4. Restaurants

Anchor Brewing Company

1705 Mariposa St, San Francisco, CA, 94107
  • (415) 863-8350
  • Store is closed

Anchor Brewing Company Menu

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  • chuck p.

    Is there a Heaven? Yep, Anchor is it.

    (5)

  • Sarah S.

    A must do in San Francisco for any beer lovin tourist (or local!) You need to book in advance (on their website) but the tour is FREE but even if they charged something it would be worth it. You get to learn about the history of craft beers brewed here. It's a v informative tour of the brewery which lasts a little over an hour and at the end you get to try some of their beers (I think it was five each when we went) Well worth booking!

    (5)

  • David G.

    Amazing, such a fun tour, stunning brewery and a real contrast to the type of tour you get at the larger hands off facilities. It was funny to be wander through areas where people where hard at work, or having their lunch break. We are big fans of Anchor Brewing company beers and there are a few places that sell them locally, it was nice to hear the story of how the brewery developed, and overcame challenges over the years. I would recommend this tour to anyone who it visiting San Fran.

    (5)

  • Brian C.

    If you like beer then this is a must. Traveled to SF for five days with the boys. We all like beer so I decided to book us a Saturday tour at 11am at Anchor. Our tour guide Delia was very knowledgeable. She explained a lot of things which I did not know. How Anchor got started, almost went out of business, made a comeback etc. She also explained all the beers IN DETAIL which was exciting to hear (at least in my opinion). We then took a nice stroll through the facility. All the beer is made on site which is pretty impressive so we got to see how it was made and packaged (I can still smell the hops). The tour ended with non-rushed tasting of a few their beers. Lager, Summer, IPA and the Porter are a few that were offered. After that the gift shop is located right near the exit. I recommend checking that out as they have a lot of nice collector items for a decent price. I definitely plan to visit San Francisco again and when I do I will treat myself to another Anchor Brewery tour.

    (5)

  • Sarah S.

    Love it, great tour. The history of this company is incredible, the building is gorgeous and the beer is delicious. I went with some friends and we had a great time. I would recommend this tour to anyone.

    (5)

  • Rebekah T.

    I was fortunate to win tickets to a special VIP tour of the Anchor Brewing Company. I couldn't wait to take my guy on a Saturdate of Beer, Barbeque and even more Beer! I've lived and worked in the area in my life, yet never got the opportunity to see inside the Brewery. I have to admit, it was somewhat like visiting the land of Oz. I could only imagine the sudsy wonders that lie behind those brass and glass doors. Being local and a beer lover, Anchor Steam was one of the first "craft" or non-mainsteam beers I ever tried. I learned to love it and cook with it, plus the value of a good beer over just a beer. You know what I mean... We started off walking through the office to the little tap room inside and learning about the history of Anchor Steam and what "Steam" beer really is. The tour took off and we were so impressed on the process and how every Anchor Steam beer WORLD WIDE is made right here. We learned about the process from beginning to end, finsihing off at the little tap room with a sample of each of thier beers on tap. It was a fun event and we loved trying all of the beers. The tour guide and other workers were very friendly and knowledgable so it made for a really fun day. I highly suggest trying to book a tour, even if it is weeks or months in advance. It's a true San Francisco Beer-xperience.

    (5)

  • Ryan H.

    What a fantastic brewery tour! Definitely a must stop whether you are a beer nerd or not! Make sure you book in advance though as the tour fills up. Our tour guide Delia kept it casual and fun enough to not be boring to the casual beer drinkers and interesting enough to keep the beer geeks entertained. Of course, the tasting at the end is delicious!

    (5)

  • Michael M.

    Brew Tour: an interesting tour for $30 per person. best part... samples at the end lol. The actual tour is about an hour and they tell you about the history of this brewery (founded 1896). I really liked the beer they were originally know for, their steam beer. fun way to spend a couple hours in the city!

    (5)

  • Jon U.

    Tour on May 4th, 2015. What an outstanding experience and highly recommended! Thank you for a great afternoon Delia, you are the best.

    (5)

  • Adrienne B.

