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Anchor Brewing Company Records

National Museum of American History

Joe Allen, Brew Book
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
Finding aid
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Object Details

sova.nmah.ac.1591
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8d2e6c9a3-d501-4c44-9aed-8fac2b786658
Creator
Anchor Brewing Company
Names
Burkhart, David Aaron, 1954-
Maytag, Fritz, 1937-
Donor
Minami, Mashashi
Place
California -- San Francisco
Topic
Beer
Breweries
Brewing
Technical manuals
Testing
Provenance
Collection donated by Anchor Brewing Company at Sapporo Beer, through President and CEO, Mashashi Minami, 2023.
Creator
Anchor Brewing Company
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Anchor Brewing Company Records
Summary
Collection documents the activities of Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco, California.
Historical
Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco, California, was a tremendously influential American brewery that is widely recognized as the first American microbrewery. Under the influential leadership of Fritz Maytag III, its owner from 1965 to 2010, Anchor Brewing Co. initiated a phenomenal wave of growth in the global brewing industry that came to be known as the microbrewing—now "craft beer"—revolution. Anchor Brewing Co. was founded in 1896, closed briefly during Prohibition, and reopened following repeal. In 1965, Fritz Maytag III (a member of the Iowa-based washing machine-making family, as well as the producers of Maytag Blue Cheese) bought a controlling stake in Anchor Brewing Co. At the time, the American brewing industry was highly consolidated. In 1965, about 200 American breweries made approximately 108 million barrels of beer. About 40 percent of this total came from the nation's five largest breweries and the industry would consolidate even further over the next fifteen years (Stack, M. A Concise History of America's Brewing Industry, 2003; Beer Institute 1993: 8). American beer had become big business, and yet Maytag envisioned something different: a brewery that would produce beer in small batches using artisan ingredients, traditional techniques, and European recipes that had not been brewed in the United States for more than a century, if ever. Speaking in a 2017 American Beer and Brewing oral history, Maytag said, "I went down to see the brewery not because I loved the beer; I really was not a beer enthusiast." Rather, Maytag had been a science enthusiast since childhood. "I had no idea what is was...but it had a magic effect on me." He purchased the company and taught himself how to brew beer. With the guidance of an unusually erudite owner, Anchor's historic "steam beer" recipe improved. Maytag continued with recipes that swung ever farther from the mainstream, as he experimented with styles he had tasted while traveling in Europe. In the 1970s, virtually every beer on American supermarket shelves was a light lager style, often brewed with rice and corn. Anchor, in contrast, bottled porter, a dry-hopped ale, a barleywine, and its first annual Christmas Ale. In 1969, four years info Maytag's tenure at Anchor, his brewery produced only 800 barrels of beer. Maytag's revitalized brewery attracted waves of visitors—journalists, beer drinkers yearning for new flavors, and homebrewers curious about how he was making it all work—and the popularity of Anchor's beer grew. Over the course of forty-five years, Maytag navigated Anchor to the top of a new industry. Craft brewing started slowly in the 1970s, expanded geographically and numerically in the late 1980s—in 1985, for the first time, the U.S. counted more microbreweries than large-scale breweries—and exploded in the early 2000s (Elzinga, C. Tremblay, and V. Tremblay, "Craft Beer in the United States: History, Numbers and Geography," 2015: 252). Maytag shared ingredients with other upstart brewers, like Jack McAuliffe, founder of New Albion Brewing Company in Sonoma in 1976 (John "Jack" McAuliffe Oral History,2019-03-09 and Suzy Denison Oral History, 2019-11-17, American Beer and Brewing Oral History Collection, ). He inspired many others from afar, who experienced separate eureka moments tasting Anchor Steam Beer. When Maytag sold his brewery in 2010 to two investors from the spirits world--they vowed to build the Anchor brand into a new beer and spirits endeavor, but would sell the brewery in 2017 to Sapporo Holdings, who would liquidate the business in 2023--Admirers lauded Maytag as the nation's first microbrewer of modern times. Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of yogurt maker Chobani, purchased Anchor Brewing Company in 2024. The histories of Fritz Maytag and Anchor Brewing Company were interwoven with historical and cultural trends beyond beer: calls for consumer choice during an era of corporate consolidation; a spirit of entrepreneurial innovation that spurred novel modes of production, packaging, marketing, transportation, and advertising; and a return to slower, artisan production of food and drink following decades of increasing homogeneity. With origins in the counterculture, the consumer movement, and the "good food movement," microbrewing's impact rippled across realms of the social, the economic, and the gastronomic alike. In 2023, the United States countted nearly 10,000 breweries, more than 99 percent of them small operations. The brewing industry supported nearly 2.4 million jobs (Beer Institute). The pace of craft beer's growth from the 1980s onward and the creation of new or changed relationships among growers, brewers, equipment manufacturers, marketing representatives, distributers, retailers, the media, and consumers—-began in many respects with Anchor Brewing Company. "It's hard to pin down because I was in the middle of it," Maytag said, when asked to reflect on Anchor's place in such transformations. "(We were really the only ones in the early days .... We were sort of there at the very beginning .... [L]ater ... we saw that it was a movement" (Fritz Maytag Oral History Interview, 2017-03-28, American Beer and Brewing Oral History Collection, NMAH.AC.1595). Source Acquistion Information Sheet, Theresa McCulla, Curator, Division of Work and Industry, National Museum of American History,2023
Extent
40 Cubic feet (102 boxes, 5 map folders)
Date
1880s-2023
bulk 1965-2010
Archival Repository
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier
NMAH.AC.1591
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Advertisements
Articles
Beverage labels
Blueprints
Business cards
Calendars
Color slides
Compact discs
Correspondence
Financial records
Invoices
Labels
Negatives
Newsletters
Notebooks
Notes
Photographs
Receipts (financial records)
16mm films
Trademarks
Videotapes
Citation
Anchor Brewing Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Arrangement
Collection is arranged into nine series. Series 1: Background Materials, 1905-2021 Series 2: Beer Brewing Data, 1955-2023 Series 3: Subject Files, 1916-2021, undated Series 4: Financial Materials, 1930s-1993 Series 5: Legal Materials, 1979-2020 Series 6: Advertising, Marketing and Sales Materials, 1963-2020, undated Series 7: Photographs, Negatives, Transparencies, and Slides, 1880s-2008 Series 8: Oversize Materials, 1936-2007, undated Series 9: Audio Visual Materials, 1977-1999, undated
Processing Information
Collection processed by Alison Oswald, archivist, 2023-2024. An arrangement scheme for the papers was imposed during processing in the absence of a usable original order. Original file folder titles were retained in most cases.
Rights
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Genre/Form
Advertisements
Articles
Beverage labels
Blueprints
Business cards
Calendars
Color slides
Compact discs
Correspondence
Financial records
Invoices
Labels
Negatives
Newsletters
Notebooks
Notes
Photographs
Receipts (financial records)
16mm films
Trademarks
Videotapes
Scope and Contents
Collection consists primarily of business records documenting the activities of Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco, California. Materials include meeting minutes, brew books, photographs, slides, advertisements, financial records, beer labels, testing records, correspondence, and audio visual materials.
Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
Related Materials
Materials in the Archives Center Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series: Beer (NMAH.AC.0060) Walter H. Voigt Brewing Industry Collection (NMAH.AC.1195) DFS Ad Agency Falstaff Beer Advertisements (NMAH.AC.0332) Christian Heurich Brewing Company Records (NMAH.AC.1104) Archives Center Brewing History Collection (NMAH.AC.1419) American Beer Brewing Oral History Collection (NMAH.AC.1595)
NMAH.AC.1591
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8d2e6c9a3-d501-4c44-9aed-8fac2b786658
NMAH.AC.1591
ACAH
Record ID
ebl-1699544400757-1699544401193-0

