San Francisco, CA – Anchor Brewing Company announces the return of Anchor Winter Wheat™, a classic winter warmer brewed with malted barley and five varieties of wheat.
Anchor has been making wheat beers since the summer of 1984. In the winter of 2014, Anchor introduced their first dark wheat beer with the debut of Anchor Winter Wheat (7% ABV). For the second year, Anchor Winter Wheat joins Anchor Christmas Ale as a beloved and highly anticipated winter seasonal offering.
“We first brewed Winter Wheat last year with the intention of creating a true winter warmer. It can be enjoyed on the slopes, around the fire, in the San Francisco fog, and everywhere in between,” said Anchor Brewmaster Mark Carpenter. “We looked overseas to Belgium and Germany and across the country to the Midwest to seek out four types of malted wheat for the beer. For the fifth, we didn’t go far. A local family farm provided a unique soft red wheat that is commonly used to make artisanal flatbreads and cakes. The result is a complex, nutty, and bread-like brew that’s dark in color and high in alcohol content, yet drinks surprisingly light and smooth.”
In 1848, California farmers forsook their amber grain for golden fortune. By 1878, California wheat was back big-time, winning gold at the Paris International Exposition. There was even a wheat beer brewery in North Beach, one mile from Anchor’s first home. Today, the robust flavor, malty complexity, enticing aroma, ebony color, and thick creamy head of Anchor Winter Wheat reflect this delicious heritage.
Anchor Winter Wheat is made with a unique blend of 2-row pale barley malt, Belgian roasted wheat malt, German pale spring wheat malt, “Midnight” and hard red wheat malts from the Midwest, and soft red winter wheat from a local family farm. The result is a smooth, complex, dark brew with a creamy, lacey head; deep, rich mouthfeel; nutty, bread-like, and subtly roasted flavors; and a crisp, clean finish. A special ale yeast provides clean flavors with hints of dark fruit. And a single hop, Northern Brewer, provides earthy, woody, and minty notes with just the right amount of bitterness.
Anchor Winter Wheat is available nationwide November through January in 6-packs and on draught in select bars and restaurants including the Anchor Brewing Taproom and the Anchor Brewing Beer Garden at The Yard in San Francisco. Find a brew near you by using the Anchor Beer Finder.
Learn more about this unique seasonal beer by watching the following video: Anchor Winter Wheat.
About Anchor Brewing Company
Anchor Brewing Company’s roots date back to the California Gold Rush making it one of America’s oldest breweries. Its Anchor Steam® Beer is San Francisco’s original since 1896. In 1965, Fritz Maytag acquired and revived the struggling brewery at a time when mass production of beer dominated and seemed unstoppable. Maytag started a revolution in beer that originated today’s craft beer movement. An undisputed icon, Anchor is America’s first craft brewery where beers are handmade in our traditional copper brewhouse from an all-malt mash. At Anchor, we practice the time-honored art of classical brewing, employing state-of-the-art methods to ensure that our beers are always pure and fresh. We know of no brewery in the world that matches our efforts to combine traditional, natural brewing with such carefully applied, modern methods of sanitation, finishing, packaging and transporting. See what we are brewing today at www.anchorbrewing.com.