    Worth the price (used to be free back in the day)... learned a lot about making beer and the history of the brewery...and thoroughly enjoyed a finale of 6 different tastings. Just make sure you call WAY ahead of time to book a tour... they fill up fast. Also, wear closed toed shoes and bring a sweater. It's chilly and slippery in spots. =).

    (5)

  • Vanessa F.

    I'd been trying to get a tour here for a couple of years, and finally got one on a Friday morning. Sure we had to schedule our yearly trip one extra day (early) to make it, but it was well worth it. It has been by far the best brewery tour we have ever been on. Part of it is because the tour guide was pretty awesome, and another part was because the brewery itself has tons of history. We did happen to go on a day where it wasn't up and running, which was slightly disappointing but not that big of a deal. It was a cleaning and maintenance day, so all staff was busy with that. I had originally been hesitant about paying the money for the tour, but we had a great time and it was worth every penny.

    (5)

  • Brian S.

    Everybody in San Francisco knows Anchor. It's the local beer. But getting the chance to check out the brewery itself, learn about Anchor's history, and see where all the magic happens is something else entirely - it's truly one of the few "must do" things I've gotten the chance to do in the city. I was fortunate enough to come here on the Yelp SF Craft Brewery tour, and I absolutely had a blast. By the way - thank god for the Yelp tour, because there was no way I was gonna wait 2-3 months just to check this place out (or do anything really). I just don't plan that far ahead - too much effort. However, if you happen to be one of those really patient people who can deal with the long wait, you certainly won't be disappointed. The story behind how Anchor Brewing Company came to be was truly fascinating, and only endeared me to the place even more. More importantly, the first thing you notice when you get here is HOW GOOD THE PLACE smells. Never knew fresh hops could smell so good -- the place smells like freshly baked bread. You'll never want to leave. Taking a step back, the opportunity to enjoy the fresh beers on tap right from the source is something that can't be rivaled. There's just so much history in that place that it makes the beer taste even better. Getting the chance to learn about, and experience, every step of the beer-making process & operation, from the "hop room" to the giant beer bathtubs to the taproom, was definitely unlike anything I've done before. Plus, I even got to hear the story about how "steam" came to become part of the beer's name. Dope!! The beers I tried were, as expected, all very good. Make sure you go out of your comfort zone and try some of their lesser-known offerings, I was really surprised by how many solid beers they had in their lineup beyond their flagship beers. Overall my experience was a 5/5 easy. Highly recommended for beer-lovers and Bay Area natives especially, as you'll gain new appreciation for both your city and your local brewery.

    (5)

  • Scott N.

    This review is for the brewery tour. My friend and I drove up from southern California, visiting a number of breweries in the state. We showed up at about 10am without a reservation and there happened to be two spots that just opened up for the next tour. The lady working in the downstairs area was super friendly and helpful, she told us that we were VERY lucky to walk in on a tour and that many people wait 4-6 months for a tour date. Pretty COOL!! The tour was fantastic, very informative, social and fun. Best of all it finished up in the bar where you are served 7 four ounce beers. Each serving comes with a little history on that particular beer style and how it was introduced at Anchor. Highly recommend! Obviously you should make a reservation to guarantee a spot. Have fun!

    (5)

  • Alicia L.

    I went on a tour of the Anchor Brewing Company in July, and it was overall just a great experience! There was a pretty large tour group the day I went, but our tour guide was phenomenal and kept the entire group on track, provided great information about the history of the company, the art of making beer, and really made you appreciate Anchor as a true San Francisco institution. The tour itself was about 45 minutes, and then there was the beer tasting, in which we got to try 6 different beers (each tasting was a pretty nice size too). There's not much else to say, it was a great experience and I would definitely recommend it to beer lovers or and lovers of San Francisco alike.

    (5)

  • Vicky S.

    Loved getting to try beers that are not yet out! Our guide was very knowledgeable of each beer Anchor had. I was bummed they didn't have much in stock for apparel and souvenirs :( I loved the winter wheat beer and the cloud stout.

    (5)

  • Courtney Anne N.

