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by David Burkhart (Author), Fritz Maytag (Foreword by)
The sweeping illustrated story of America's oldest and most iconic craft brewery, featuring a history of American brewing traditions and homebrew recipes for Anchor's top brews including Anchor Steam and California Lager
"A tale of worldly curiosity, brilliance, persistence, and a thirst to succeed . . . If you ever wondered why beer drinkers get passionate about good beer, read this book."--Charlie Papazian, author of The Complete Joy of Homebrewing San Francisco's Anchor Brewing Co. is one of America's oldest breweries, with an extraordinary heritage rooted in the California Gold Rush. Undaunted and resilient, it has survived earthquakes, fires, insolvency, and Prohibition. In 1965, when mass-produced, mass-marketed beer completely dominated the American brewing landscape, Fritz Maytag rescued the nation's smallest brewery and its unique Anchor Steam Beer from the brink of bankruptcy. Focusing on tradition, quality, and flavor, Maytag transformed Anchor Brewing, igniting a revolution that paved the way for today's craft beer movement. Anchor brewery historian David Burkhart tells the story of America's first craft brewery in this compellingly definitive insider's guide. With three hundred images--most shown for the first time--and original homebrew recipes for four of Anchor's iconic brews (Anchor Steam, Anchor California Lager, Anchor Porter, and Liberty Ale), The Anchor Brewing Story is a book for beer drinkers, homebrewers, pro brewers, entrepreneurs, San Francisco-philes, and anyone who loves a good comeback tale.Author Biography
Award-winning author and historian David Burkhart is an honors graduate of Yale. In 1991, he joined the small staff of Anchor Brewing Co., where he worked side-by-side with owner and brewmaster Fritz Maytag. In his thirty-plus years at Anchor, Burkhart has done nearly every job at the brewery, adding Anchor brewery historian to his many titles in 2010. His books on the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and mixologist William T. "Cocktail" Boothby have won numerous awards. Burkhart is also a professional trumpeter; a founding member of the Grammy-nominated Bay Brass; a performer with San Francisco's Symphony, Opera, and Ballet; and a professor at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Fritz Maytag grew up in Newton, Iowa. He graduated from Deerfield Academy in 1955 and Stanford in 1959, where he subsequently studied Japanese. The owner of York Creek Vineyards and chairman emeritus of Maytag Dairy Farms, Anchor Brewing Co., and Anchor Distilling Co., Fritz is the recipient of the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional and Lifetime Achievement Awards.
