Anchor Steam Beer
May 11th, 2011 by Scott in Walt Disney World Beer Reviews
Anchor Steam Beer, brewed by the Anchor Brewing Co. in San Francisco, takes its name from a style of beer called steam beer. Steam beer was brewed on the West Coast in the 19th century without ice or refrigeration. It was an improvised beer of low quality, and any meaning applied to the word steam is only a guess.
Today, Anchor owns the trademark “steam beer”, and all other beers must be referred to as the “California Common” style. The beer maintains many of the characteristics of the steam beer of old but is brewed using modern techniques. It’s a clear lighter amber lager with lots of carbonation; malty and bready with some bitterness at the end. It has a slightly minty taste also.
Anchor Steam is part of our Walt Disney World Beer List and is featured at the Captain’s Grille at the Yacht Club. Give it a try when dining there; I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
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Jason
One thing to note about this beer which makes it as remarkable as it has become, is that yes this beer is made with a lager yeast, but that they do ferment on the cooler side of Ale fermentation temperatures. Traditionally this was the ambient temperatures of the Bay Area.
Now if you’re not familiar with the Ale vs. Lager fermentation, one thing to note is that most lager yeast strains will produce qualities that you would not want in a beer when fermented above 50 degrees. So for Anchor to find and have this yeast strain is quite remarkable. So next time you’re able to enjoy one of these try to compare it to an Amber Lager so you can see the difference the yeast can impart on the flavor.