    So I'm gonna start this review off by saying I don't drink beer and this review is not about their beer. I was parked in front of Anchor Steam on St. Patricks day this year, and when I returned to my car after a long day of work I found my back window broken out. After living in SF for a couple years I'm no stranger to broken windows and thieves, so I naturally assumed that's what happened. But then I found a card on my window from Anchor Steam letting me know they had info on what happened. They were SO AWESOME. Apparently, it had been a hit and run accident from a commercial truck (not theirs) and they got all of the info plus surveillance footage. They contacted the company for me and took care of a lot of the hassle which was above and beyond what they should do. I got an insurance settlement and my car fixed, such a huge relief when the damages were well over 1k. It's these kinds of businesses that make San Francisco a better place! Looking out for the community and lending a helping hand! Thank you again, Anchor Steam! Cheers!

    (5)

  • Courtney M.

    What a fantastic brewery, we had so much fun! A group of friends and I made reservations for a tour here last month for about $15 dollars a person. I'm going to tell you now that it is well worth it. First of all our tour guide was super friendly and I learned more from her about beer and San Francisco's history than I ever would have thought. The tour was about 45 minutes to an hour and after that we spent another hour or two sampling all sorts of amazing Anchor beers. If you haven't had an Anchor beer before, fix that, quick. Did I mention all of the beer samples are free! Awesome, awesome brewery guys, just drive safe!

    (5)

  • Adam G.

    Went here for tour . make sure you book well in advance. 10am early for a brewery tour. Steven was a great tour guide. Start with an anchorsteam and history of the company. Great tour you see all stages of the process including the bottling line while in use. Lasts about an 70 minutes. Then head to the tasting room. 5 more pours of all different kinds. Check it out.

    (5)

  • Sofia N.

    I visited for a tour of the brewery. It's $15 per person, whether that person will drink or not. The actual time inside the brewery is very short, about 20 mins. Most of the tour was inside the taproom-- the introduction, history, and beer tasting. Last hour of tour is beer tasting.

    (3)

  • James W.

    Great brewery tour. The tour guides are animated and well-rehearsed. You get the whole history of steam beer and the brewing company, overview of beer components, and tour of the facilities. They've also kept a mini-museum of sorts with some of the old machinery they've retired. Finishes with healthy 3-4 oz pours of 4-5 varieties of their beers in the main lounge.

    (4)

  • Steven T.

    Great place to explore... I don't quite remember the name of our tour guide on tuesday afternoon but he was very personable and he made the experience fun ...never boring and easy going. Try the tour Great tasting beers with so much unknown history.

    (5)

  • CeeLo L.

    I love me my Anchor! After living a block up the street for nearly 8 years, I finally got my ass in check to take the tour on my b-day. They're usually booked so far in advance but the BF contacted the manager to get us a tour on the exact date and he personally came over to introduce himself and wish me a Happy Birthday! Sweet! Thanks Jo~ao! Our guide Bobby was extremely personable, knowledgeable and sooooo cute! I've been on tours at other breweries before and this one felt more intimate and relaxed. Hopefully I won't wait another 8 years to take a 2nd tour*

    (5)

  • Ryan B.

    Awesome experience! Thanks Nick, the tour guy. Love all their beers. Definitely stop by if you're in the area

    (5)

  • John B.

    My babygirl asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday. Other than planting myself in front of my PS4, playing Battlefield 4 all day long, while she waits on me hand and foot serving me endless beer, while wearing a French maid uniform, I was stumped for ideas. Thankfully she's a bit more creative than I am, so she arranged a tour for us at the area's biggest craft brewery. With booking times filled up to two months out, we got in for an October 24th date just in time by reserving it way back in August. It was a 10am. starting time for our tour. I'm not one to turn down beer for breakfast so I was ecstatic. Not only for getting to take a Friday off to spend with my beautiful fiancee, but to begin the day in SF with a beer tour. As they say on the tour, "you can't drink all day, unless you begin in the morning". Well put bearded brew genius. Well put. The tour was as informative as the group that you're with wants it to be. We had a mix of tourist n00bs, craft beer drinkers, and a even a few home brewers.. You'll get some history of the company, which is much longer than you would imagine. You'll get to check out the hops room, and all their shiny brewing equipment. The tour ends with an all too brief view of the bottling run. Yep, just in and out. Being a Laverne and Shirley fan, that would've been my favorite part of the tour had we been able to see more of it. I'll admit taking the Sierra Nevada "Beer Geek" tour before this one, may have spoiled me for all future brewery tours. I may have been expecting "more" out of this. For instance, even my lil' teetoaler pointed out that they should pour you a pint before the tour begins so that you have something to sip along the way. However this is a must see tour, totally worth the wait to get in on it. The building alone is worth checking out, seeing as it is a piece of San Francisco history. At the end, our host Bobby sat us down in the tap room to enjoy several tasters of various brews. This tap room isn't open to the general public, so that alone is pretty cool. As a group, they'll pour as many tasters as they can get within the allotted time. About 5-6. It's mostly stuff you can find on the shelf, mixed with a few limited release beers. Pro Tip: Come here with a non-drinker to score yourself an extra round of tastings...

