The tradition of brewing two distinct beers from one mash has existed for thousands of years, and 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.
We make our Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale from the rich first runnings of an all-malt mash, and Anchor Small Beer is our attempt to duplicate the "small beers" of old by sparging that same mash: sprinkling warm water over the Old Foghorn mash after the first wort has run off, thereby creating a second, lighter brew from the resulting thinner wort. Technically, both beers are "ales" because they are made with top-fermenting yeast.
We believe you will find Anchor Small Beer delicious—similar to what modern brewers call a "bitter"—and we hope you will also enjoy the idea of reviving an ancient brewing tradition, which is something of great importance.
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by slowrunner77 from Reno, NV, USA who has tried this beer once. (12/20/2008 3:02:19 PM)
"this was a bit of a pleasant surprise, as i was not expecting much. pleasant session ale, with a nice refreshing aroma and taste. slightly recomended."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.3)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 12oz @ $1.33 Unit Cost: $1.77 per Pint
[2] Review by Hannah from OK, USA who has tried this beer once. (12/1/2008 9:12:10 PM)
"Pours a beautiful orange color with brilliant clarity and dense, creamy head. Aroma boasts toasted malt and herbal hopping. Taste is primarily balanced with a bitter-clean finish impressive for by session beer standards. Light-bodied, but not at all watery, with stimulating carbonation. While it is a "small beer," I believe it truly targets the craft beer lover. It is thoughtful and endearing and exceeding my expectations on every level."
Aroma:
6/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.5)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 22oz @ $4 Unit Cost: $2.91 per Pint
[3] Review by Brett from Far from good beer, OK, USA who has tried this beer once. (12/1/2008 9:03:58 PM)
"Sampled from bottle. Pours clear gold/copper with a creamy white head. Delicate malt aroma with faint floral notes. Nicely bitter, perhaps too much so with the low gravity, as it comes off a bit astringent. Light bodied with zesty finish. Lower bitterness, more finishing hops would make it more to my personal tastes. "
Aroma:
5/10
Appearance:
7/10
Mouthfeel:
5/10
Flavor:
5/10
Overall:
5/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(2.7)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 22oz @ $3.99 Unit Cost: $2.9 per Pint
[4] Review by Stoutlover72 from Northern, California, USA who has tried this beer a couple times. (5/27/2008 4:59:58 PM)
"Probably my least favorite beer from Anchor. It's not that it's bad it just doesn't have much too it. All the good stuff is sitting inside a bottle of Foghorn! So the beer pours out gold color with an eruptive white head. A skunkified aroma, with minimal amounts of malt...maybe even a touch bready. Mouthfeel is water-like. Little to no consistency with it. Weak flavors of minimal malt and that's about it. I get the concept of using 2nd runnings and when you do this I'm sure this beer is about as good a a "small beer" can get. With that being said, it still isn't very good. Easy to drink, but just nothing to it."
Aroma:
4/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
3/10
Flavor:
4/10
Overall:
4/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(2.1)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 22oz @ $3.5 Unit Cost: $2.55 per Pint
[5] Review by Timmyk77 from Overland Park, KS, USA who has tried this beer once. (7/9/2007 10:03:53 PM)
"From a bottle. Pours a clear copper color with a small white head. Aroma is very light, malty and kinda stale or skunky. Flavor is more bitter than expected, but doesn't last long. An alright beer. Nothing I'd go out of my way for."
Aroma:
5/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
5/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
6/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(2.8)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
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(3.3)
