Anchor Steam Beer

Anchor Steam Beer is one of those beers that I’ve always seen and never ordered, but I decided to change that at Bocktown in Pittsburgh. Not having had this beer seems inexcusable. The beer pours a copper color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of caramel, toffee, and grass. The taste is big on toffee, toasted caramel, and finishes lightly bitter with grassy notes. The after taste is somewhat dry. The alcohol content is 4.9% ABV. I cant believe it took me this long to have the Steam Beer, but I really enjoyed it simple complexity and its sessionable stature.

Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Fritz and Ken's Ale

I picked up a bottle of Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Fritz and Ken's Ale from Al's of Hampden. This beer brought in Fritz Maytag from Anchor Brewing Company to celebrate Sierra Nevada's anniversary. The beer pours a deep black color with a lofty foamy tan head. The aroma is filled with chocolate, coffee, and a light hint of hops. The taste is powerful with chocolate and alcohol on the front end. The beer finishes smooth and creamy with a coffee and hop bite. The alcohol content is 9.2% ABV. The beer drinks really smooth and is extremely tasty, making it somewhat dangerous with its high alcohol content. However, go out and grab a bottle if you love chocolate and coffee, but even more if you love to celebrate great brewers.

Anchor Old Foghorn

I looked into the bottle selection at McGrath's in Harrisburg and noticed that they recently acquired some bottles of Anchor Old Foghorn. The beer has an amber color with little to no head. What is there is thin and filmy. The aroma is malty and caramel with a slight bite of pine hops. The taste follows the aroma closely, with additions of maple and grapefruit. It finishes with a nice alcohol bite. The alcohol content is 9.4% ABV. I thought overall the Old Foghorn was an excellent beer and I will order it again whenever I see it. It was a well balanced barleywine and completely enjoyable without being too sweet.

Anchor Special Christmas 2009

I noticed that McGrath's had Anchor Special Christmas Ale 2009 in their bottle selection so I ordered a bottle. The beer is a dark amber color with no head. It smells of cinnamon and allspice. The taste is full of allspice and ginger and is somewhat dry. It also has a slight piney flavor. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. My friend Alissa said that it “smells like Christmas in a glass.” I could not agree more, and this beer provides the entire Christmas memory experience. It takes you back to your childhood memories while enjoying a great beer in your adulthood.