  • Images 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Archival materials 808 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Photographs 156 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Negatives 23 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Slides 21 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Posters 10 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Drawings (visual works) 9 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Moving Images 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Videocassettes (vhs) 4 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Blueprints 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Visual works (works) 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Lithographs 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Prints 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Books 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Cd-rs 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Clippings (books, newspapers, etc.) 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Computer_disc_3.5 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Copies 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Copies (derivative objects) 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Electronic discs (cd) 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Film reels 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Graphic Materials 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Maps 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Microform 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Moving Images [31983000014514] 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Moving Images [31983000014522] 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1890s 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1900s 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1910s 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1920s 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1930s 10 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1940s 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1950s 23 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1960s 29 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1970s 118 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1980s 84 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1990s 93 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 2000s 34 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 2010s 45 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 2020s 11 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records 808 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 6: Advertising, Marketing and Sales Materials 125 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 7: Photographs, Negatives, Transparencies, and Slides 122 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 3: Subject Files 101 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 2: Beer Brewing Data / 2.3: Brew Charts 95 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 7: Photographs, Negatives, Transparencies, and Slides / Oversize Photographs 49 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 4: Financial Materials 47 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 1: Background Materials / Articles, Newspaper Clippings and Press Releases 45 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 2: Beer Brewing Data / 2.1: Brew Notebooks 40 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 2: Beer Brewing Data / 2.5: Testing Data 31 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 2: Beer Brewing Data / 2.4: Grain Run Data Notebooks 26 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 1: Background Materials 19 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 7: Photographs, Negatives, Transparencies, and Slides / Andree Abecassis 19 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 7: Photographs, Negatives, Transparencies, and Slides / Terrence McCarthy 17 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 8: Oversize Materials 16 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 5: Legal Materials 15 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 7: Photographs, Negatives, Transparencies, and Slides / Lars Speyer 9 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 2: Beer Brewing Data / 2.4: Brew Schedules 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 9: Audio Visual Materials 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 2: Beer Brewing Data 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 7: Photographs, Negatives, Transparencies, and Slides / Alan Paterson 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 7: Photographs, Negatives, Transparencies, and Slides / Howard Erker 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 7: Photographs, Negatives, Transparencies, and Slides / James Chen 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 7: Photographs, Negatives, Transparencies, and Slides / Kirk Amyx 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Anchor Brewing Company Records / Series 7: Photographs, Negatives, Transparencies, and Slides / Lester Zeidman 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • CC0 808 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • No 797 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Yes 11 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • ead_component 808 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Financial Ledger

  • Ninkasi Sumerian Beer Project/Ninkasi Bappir to Beer

  • Newspaper Clippings

  • Anchor Steam Beer

  • Brew Charts (Wheat)

  • Brew Schedules

  • Anchor Steam Beer, label approval

  • Installation of Equipment at Anchor Brewing Company

  • Grain Run Data Notebooks

  • Brew Charts

  • Negatives (61570-61572)

  • Brew Charts

  • California Board of Pharmacy

  • Anchor Chamber Players

  • Andree Abecassis, photographs

  • Historical (1-34), Negatives

  • Fermented Beverage Technology, University of California, Davis

  • Miscellaneous design elements and labels

  • Sumerian Beer Project

  • Anchor Brewing Company, employee with three men, beers in hand

  • Anchor Wheat Beer, label approval

  • Anchor Steam Beer, label artwork by Bill Hyd & Associates

  • Alan Paterson

  • Brew Charts


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