Anchor Small Beer

The Anchor Brewing Company is in San Francisco, California and is one of the "grandfathers" of the American craft beer movement.  The brewery originated in 1849, but was revived after a controlling interest was purchased by Fritz Maytag in 1965.


www.anchorbrewing.com
 
This beer is part of an old tradition, revived here, of making a second, weaker beer from the mash of a first, stronger beer.  After the first beer is brewed, the mash is "sparged" (the spraying of fresh brewing water onto the mash) again.  Here Anchor uses the mash from its Old Foghorn barley wine to make this "small" brew.  It is a true session beer at only 3.3% ABV. 
 
The beer pours a dark orange-golden in color.  There is ample carbonation and a half-inch head of pure white foam that leaves a medium density of sticky lacing down the glass.  The aroma is slightly sweet, grassy, floral, with a light and zesty fruitiness.  The taste is malty grain and grassy bitterness.  The beer tastes lightly like whiskey mash with a crisply bitter finish.  This is an interesting, enjoyable and darn tasty beer.