Born of the Gold Rush and survivor of earthquakes, fire, and Prohibition. Anchor Brewing is intrinsically linked to the history of San Francisco. What keeps us inspired? Our mission to handcraft beers as bold and beautiful as the city we call home. Founded in 1896, Anchor is America's first craft brewery. Today, every drop of our beers are handmade from an all-malt mash in our traditional copper brewhouse. Our process combines the time-honored art of classical craft brewing with carefully applied, state-of-the-art modern methods. Anchor Brewing is best known for Anchor Steam Beer. It derives its unusual name from the 19th century when "steam" was a nickname for beer brewed on the West Coast of America under primitive conditions and without ice. While the origin of the name remains shrouded in mystery, it likely relates to the original practice of fermenting the beer on SF's rooftops in a cool climate. Once a nickname for any Californian or West Coast beer brewed under these conditions, today the name "steam" is a trademark of Anchor Brewing and applies only to the singular process and taste of our flagship brand.