Anchor Brewing – Anchor IPA
Anchor Brewing’s first and only IPA
Beer Name: Anchor IPA
Brewery: Anchor Brewing (San Francisco, CA)
Beer Style: IPA
ABV: 6.5%
IBUs: n/a
Size: 12 oz. bottle
Beer Advocate: 82
RateBeer: 86
COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION:
The California Gold Rush lured thousands west to “see the elephant,” a 19th-century metaphor for the hopeful but risky pursuit of happiness, adventure, and fortune. As early as 1849, India Pale Ale – prepared by British brewers for export to India by adding dry hops to barrels of hoppy ale – was also heading west, from England around the Horn to San Francisco. Thirsty ‘49ers savored the best imported IPAs, but it wasn’t until 1975 that Anchor, Americas’ original craft brewery, pioneered the revival of dry-hopped handmade ales. Now, that tradition fast-forwards to an adventurous new brew: Anchor IPA™.
Anchor IPA™ is made with 2-row barley malt and fresh whole-cone hops, its bright amber color, distinctively complex aroma, spiky bitterness, malty depth, and clean finish unite to create a uniquely flavorful, memorable, and timeless craft IPA. The elephant you see on Anchor IPA™ was hand-drawn by our label artist, James Stitt. To “see the elephant” was a popular 19th-century expression that originated with a tale that predates the California Gold Rush. There once lived a farmer who had heard of elephants but had never seen one. He longed for the day when he might catch a glimpse of this rare, exotic creature. When the circus came to town, he loaded his wagon with fresh produce and headed to market. On the way, just as he’d hoped, he came across the circus parade, nobly led by an enormous elephant. The farmer was ecstatic, but his horses were terrified. They reared and bucked, overturning his wagon and scattering its precious contents in the road. “I don’t give a hoot,” exclaimed the farmer. “I have seen the elephant!” The elephant became the universal symbol of the Gold Rush, as evidenced by the journals, letters, and sketchbooks of the forty-niners. Whether or not they struck it rich in the diggings, those plucky pioneers would forever treasure their California adventure as the defining moment of their lives. Have you seen the elephant?
APPEARANCE:
Really nice golden orange pour, with a nice white head on it. Looks like a really nice IPA.
AROMA:
Sadly, little to no aroma coming from this, I get a hint of a perfumy hop aroma, almost like if someone was trying to fake the scent of hops. But even a few sips in, I’m still getting little to know aroma off of this.
TASTE:
My initial reaction in taste is “god, this tastes just like all of the session IPA’s I’ve been drinking” and then I saw the ABV was 6.5 so it’s not a sessionable beer. After a few sips, letting it warm up a little I get a hint of crystal malts and some really light flavored hops (not sure what strands).
OVERALL:
I enjoyed this, but more as a session IPA than a regular IPA. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had way worse, but I’ve definitely had better.
RATING:
3.5 out of 5
Tasting notes while drinking:
Really little aroma to start, which makes me sad because I enjoy Anchor’s beers. Appearance is really nice, a dark orange color with nice head. It tasted more like all of the session IPA’s I’ve had lately than the hop bomb typical IPA’s I drink.
Until the next beer:
Beer God
