Anchor Brewing Status: Dual Efforts Seek to Resurrect Brewer
By Scott Mansfield
Anchor Steam Brewery. Photo by @Vita Hewitt Photography
Local beer drinkers have grown resigned to bartenders announcing they no longer have Anchor Steam on draft or other Anchor Brewery products in the cooler. It’s been a few months since we’ve had an update on the status of the brewery, so let’s recap how we got to where we are, and some news about what the future may hold.
Since the 1980s, regional breweries like Anchor have struggled to retain independence as brewing conglomerates with economies of scale and more widespread marketing and distribution absorb their peers. The remaining breweries then have to contend with these larger, more powerful competitors.
In 2017 Sapporo USA scooped up the struggling Anchor Brewery for $85 million and, while in the process of trying to improve its financials, COVID hit. As the pandemic eased and production ramped up, many employees felt frustrated by the changes Sapporo was pushing. Some left the brewery and in 2019 about a third of the remaining employees formed the Anchor Brewing Union in cooperation with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6.
Then in July of this year, Sapporo announced it was shuttering the brewery and looking for buyers. If none materialized by August, Sapporo proposed to turn the business over to a third-party assignee for the sales of its assets. Two groups formed to take on the challenge of purchasing the brewery: The Anchor SF Cooperative, which is a group of former employees, and Raising the Anchor, a group of investors organized by local Mike Walsh.
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On Tuesday of this week, Walsh, who has helped finance hundreds of companies and has been soliciting investors since August, announced that he now has sufficient funds to cover a bid and is submitting it to the organization responsible for the disposition of Anchor’s assets on November 17. He expects it will take at least two months to get a response. Walsh also indicated that he will launch a crowdfunding campaign to allow smaller investments from Anchor fans. If you want to stay current on Walsh’s progress, visit Raising the Anchor.
On Wednesday of this week, The Anchor SF Cooperative, which had a successful GoFundMe campaign, announced a subsequent Wefunder campaign that will enable investors to be part owners in the brewery should their offer be accepted. If you want to stay current on the former employees’ efforts, visit Anchor SF Cooperative.
Via – Broke-Ass Stuart
Stuart & Anchor Christmas Ale. Photo @alexmaksf
The ‘Running Out of Steam’ Anchor Beer Bust!
Calling all Anchor Lovers! The last Anchor Brewing kegs and Christmas Ales in the world (that we know of) are being cracked, drunk, and celebrated at Buzzworks in San Francisco on December 9th, 12pm-8pm!
RSVP Right Here.
The last kegs of the following beers will be on draft:
Anchor Steam Beer
Anchor Crisp Pilsner
Anchor Tropical Hazy IPA
Anchor San Pancho Mexican Style Lager
Anchor Wast Coast IPA
Anchor California Lager
And there will be a variety of Anchor bottles and cans too!
Anchor Christmas Ale Being Raffled Off for the Anchor SF Cooperative
If you are a fan of the Anchor Christmas Ale, you can win some AND help raise money for the Anchor SF Cooperative! The Anchor SF Cooperative is a a collective of Anchor Brewing workers trying to buy back the Brewery and keep it in SF and authentic! There’s an Anchor Christmas Ale Magnum raffle to raise money for the cause (The raffle starts at 7pm so arrive before then to enter)!
This may be your last chance to drink San Francisco’s original craft beer, a 150-years of iconic Steam Beer tradition, (but let’s fucking hope not!) Happy hour from 12pm-2pm!
SF Buzzworks
December 9th, 12pm – 8pm
365 11th St, San Francisco
FREE EVENT! RSVP HERE.
Howdy! My name is Katy Atchison and I'm an Associate Editor for Broke-Ass Stuart.
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