Destinations: Anchor Brewing Co. and Steam Beer in the Making (Part I)

A perfect day in San Francisco. (Photo by RG)

Two months ago, I called to make a reservation for a tour of the Anchor Brewing Company. Making this reservation was a process that literally took years. So it was a big day when This One Guy and One Woman FINALLY made it to the historic brewery. Here's the report on part one of the tour in pictures. You'll have to imagine the toasty, tangy smell of malts that permeates the building.

There's beer in them there hills. Or at least, in the making. SF tap water, malted barley and/or wheat are mashed to make a sugary liquid called wort. The wort is then transferred to a second kettle where it gets boiled and blended with hops to create flavor. Hops also add bitterness. At Anchor, different stages of the liquid travel in the pipes over floors and through walls. (Photo by RG)

The Goods: Hops waiting to be added to the copper kettle.

Chillin' at 60ºF in special shallow tanks in a climate controlled room. The foam that you see covering these huge pans is a sign of the yeast doing its job. (Note: The secret to steam beer has to do with this stage of the beer making process. Details forthcoming!) (Photo by RG)

The "hop room" stocks different varieties of brilliantly pungent buds. These buds, in addition to malt, play an important part in shaping the character of different beers. In case you were wondering, hops (humulus lupulus) are, indeed, related to cannabissativa -- both belong to the Cannabaceae family (thanks, wikipedia). Hops can also be added in sacks during the resting period - this method is called "dry hopping." Dry hopping doesn't add bitterness--just more flavor and aroma.

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The remainder of the tour was no-camera territory, but it ended with an hour-long tasting session in the beer museum/tasting room area. Stay tuned for the part two of the report on Anchor Brewing for tasting notes and the word on steam beer (is it a lager or an ale???)!

Musical pairing for the first part of this tour: "Vesti la giubba"- an aria from Rugello Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci recorded by Enrico Caruso (click on the link to listen). The opera was composed in 1892, a few years before the founding of Anchor Brewing Co., and Caruso's recording in 1904 made him the first million-record-selling gramophone star.