Anchor -- Small Beer

Anchor Brewing Company's, Small Beer, is a beer brewed from the second runnings of their Old Foghorn beer. This style is also refered to as a Parti-Gyle beer.

3.2% ABV

Review:
Small beer is "light" in many ways. The aroma of this beer is tart and lemony but pretty light. The flavor is light and crisp with a slight tartness and light huskiness. The mouthfeel is bubbly and light with the carbonation feeling medium/high for a beer of this strength. All in all, this beer tastes like a very light ale of a slightly complex lager with a squeeze of unsweetened lemon juice in it.

(Side note: "For centuries the term "small beer" was used in English to describe the lighter and weaker second beer. By association, the term came to mean something of little importance." Ref)

 

Overall:

I haven't bothered to look at Ratebeer or Beer Advocate to see what this beer is being rated. I would put money on the reviewers panning this beer. My feelings are that this beer is outside the bounds of many people's taste preference but that it still has something to offer the world of beer. Both Anchor's method of making Small Beer and the style itself are unique in the brewing industry and, personally, I am glad that there is a brewer with the chutzpa to market this beer. Imagine North Coast making a small Old Stock ("Small Stock?), or Sierra Nevada making a "Smallfoot," or Deschutes making a "Mini Abyss..." the possibilities are endless. 

Grade: A for guts, B for flavor.

 

Barrel Man says,

"Talk about a 

session beer!"

(Bottle Purchased at Liquor Collection)