Anchor Brewing Co. -- Liberty Ale

 

Anchor Brewing Co.'s Liberty Ale, "was first introduced on April 18th, 1975 to commemorate the bicentennial of the famous ride by Paul Revere."

5.9% ABV

Review:
Appearance: Liberty pours a beautiful golden orange, with a lasting, fluffy white head.

Aroma: Smells just like a lemon tart. Yum!

Taste: Hmmm... this beer is a bit confusing. It is citrusy, but has no real bite. It feels flat on the tongue, but has exciting flavors. It is sour, but still complex.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a high hop presence.

Finish: This is a hoppy beer, but the hops are earthy.

(Side Note: I think that the hops used in this beer are the same as those that were available in the 1970's. There is nothing wrong with that, but you have to remember that Cascade hops were created in 1972, and didn't get popular until the 80's when Sierra Nevada started using them in copious amounts. Most of the citrusy hops that we associate with American IPA's were developed even later.)

Overall:
This is an old school IPA. When this was created, it was probably edgy -- it borrows a lot from the English style, but has a certain Americanness to it. Today, it seems much closer to an English style than what the American Style has become. Despite the claims of Anchor's website stating that Liberty is unique because it is, "Bunged" (a now common method usually called "bottle fermented"), and uses a "rarely used" process called dry hopping (which is VERY common), I would say that the uniqueness of this beer comes from how uniquely dated the flavor profile is. This is like drinking a snapshot of where the leaders of the American brewing industry were in the mid 70's. Put on some Led Zeppelin, crack open a Liberty, and enjoy how good something British can be once America has influenced it!

Grade: B-

Barrel Man says,
"at least I don't have
to talk about Fritz 
anymore."

(This Bottle Purchased at Whole Foods, Kahala Mall)

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)

Whole Foods Market, Kahala Mall

My fellow O'ahuans-- I have found one of the seven wonders of the island: a grocery store with a great beer selection. That's right-- this place has things in stock other than the standard wall of Bud in 6, 12, 18, 20, and 24 packs. Not only that, but they have prices that are competitive with, and sometimes better than, those other supermarket chains!

(Side note: Their Poke was highly rated in Metromix)

Highlights: Good selection of Rogue beers, Maui Brewing Co.,Mehana, Hawaii Nui,  Mikkeller, BrewDog, Sierra Nevada, Mad River Brewing Co, Anchor, Nogne O beers (including the varieties brewed with sake yeast) Sam Adams Infinium, Ballast Point Victory at Sea and Sculpin IPA.

Missing: Stuff not distributed to Hawaii. That's about it.

Selection: 9/10 (always leave room for improvement--like getting Pliny, for example.)
Location: 7/10
Price: 9/10
Friendliness: 9/10
Beer Knowledge: Troy, their beer purchaser-- 10/10
Over all grade: A

Anchor Brewing Co., Porter

Anchor Brewing Co.'s "Anchor Porter" is one of, if not the, oldest porters continually brewed in America. It was first brewed in 1972 and first bottled in 1974. Before this time, Porters were almost a forgotten beer style.

 5.6% ABV and available year-round

Review:
Although Fritz Maytag's personality may annoy me, I do have to admit that we all owe him a bit of gratitude for reopening the market to good craft and micro brew. It IS too bad that he sold the brewery, and it is even sadder that he didn't sell it to me... But lets move on to the beer.
When you pop the crown off of this sexily designed bottle, your nose will immediately be greeted by a sweet and wonderfully malty aroma. The delicate head will last and last as you gaze into the beer's abysmal darkness and contemplate the reasons why people are led astray by green colored bottles. The first taste will be dominated by a roasty chocolate character that is more "chalky" than "syrupy." Imagine the taste of whoppers, with a touch of dark roasted coffee and toffee. Finally, a nice light astringency bites and prepares you for your next sip.
If for some reason, you decide to drink the beer quickly (maybe because you're excited about the next beer you're gonna open) a slight tartness becomes detectable. Solution: sip it!

(Side Note: Anchor Brewery has wonderful guided tours where you actually get to walk through most of the brewing space and see the brewing process. After the tour, you have a set amount of time to drink free beer in their tasting room. The tours are free, but they will shoo you away if you come unexpected. Call ahead to book a date. )

Overall Impression:
If you couldn't tell by the review above, I liked this beer. Before moving to O'ahu, I complained about the price of Anchor's six packs. Here on the island, all the six packs are equally expensive, so why not give this a try?! It is a good, tasty, easy drinking porter with enough complexity to make the experience enjoyable. Pau!

Grade: A-

(bottle purchased at The Liquor Collection)