Anchor Brewing may have cancelled Christmas, but these local breweries are still raising a pint of cheer.
It was a sad year for beer. Anchor Brewing canceled Christmas over the summer, initially scaling back operations, then finally shutting down after 127 years. The closure makes this the first holiday season in 48 years that San Franciscans won’t raise a glass of Anchor Christmas Ale. After first brewing the beer in 1975, Anchor changed the secret recipe every year, and artist Jim Stitt created the hand-drawn illustration of a tree on the bottle (up until he retired in 2019). Believed to be the longest running holiday beer in the country, it became a beloved tradition in the Bay Area.
“It was always a big thing in my family,” says Jared Shoupe, former Anchor employee and Bay Area native. “We always had some on the table at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s a sign of the season in the Bay Area, but every year it’s unique and new. … It was always exciting to see what the brewers at Anchor had come up with that year.”
The silver lining is that at least one local brewery, maybe others, is working to fill the void. Shoupe has happily settled into a new job at Headlands Brewing in Lafayette, and on his first day, easily convinced head brewer and buddy Ryan Frank to make a Christmas ale. Employees voted to call it the Yippee Ki Yay, in honor of Die Hard. It features local grains and is lightly spiced with cocoa nibs, orange zest, and coriander. Headlands will only have 50 kegs available in the Bay Area, on draft at Foghorn Taproom and Pitt’s Pub in San Francisco. “It’s very much our homage to a tradition, style and thing that we hate to see go away in the Bay Area,” Shoupe says.
Other breweries may be inspired to create similar homages. Plenty have already established their own holiday traditions, and a few will have fresh releases timed for the season. So let’s pour one out for the late, great, Anchor Christmas Ale. Here’s where craft breweries are keeping the spirit alive, so you can still raise a glass of cheer in San Francisco.
Whether you stuff a bottle in a stocking or sip it with turkey, speaking personally, Shoupe has plans. Anchor had already bottled a hundred cases of this year’s edition, and he was able to grab one during shutdown. So he’ll be setting out the last Anchor Christmas Ale ever, next to the first Headlands Christmas contender. “I will absolutely be drinking some side by side.”
Fireside Chat from 21st Amendment Brewery
21st Amendment will bring back their classic Fireside Chat. Brewmaster Shaun O’Sullivan is a huge fan of Anchor, and he’s brewed his own spiced winter ale for at least 15 years. It’s a toffee-tinted winter warmer with cocoa nibs and spices. That got a fresh look last year, when former President Franklin D. Roosevelt lost his seat by the fire to a couple of reindeer. Find Fireside Chat on draft at local taprooms, or canned at markets and on the website, by the end of October. They even have a snazzy gift box containing snifter glasses.
Pastry Stouts from Barebottle Brewing Co.
Barebottle might be the biggest brewery actually brewing in San Francisco these days. Don’t miss their assorted pastry stouts of the season, the kinds of which, at the time of this writing, were still up for debate. Brewer Kelsey Holstein promises a new pastry stout for Thanksgiving, available in bottles, and the return of either Great Grandma Cocoa, inspired by Mexican hot chocolate with cinnamon and chiles, or Great Grandpa Cocoa, likely on draft only. Just think of the pie pairings.
Cousin Eddie from Laughing Monk Brewing
Laughing Monk is known for Belgian-style ales, but they’re also into holiday IPA. The team’s excited for the arrival of the new Cousin Eddie, named after that one family member who parks an RV in the driveway in Christmas Vacation. Cousin Eddie is a wild West Coast IPA, with three types of hops for earth, pine and citrus aromas. Find it on draft in their taproom or at other bars around town, and canned on shelves at Whole Foods, starting December 5. Designer Mike Scaringe will bring this character label to life; he already killed it with Beetlejuicy for Halloween.
O Tannenbier! from Woods Beer & Wine Co.
Woods will bring back their favorite O Tannenbier!, inspired by the evergreen aroma of a hike on Mount Tam. Made in collaboration with the Nature Friends Tourist Club in Mill Valley, it’s a Belgian-style ale infused with the bright and citrusy flavor of Douglas fir tips. It’ll be available at all of the Woods locations and through their club, exact timing and format still TBD.
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Stout from Standard Deviant Brewing
Standard Deviant won’t do an official Christmas ale, but they still like to get toasty with brown ales and stouts this time of year. They’re brewing a small batch of oatmeal stout that’s rich and chocolatey, aged in bourbon barrels for extra character, and nitro tapped for a velvety finish. It’ll be on draft exclusively at Standard Deviant and Elixir Saloon only two blocks away. Take your dog and tell him to wear his finest sweater.
Sfizio Italian Style Pilsner from Fort Point Beer Company
Then again, if you don’t do dark beer, stay merry and bright. Fort Point isn’t brewing anything special for the holidays, but they recommend their popular Italian-style pilsner for parties. Golden and sparkly, it could be called the prosecco of beers. The green-and-gold geometric cans are aesthetic, and the beer is refreshing on a winter’s eve, especially for those feasting on Dungeness crab. It’s already on draft at Fort Point locations, and available canned in markets or on the website.
