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End of an Era: Anchor Brewing
Anchor Brewing closes after 127 years. SF's oldest craft brewery sold off in pieces. The end of a Potrero Hill institution.
Anchor Brewing closed after 127 years. It was the oldest craft brewery in America and a Potrero Hill fixture since 1979. If you lived in SF, you’d have seen the Anchor Steam label at every corner store and dive bar—same way you’d see the Healthy SF fee on every restaurant check. It was the default local beer.
The company is being sold off in three pieces:
- Real estate: The Potrero Hill brewery and taproom on Mariposa Street, listed at $40 million.
- Brand and IP: Anchor’s recipes and trademarks, including the “steam beer” name. Estimated at $2.5 million or more.
- Equipment: Copper kettles, open fermentation vats, and modern canning lines.
A group of former Anchor employees formed a bid for the intellectual property. They want to keep brewing under the Anchor name, possibly renting the existing facility or relocating to a smaller space in the city.
Anchor Steam was SF’s beer. Fritz Maytag saved the company from bankruptcy in 1965 and turned it into the blueprint for American craft brewing. Every small brewery that opened after owed something to Anchor. The SF Chronicle has the full story on the sale.