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Anchor Small Beer 2.66 408

Anchor Small Beer

Percentile
20
overall

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
4082.66/5.02.66/5.03.3%10.7English pint
Commercial Description:
The tradition of brewing two distinct beers from one mash has existed for thousands of years, and for centuries the term "small beer" was used in English to describe the lighter and weaker second beer. We make our Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale from the rich first runnings of an all-malt mash, and Anchor Small Beer is our attempt to duplicate the "small beers" of old by sparging that same mash: sprinkling warm water over the Old Foghorn mash after the first wort has run off, thereby creating a second, lighter brew from the resulting thinner wort. We believe you will find Anchor Small Beer delicious—similar to what modern brewers call a "bitter"—and we hope you will also enjoy the idea of reviving an ancient brewing tradition, which is something of great importance.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 highlandlad (1261), Sydney, Australia
2.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/55/101/58/20
Jun 21, 2006  
Love the concept of a "small beer" made by sparging the Old Foghorn mash, but the result is pretty disappointing. It looked good: deep gold with a very tall, loose head that faded fast. Lots of fat bubbles. The aroma had a rich marmalade tang, nice sweet-sour balance and very fruity - reminiscent of an English golden. Perhaps I had a dud bottle but the palate spoiled this for me. In the mouth, this felt dead and woefully undercarbonated. Quite slick but flat and lifeless. Very thin bodied. It’s sweet and fruity with orange peel, lime juice and a surprisingly bitter radicchio finish. I suspect it’s heavily hopped to compensate for weak, watery malts. The end result is crude and unappetising. (Pint bottle from Purvis Cellars, Melbourne; best before Oct 2006)


 Gr0ve (1406), Oslo, Norway
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/55/103/513/20
Jun 21, 2006  
1 pint 6 fl oz bottle. Golden amber in colour and clear. Small head that quickly subsides. Sweet malty, and somewhat nutty, aroma. Mouthfeel is light and somewhat thin, but there is a peppery bitter flavour that stands out. Some malty flavours too, and perhaps also some piney and grassy notes. The beer is quite bitter for it’s strength. Finishes with a sharp bitter layer on the tongue. Nice small beer. I’m a bit surprised by the strong aroma relative to the more subdued flavours. The bitterness and the flavours are almost medicinal. I suspect that this is direct consequence of the hops used in the beer.


 stegosaurus (1882), Levittown, Pennsylvania, USA
2.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/103/55/103/511/20
May 31, 2006  
Bottle. Pours golden\amber with a large off-white head. Aroma of floral hops, citrus, and sweet malts. Flavor is sweet malts, citrus, carbonated, and hoppy bitter. A weak beer, with a bitter punch. Ok brew, drinkable, but easily forgetable.


 Walt (2289), Chicago, Illinois, USA
2.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/104/55/102/59/20
May 28, 2006  
Pour is clear and bright amber with a nice big dense off white head...so far so good...smell is nicely hopped with floral and citrus aromas resulting...taste is weak at best...slight malty flavors with a subtle bitter finish...the flavors are so slight that it is hard to come up with a description for them...slightly vegetal aftertaste...lively mouthfeel...but, I have never had a "small" before, so maybe we are all just being harsh...who knows...


 presario (2987), Calgary, Alberta, Canada
2.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/54/102/59/20
May 28, 2006  
Next time, buy a Small and a Foghorn and mix in a large glass. One is over sparged, one is under sparged. Dark yellow. Fizzy head. Light hop aroma is still sharp to the nose. Tastes British but raw. I should like it but it just doesn’t work.


 Doppelganger (1353), Dry County, Arkansas, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/103/513/20
Apr 28, 2006  
Light gold with a big cap of buttery tan head. Bready, cereal grain malt aroma with gentle citrus and floral hops, and a slightly metalic/sweaty quality. Warm, grainy, slight tart flavors with an underscoring of bitterness. Gentle carbonation in spite of the very active looking pour. A little lingering bitterness. This has quite a bit of flavor and body for the low ABV. Solid, and well within style.


IrishRed1983 (33), USA
2.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
3/103/55/104/511/20
Apr 24, 2006  
Anchor Small beer (small being the operative word) pores a hazy gold with little head, little if any aroma, crisp "draw" but uneventful flavor, the beer is a good idea but isn’t a good beer


 f351c4v (408), Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, USA
3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/56/103/510/20
Apr 24, 2006  
Pours a golden amber color with a large, rocky, white head. Aroma is grainy with a touch of hops. Thin mouthfeel, along with a light taste, make this beer quite drinkable. Can taste some hops that balance well with the grains (It just tastes grainy to me!). A nice beer.



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