Today we went on a tour of the Anchor Brewing Company brewery and distillery in Portrero Hill, about a mile from where I live here in San Francisco.  The Anchor Brewery is best known for its Anchor Steam beer, a rich, slightly dark beer not unlike a Sierra Nevada or Samuel Adams. 



The Anchor Brewery is also known locally for its brewery tours, which consist of about 45 minutes of touring the facility, and about an hour and a half of beer tasting; both free.  I can now say based on experience they do not skimp on the beers.

Anchor is one of those rare remaining manufacturers left in San Francisco. They produce about 90,000 barrels of beer per year for sale in all 50 states, Europe and parts of Asia.  They use pretty basic brewing methods, which are largely manual and require great skill and are a tribute to the brewery craft.  I've toured numerous brewery operations in the past, including:

- Coors, in Golden, Colorado
- Budweiser, in Suisun, California
- Heineken, in Amsterdam
- Stroh's, in Seattle, Washington
- Red Hook, in Seattle Washington
- Pyramid, in Berkeley, California
- Bridgeport, in Portland, Oregon
- The Other Redhook Brewery, in Seattle, Washington
- Guinness, in Dublin, Ireland
- Boulevard, in Kansas City, Missouri
 
Of all of these, I would say that Anchor appears to be closest to an artisan operation, and provides a great insight into how beer is made.  After all of these beer tours, I suppose I largely continue going on tours for samples, but you do learn a little something each time you visit.

Anchor Brewery tours are in high demand, and have to be booked months in advance.  Afternoon tours are preferred, as the tasting starts around 3:00 and largely continues, surrounded by brewery staff, late into the evening.  I booked our tour in September, and the next available afternoon tour was March, 2009.  I highly recommend the tour.  Tours are only offered during weekdays, and not on holidays.

November 20, 2008 at 02:25 PM 0 comments
Live from Anchor Brewery

November 18, 2008 at 02:07 AM 0 comments Food: San Francisco
Porridge King BBQ Pork!

November 12, 2008 at 10:28 PM 5 comments Good Deeds
Habitat Cycle of Hope - Nearly Complete!

As you may know, Tod and I have been working on a project in support of Habitat for Humanity.  Bob Frick has been riding his bike across the US to raise money and awareness for Habitat for Humanity East Bay.  Bob left nearly two months ago and is on schedule to complete his ride in St. Augustine, Florida this Saturday.

Bob is only $2,000 short of reaching his goal of raising $71,000 (Bob is 71 years old).  If you're interested in reading about Bob's journey or would like to make a donation (large or small), head on over to HabitatCycleofHope.com.

Team Bob has also partnered with Humanitas Winery to offer nice pack of wine with 20% of the proceeds going to Bob's cause.  A link to the wine offer is on the site.

If you're reading this, you likely have a kriskoeller.com account.  You can easily port your account to Bob's site and leave him words of encouragement near his triumphant endeavor.


Bob braving the flooded roads near the finish line.

November 11, 2008 at 11:40 PM 0 comments
Just Another Day on 8th Street

November 11, 2008 at 12:57 PM 0 comments Photography
Highlighted Travel Photos: Notre Dame

Since I finally got around to posting pictures from Paris, here's one from the top of Notre Dame.  This was my third trip to Paris and on each of the previous, it wasn't possible to go to the top of the church due to construction.  The view here is toward Monmarte.  It was a bit of a gray day, but I also desaturated the color and warmed up the white balance.

November 5, 2008 at 06:07 PM 0 comments Travel: Europe
Paris, France - April, 2008: Pictures Posted

Hi, I finally got around to posting the photos from our trip to Paris earlier this year.  Pictures are in the 'photos' section above...

November 2, 2008 at 02:40 PM 8 comments
Happy Halloween from John and Yoko

I really struggled to get the hair right, but everything else came together.  Thanks to Matt for hosting a great party! View the pictures here.

October 31, 2008 at 07:25 PM 0 comments Food: San Francisco
Afternoon Sushi at the Four Seasons

October 24, 2008 at 06:00 PM 0 comments Food: San Francisco
Late Afternoon Lunch at Pizzeria Delfina

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