Break Out That Christmas Ale Early

But not because it's time to celebrate. In yet another craft beer shocker, Anchor Brewing has announced its closure. For many of us, Anchor holds fond memories of drinking Liberty Ale (first IPA-like beer for me), the iconic Christmas release Our Special Ale (annual since 1975), and Anchor Steam (confession: I never liked it! So maybe that's not a fond memory). But the writing may have been on the wall back when Sapporo bought the Anchor brand back in 2017 for $85 million. Trying to refresh legacy breweries is a tricky business. New Belgium caught lightning in a bottle with their Juice Force, but nothing Anchor tried to do really caught on. It seemed to turn into the beer you'd see languishing on the shelf at Cost Plus. And now the brewery staff has been given a 60 day notice. Maybe I'll pop open this 2006 OSA tonight and toast the memory of Anchor Brewing, and lament this closing as a further decline of civilization.