    (5)

  • Jillian O.

    Definitely one of the best brewery tours around. The tour is very well organized and our host was very informative on the entire beer making process and history of Anchor Brewing Company. We were taken through the entire brewery as our host described everything that happens in that specific room. We got to try 7 different beers, and one that they don't even release to the public. There were about 20-25 of us in the tour, but it didn't feel crowded at all. I've been on a lot of brewery tours and this one was definitely one of the best. A few suggestions, make the reservations online far ahead of time, they do book up and they are limited. Parking is what's available on the streets, but it is not metered parking. Best $15 ever spent. Check out the case full of goodies to buy, they got a good selection and their prices aren't insane like other brewery shops.

    (5)

  • Andrea W.

    Yes! This place was so much fun to go to. I won a free VIP tour that took place on a Saturday as opposed to having to pay for a tour on a weekday. It was a lot of fun. We had a small group of 6 so it was intimate and interesting. I was happy because the tour was informative and we got to see everything but it wasn't too long. It was also a lot of fun being able to taste all the beers we had just learned about. Bobby, our tour guide was amazing! So friendly and personable and it doesn't hurt that he was easy on the eyes :) Overall this would be really fun to do with a larger group of friends because they give you enough to taste afterwards where you get a nice little buzz going!

    (5)

  • Lisa A.

    Mmmm, beer. Sorry, I was channeling my inner Homer Simpson. So, if you're in the Bay Area, head on over the Potrero Hill and take a tour of Anchor Brewing. You can make a tour reservation online and the fee is quite reasonable ($15) for what you get: two hour tour of the entire facility and ample beer tasting afterward. Our guide was knowledgeable and fun, which is exactly what you want in a tour guide. Coming from NYC, I have only had the Anchor Steam Beer, so it was pretty cool to try nine other styles of their beers and to see the entire process of beer making. Definitely worth checking out if you're visiting San Francisco or if you live there and have always wanted to go.

    (5)

  • Constance D.

    This was the next stop on the Yelp Field Trip beer tour and it was a great one! We were able to get a beer and then took a tour around their brew house. Our tour guide showed us all of the steps and we even saw the hop room where all of the different hops live, smelled like hops and was neat to see. Their tour was very informative and you could tell they take great pride in their process and their beer. The tasting room is a good size, maybe 6 or 7 tables, could fit 5-6 people at them. They had all of their memorabilia in cases and you could see the history behind it all. The bathrooms aren't on the same floor and I felt almost weird looking for them since I thought I was in their offices but wasn't really. Clean rest rooms! I will return for a tasty beer and great views!

    (5)

  • Andrew D.

    Had an awesome tour here. Was $15/person when we went and it included a TON of samples. I think I had about seven 5oz samplers, some of which were their experimental/rotating beers. You can ask to try certain beers that aren't officially in the ones they're giving out for tasting. The tour was good. Lots of cool history about the brewery and its role in pioneering many American beer styles. The only negative thing I can really say was that it was super hard to hear half the tour. Breweries can be loud! Other brewery tours I've been on actually gave people a bunch of headsets so they can hear the guide, which is a little tacky, honestly. Not sure what I prefer :P

    (4)

  • Jonny Q.

