San Francisco's historic Anchor Brewing Company, a 127-year-old institution and America's initial craft beer producer, has ceased operations. However, its legacy will endure through the efforts of historians and curators from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and the San Francisco Historical Society. They have gathered a collection of artifacts and records from the groundbreaking brewery, offering an in-depth look into its story and effect on the industry.
Theresa McCulla, the curator of the American Brewing History Initiative at the Smithsonian, handpicked items from Anchor Brewing Company that effectively illustrate the institution's role in the craft beer revolution per the SF Standard. The selected pieces include a long-handled copper tool, a painting of the brewers' patron saint, St. Nicholas, and brewing charts, photographs, blueprints, and tools used in the brewhouse.
Established in 1896, the Anchor Brewing Company was known for its small batch beers made with traditional methods and American-grown ingredients. By the time Fritz Maytag III acquired it in 1965, the brewing industry had become highly coalesced and corporate-dominated. The transformation of Anchor Brewing Company would inspire journalists, homebrewers, and interested visitors from across the nation, as per the Smithsonian National Museum.
As McCulla's team reviewed the artifacts depicting Anchor Brewing's rich legacy, they unearthed several intriguing items, according to the SF Standard. Standouts include barrels uniquely designed to carry steam beer, requiring six iron hoops compared to the standard four. The extra hoops were necessitated due to the beer's effervescence. Also, Anchor Steam beer from 1989 featured intentionally upside-down labels, commemorating that year's Bay Area earthquake.
Following McCulla's artifact selection, Lana Costantini of the San Francisco Historical Society collected a range of items for their archive. Her planned pop-up exhibition at the history center this fall will display these items to the public. Among the acquisitions are cases of embossed glasses, labels for all the beers, and one of the last cases of beer brewed at Anchor - sealed and stowed as a collectible.
