Pedro Mancilla previously worked at Anchor and is a member of the Anchor Brewing union. Photo by Vita Hewitt
Anchor Brewing is part of San Francisco’s history. When it closed, people mourned. But what they’ve done since, being secretive and cagey, is almost worse.
Back in 2024, there was a ton of press around Anchor Brewing closing their entire operation.
A few months after the closure, longtime readers will remember, we caught up with Frank Grizzly’s, a delicious pop up that lost their spot when the brewpub suddenly closed. Since then, small business owners Kim Truong and Jorge Islas found a new home in the Bayview for their delicious food, but Anchor has been deadly quiet (Frank Grizzly’s is part of The Delicious Card program by the way!).
“They were always extremely transparent and supportive of our business,” says Truong. And then, to everyone’s devastation, the longest servers of steam beer went suddenly and drastically under. Because of their relationship with the brewery, Truong and Islas got a little advanced warning that something was amiss. “It wasn’t like the rug got pulled out from under us, but it did happen a lot faster than anyone expected.”
Now, the rumors are spreading again. Anchor Brewing was purchased by the guy who owns Chobani, Hamdi Ulukaya. We’ve reached out to him for comment in the past, but like most of our esteemed local media colleagues, we got the cold shoulder. I know! Imagine not responding to a request for comment from trusted journalists at SF’s most famous groundbreaking news source, BrokeAssStuart!
Since the brewery changed hands from Sapporo to Ulukaya, things have been quiet. And it couldn’t be at a worse time. Some say San Francisco is back, but if that’s true, where the hell is Anchor?
As the Chronicle reports, lately there’s been talk of things picking up at the brewery. And last month someone on Reddit said “There are workers inside the building and the scent of beer”.
According to the Anchor Brewing Union, things are looking good — for Anchor, that is. A petition circulating now has a list of demands for the new owner. First and foremost? Consider bargaining in good faith for these good union jobs when you imminently reopen!
The bottling line at Anchor Brewing. Photo by Vita Hewitt
According to the petition, organizers “call on Hamdi Ulukaya to offer all workers their jobs back and to sign a neutrality agreement with ILWU Local 6. This agreement means that if a majority of workers sign union cards with the union, the company will recognize them and negotiate a fair union contract.”
When we reached out to the union for comment, they clarified that this petition and their upcoming community gathering don’t necessarily mean the brewery is opening again. In fact, they said, “If you would like to reference the event be our guest, but this is in no way saying officially yet that we are hired or it is fully operational yet.”
Here’s hoping everyone comes to the table, which will hopefully be replete with yummy Anchor Steam soon! It’s just too bad that beyond the union’s petition, absolutely no other news has been shared and Anchor remains, for all intents and purposes, firmly shuttered.
After all, if they wait much longer, we’ll go another Christmas without their famed Christmas Ale.
Photo by Alex Mak