    The Anchor Brewery Tour really did live up to everything I was expecting and more! It was a brilliant sunny day in SF, I had a free day to let me go where the wind blew and I was nursing a monster size hangover from an all day party the day earlier - perfect conditions for a tour around one of my favourite breweries. First off the brewery tour is free and includes loads of great beer - but the only catch is that they only take small groups on the tour each day and you need to book really far in advance. In fact I booked 4 months in advance and thought I may have missed the boat but a little bit of "hey I'm coming all the way from the UK, please can you squeeze me in" translated into me getting that Wonka-esque golden ticket. Anchor is actually a really small brewery considering their output (they are building a much bigger brewery down on the harbour which they're opening in the next year or two but will also keep this one) and the tour around the brewery probably only takes about 20 mins of physical walking. What you get for the first 20 mins though is a really good historical portrait of the history of the brewery, SF in general and the craft beer scene through the ages. Nick our tour guide was super funny, really knowledgable and a real good guy - the tour went really smoothly with him running it. After the tour part, you get to hangout in the bar drinking about 8 different types of beer they serve, chat with your fellow beer lovers, the Anchor team and can buy from their impressive beery merchandise selection. OverallI loved it, I'd go again tomorrow if given the chance and would recommend it to anyone else into good beer who's hitting the Bay. Just make sure you book well in advance by calling them!

    (5)

  • Jamie M.

    We had a very enjoyable experience on the tour here. There was a large group of us, but our guide was excellent at making sure everyone could hear what he was saying. You start off in the tasting room so you can hear about the history of the company, which is really interesting. They tell you why people call the place Anchor Steam although it is not the actual name of the company. And then they take you basically throughout the whole factory and explain each step in the beer process. It was really informative. And then, of course, at the end you get to sample the beers. The amount of beers you sample depends on how much time is left. There's not really a set number of beers that you get to try. I think we tried at least five beers. Christmas ale is my fav! The tour is fifteen dollars, and you have to reserve in advance. It was a great value.

    (5)

  • Justin C.

    A great tour paired with fantastic beer. Started off with a beer in their tasting room then walked around the building learning how the tasty stuff was made. The tour leader was funny and personable and knew his stuff. I always wondered why their lager is called Anchor Steam, pretty interesting reason that you'll have to learn yourself. The beer is good, very good in fact. Go there asap and drink their beer, you'll enjoy it.

    (5)

  • Jason L.

    I LOVE BEER, so obviously any brewery is like an adult candy store to me. Anchor Steam and the organization I work for are partners so I was lucky enough to be invited to a private tour and tasting with some of my coworkers after hours. DRINK UP they said... and so we did. Then we got to tour the facility, understand the brewing process, the yeast, the hops, wort, where they got the word "steam" in their name, etc. I've been to other breweries and have done tours at other facilities and they're all pretty much the same, just different in size and technique, but it's all about the experience and who's leading the tour. Our guy, I think his name was Brody, was extremely passionate and knowledgable, made the tour fun. Then back to the bar where you have the opportunity to try all 9? or so beers offered on tap. YUM I was happy... Oh, if you or some one knows how to play the piano and feels brave enough, they have one available... just don't suck if you plan on playing for everyone to hear lol Also, if you plan on driving here, there's plenty of street parking close by. Thank you Anchor Brewing Company for the great experience and the booze!

    (5)

  • Yan L.

    Just went again today. Definitely a great tour, even after 3 times! It should be noted the tour is now $15.

    (4)

  • Jennifer P.

    My husband and I LOVED this brewery! We had decided to visit a few brewery's while visiting San Francisco, and this one was by far the best! Our tour guide was super knowledgable and friendly and put up with my husbands home brew questions after the tour. We got to try 5 beers and we were blown away by each one! When we get home to Phoenix, AZ we will for sure be seeking out some anchor beers!

    (5)

  • Sean G.

    "Free but even if they charged it would be worth it" This is well worth doing and it is free. Easy reached by bus from market st number 9. Tour was very informative and our guide Jarrod done a great job taking us through the history and then through the end to end process. You finish by tasting all their beers. Nice people and nice beers. Call and book well in advance by at least 6 to 8 weeks

    (5)

  • Will W.

    Amazing facility, staff, and beer. Went and took the tour with a friend. Can't say enough about the hospitality we felt. The hearty amount of beer tasting at the end was the cherry on top! Highly recommend the tour and the beer! Beckle's Brown Ale is my favorite!

    (5)

  • A. C.

