Here’s a new beer from the classic Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco, California: Anchor Brewers’ Pale Ale Nelson Hop Blend. I’ve been drinking Anchor beers since 1983, and they will always have a special place in my heart. When you think about it, Anchor really is the very model of brewing in America. The original brewery dates to 1896, was rescued by Fritz Maytag in the 1960s and he repurposed it to craft beer soon after. It preserved the unique American “Steam Beer” style and was one of the very first American brewers to bring back the styles of IPA (Liberty Ale), barleywine (Old Foghorn), and Christmas Ale (Our Special Ale) just as a few examples. Anchor was also a pioneer in freshness dating.

Fast forward to 2018 and Anchor Brewer’s Pale Ale. This is a classic American pale ale showcasing the Nelson Sauvin hop variety (possible to change in the future) in both kettle additions and dry hopping. A rotating hop varietal for this year-round offering sounds interesting and has precedent at Anchor. The brewery tweaks its Our Special Ale with a slightly different recipe each year.

From the website:

Anchor’s Brewmaster, Scott Ungermann, asked our brewers “what beer would you like to drink right now?” and they told him “a killer, everyday pale ale that’s aromatic, crisp, refreshing and flavorful”. And then, they set off to make it.

Our brewers work together to develop and constantly evolve recipes until they’re absolutely delicious and uniquely Anchor. For this beer, their first step was to find just the right malt bill to showcase their favorite hops and then blend those hops within that framework. While it took many iterations and taste tests, our brewers were up for the challenge! The result? A modern American Pale Ale with the fresh aromatics of an ever-changing blend of our brewers’ favorite hops for a bright, crisp, delicious and perfect go-to beer.

Ingredients from the website:

Malt: 2-ROW PALE, RED WHEAT, PILSNER & ACIDULATED

Hops: NELSON SAUVIN & SELECT BLEND OF AROMATIC HOPS

Dry Hops: NELSON SAUVIN & SELECT BLEND OF AROMATIC HOPS

Anchor Brewers’ Pale Ale Nelson Hop Blend has an alcohol content of 5.3% by volume with 39 IBUs. It runs $9.99 a six-pack in bottles. My bottle has a packaging date of 8JY, which translates to January 25^th, 2018. This is the first pale ale I have had from Anchor, if memory serves.

Anchor Brewers’ Pale Ale Nelson Hop Blend pours to a hazy orange color with a moderate head of creamy foam and a soft citrusy and herbal grassy hop nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a medium maltiness to support it with a bit of crackery wheat, about appropriate to a pale ale I think although wheat is not a usual ingredient for the style. The palate is quite fruity and citrusy with a grapefruit zest aroma and an herbal, oregano like herbal hop quality. It finishes quite bitter and quenching; I want another sip immediately after I finish one.

I’ll be back for more of this one and would love to see it on tap at Taco Mac.

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