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The story behind the naming of Anchor’s Steam Beer

June 10, 2013Keith Gribbins

Steam beer! It’s a phrase that can be traced back to the Gold Rush days of San Francisco. It’s what locals called San Francisco’s freshly brewed beer, which was open fermented on the tops of buildings (steaming in the morning) and stored in live kegs (still fermenting) that steamed when tapped. Entrepreneurial breweries invaded California in the mid-1800s to sell beer to prospectors and miners who were coming into town with gold in their pockets. Since the advent of the steam engine was the biggest technology of the day, locals nicknamed the innovative brewing techniques above as “steam beer.” It’s also how Anchor Brewing Co.’s Steam Beer gets its name; the San Francisco brewery traces its roots back to 1849. Discover the history and origin of Anchor’s Steam Beer, as told by employees at Anchor Brewing, by watching the video above.

Anchor Brewing Steam Beer Distribution Rights
Warning: Do not drink and watch this time-lapse tour of Anchor Brewing (might make you barfy)
Sierra Nevada
Cool time-lapse video of Sierra Nevada open fermenting Bigfoot Barleywine
SF-Giants-2014-WS-Champs-logo Ancher Steam crop
Anchor Brewing teams up with the San Francisco Giants with Giants Orange Splash Lager
Anchor Brewing Brews Baseball Building Anchor Plaza
Ballpark Beer Roundup: Time lapse video of building the taproom at San Fran’s AT&T Park

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  1. CraftBrewingBiz says

    June 13, 2013 at 11:16 am

    RT @captainteags: The story behind the naming of Anchor’s Steam Beer http://t.co/2U4TBpZOW3 via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  2. BeerzHerez says

    June 11, 2013 at 6:22 pm

    RT @GlunzBeeroness: The story behind the naming of Anchor’s Steam Beer http://t.co/VyNjFbgoqF via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  3. captainteags says

    June 11, 2013 at 5:43 pm

    The story behind the naming of Anchor’s Steam Beer http://t.co/2U4TBpZOW3 via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  4. GlunzBeeroness says

    June 11, 2013 at 3:06 pm

    The story behind the naming of Anchor’s Steam Beer http://t.co/VyNjFbgoqF via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  5. MillwallFCEO says

    June 10, 2013 at 5:47 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Do you know the story behind the name Steam Beer? @AnchorBrewing tell us. http://t.co/oWKAK8Irdn

    Log in to Reply
  6. caseyjones91 says

    June 10, 2013 at 5:34 pm

    The story behind the naming of Anchor’s Steam Beer http://t.co/wR5okhmSsc

    Log in to Reply

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