    I typically don't like beer but this was a great experience! I actually drank all the beer provided for the tastings and it wasn't bad at all! Great tasting beer! No worries if you're late in the tour like I was. You're able to just join right in.

    (5)

  • John M.

    Skip day adventures stop #1 Because every once in a while there's that day when you're not "feeling well" in the morning, but then undergo a miraculous recovery just after calling in sick. Strange, I know, but it is a phenomenon familiar to many. A random Tuesday was such a day for me. Getting out of the house to celebrate my suddenly newfound health, I wound up at Anchor Brewing Company with a beer nerd compatriot. We were taking the tour, which had to be booked 6 weeks in advance. What an astronomical coincidence I wasn't "feeling well" on that same exact day. Ummm, yeah. Our tour time was 10:00am. We easily found parking on the next block in front of Live Oak School. Being in a school zone, there's some funky parking restriction times. But bottom line, it was cool to park there as long as it wasn't during the times when kids were being dropped off or picked up. Rolling in through the front door, there was a small reception area where we checked in & then the taproom area upstairs which was the meeting point for the tour group. All the decor & furnishings looked to be out of the 1930's, which would be relatively modern considering the whole history of Anchor Brewing Company. &, really, that's the whole point of seeking out a visit & tour of Anchor Brewing Company. The history. This place is a, no, it is THE historical icon of craft brewing in America. In all actuality, Anchor was making Steam beer probably more than a century before the term "craft" beer was even coined. Way back then, it wasn't "craft" beer, it was just beer. The term "craft" is needed nowadays because of the rise & dominance of the ubiquitous giant corporate light lager. A rise & dominance that Anchor managed to survive. But survival has always been big part of Anchor's story. Fires (yes, plural), untimely deaths (yes, plural), the Great Earthquake of 1906 & Prohibition, Anchor survived them all. Just a little something you learn about Anchor during the tour. Which, by the way, was 1 of the very best brewery tours I've ever done. & I've done quite a few. It was all-access with our tour group getting to see every facet of brewery operation with detailed commentary from the tour guide. We ended the tour where it began, in the taproom. There, we were all treated to about 1/2 dozen or so rounds of tastings. Most of it was Anchor's more well-known & widely distributed stuff, but there were also some new & somewhat exotic options. The crazy part of the whole deal, tour & tastings, was that all of it was free*. Yup, that's right, free*. In a City that seems to pride itself on overpriced everything, this has got to unquestionably be the best deal out there. No wonder the wait list to book a tour can be 2 months or longer. No matter. It's well worth the wait. Whether you're local to the SF Bay Area or traveling in from far, set the date & take the tour. For total beer n00bs, the tour at Anchor Brewing Company is the perfect introduction to craft beer, from its very beginning all the way to today. For beer nerds, touring Anchor Brewing Company is an absolute necessity. It's about the history & respect. Anchor, through many trials, has stood the test of time & still they brew. Like I said, respect. * Unfortunately, shortly after the writing of this review, Anchor began charging $15 for the tour. I guess I was lucky to get in before that change occurred. It's still a great tour, just not the mind-boggling bargain it once was.

    (5)

  • Brianna L.

    Very interesting tour. They really give you an in depth breakdown of their history and how they brew. The tour is about 45 min, not too long, and the tasting is afterwards for about 45 min. I thought the group was a little large, but EVERY beer has been delicious.

    (5)

  • Katie M.

    I love this beer! mmmmm ANCHOR STEAM. I have the ANCHOR tattooed on me, for eff's sake! Also, I love the brewing company, and the fact that they offer free tours if you book well in advance, and believe me, reservations go fast! I wanted to go on my birthday last year (December 20th), and completely spaced on reserving. The helpful lady at the reservation desk told me to call the week of and see about cancellations, and what do ya know, I WAS IN! My friend was visiting from out of town, and I knew he'd oblige to a tour. So, off we went! Upon entering the building, you can just soak in all of those beer smells, and congregate in the tasting room to await your tour. The tour takes you through all levels of the factory, and my favorite spot was the bottling room, which was so loud, the tour guide had to hold up signs for us to read. Truly an experience. The guides are very knowledgeable. At the end of the tour, is the TASTING, and they love to share their love of beers! I bought a baseball jersey, and a patch, and for my birthday was given an Anchor pin. The tour guide gave me a high five (and more beer) for having the Anchor tattoo on my leg! Now, who else wants to go on a tour with me? :P

    (5)

  • Lee A.

