across the country.  there are just too many beers to keep track of even at the local level much less state and regional.  i've been homebrewing for 20 years and the Christmas Ale was one the first brews i 'cloned'.  

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AnotherUTFan

AnotherUTFan 9740

Posted
Posted
tangential, but saw an article that said craft beer festivals are seeing a massive decline as well across the country.  there are just too many beers to keep track of even at the local level much less state and regional.  i've been homebrewing for 20 years and the Christmas Ale was one the first brews i 'cloned'.  
We've had an annual beer thread here and TOS going back to 2009 or so. If there's one here this year I haven't found it. That's pretty telling in itself.
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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45948

Posted
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9 minutes ago, Carl Spackler said:

Team IPA here.  And generally West Coast > East Coast.   

Yeah.  Honestly, I'm usually super happy with an American Pale Ale.  20-30 years ago I got way into British ales, mostly Fuller's ESB and to a lesser extend Bass.  Then, the American ales started to hit the market, and my palate shifted to the hoppier brews.

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