Lee Heidhues 6.10.2023
San Francisco can’t catch a break. The doom loop has even caught a historic brewery in its web in a form of “corporate Darwinism.”
The beer gods are abandoning San Francisco. At least in part. Iconic Anchor Brewing, now owned by Japanese brewing giant Sapporo, is canceling its annual holiday beer. And cutting back its national distribution.
It could be that Anchor workers unionized. This is how another corporation treats its workers and disrespects its loyal customers.
Excerpted from The San Francisco Chronicle 6.10.2023
Anchor Brewing Co. is significantly scaling back its distribution — and canceling Christmas this year.
Garrett Kelly, a former brewer at Anchor, said the recent news confirmed concerns he and others voiced after the sale to Sapporo. “The loss of a beer as iconic as the Anchor Christmas Ale, the first American holiday beer post prohibition, is a loss for not only beer nerds like me, but anyone with an interest in preserving culture against the grinding pressure of corporate Darwinism,” Kelly wrote to The Chronicle.
Anchor, founded in 1896 and rescued from bankruptcy in 1965 by longtime owner Fritz Maytag, was acquired by Japanese beer giant Sapporo in 2017. Fearing changes, workers of the brewery successfully formed a union in 2019. A representative for Anchor said it has just reached a tentative second contract with that union.
The San Francisco brewer will halt national distribution of all of its beers, including its signature Anchor Steam Beer. Currently, the beer is available in all 50 states.
Going forward, Anchor beers will be available only within California, which represents 70% of its sales, according to a company representative.
Then, this coming holiday season, Anchor won’t be releasing one of its signature offerings: Anchor Christmas Ale, a dark winter warmer made annually since 1975. A small amount, however, will be for sale solely at Anchor Public Taps for visitors to the tasting room.
An Anchor representative cited “time-intensive and costly brewing and packaging requirements” as the reason for the change. Christmas Ale is unlikely to return next year, the representative said.
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