    Loved our tour! Great behind the scenes tour and generous pours at the tasting. I even bought the shirt! Very fun outing for any visitors!

    (5)

  • Joshua S.

    The only brewery I've ever been to without a tasting room. Tours only. Walked 3 miles to get turned away.

    (1)

  • Alyssa J.

    Came here as a company outing and we had to book 3 months in advance! Definitely plan ahead if you're planning on visiting this place. There were two dudes giving our tour (oops, I'm horrible with names), and they were nice-ish. They really take you through the whole process, and you get to see all the stages of beer production. The tastings are at the end, and our group was thirsty by then. I kind of made a joke at the end of the tour that if I bought a shirt could i have another taste of beer and the one dude did not think that was funny whatsoever. I really didn't think I was overstepping my bounds, since most of the employees would just walk up to the taps and pour themselves whatever. I also have been to a brewery up north in Petaluma and been on a similar tour, and I kind of felt those guys were way more laid back. They have a cool memorabilia area, but from what I can tell you can't just buy a pint and kick back. I kind of got that "drink your samples and go" vibe from the staff there (maybe because they huddled in the corner when it was over and didn't make conversation with any of the 30 people on the tour?). I had my ideas about which beers I thought i wouldn't like, and they were all delicious. The standout for sure was the saison, which is seasonal. Next favorite would probably be the lager, or the newly crafted IPA. They apparently make whiskey as well, so I'll have to check that out. All in all pretty good tour, but probably want to explore other breweries.

    (3)

  • Ethan Z.

    BEER BEER BEER BEER BEER BEER BEER, OMG MORE BEER! This was what went through my mouth and mind as I drank my eight sample pours while at the Anchor brewery. Anchor is truly a great craft brewery. Their brews are far superior than those of mass-market competitors and probably slightly better than my other local favorite, Lagunitas. They are also more to my liking than other common craft brews like Sam Adams. What I like about them is they seem to stick to making solid ales and lagers without digressing into crappy, excessively "flavored" drinks like blueberry or lime. Not even "lite" beers. Nothing at Anchor but brews with full body and full flavor. So we came for the "Tour." If you drink beer, or any kind of alcohol for that matter, you MUST take this tour. It is FREE, and you will get a chance to sample 8 (EIGHT) of their brews. First, of course, you will get a brief and informative history of the brewery and tour of the facility. Then they will bring you to the bar and start unloading pitchers of beer on you. I think the sample pours are 4oz each but they might have been 6oz. I was too busy savoring the stuff and quickly became too inebriated to remember to ask our tour guide/bartender. Most of you have bought Anchor Steam Beer from your local grocer. You may not have known that they have many other specialty brews (I didn't) and you will have a chance to try eight of them on your lucky day here. I am partial to full bodied dark beers and my favorites were the pitch-black Porter yelp.com/biz_photos/anch… , the distinctively delicious strawberry-blonde Zymaster yelp.com/biz_photos/anch… , and the unbelievably sweet and surprisingly potent (10% ABV) Old Foghorn yelp.com/biz_photos/anch… To get on the tour you must call ahead and make a reservation. They have a 10AM and 1PM tour each weekday (sorry, no weekends). Since most people don't like to drink two or more pints of beer this early in the morning the afternoon tours are more popular and fill up quickly. If you want a Friday afternoon tour you will need to plan months in advance. There is no fee involved so it's no big deal if you have to cancel. They will also call you a week or so ahead of time to see if you are still coming. You really should come with a designated driver. I managed to drive away safely but I honestly should not have made the attempt. Two pints in a 40 minute period is pretty heavy drinking. If the SFPD needed to boost their DUI quota they could easily do it here. So get on the phone and reserve your tour, soon you will be tasting some of the finest ales and lagers in the world! FFFFFFF RRRRR EEEEEEE EEEEEEE F R R E E F R R E E FFFFF RRRR EEEEE EEEEE F R R E E F R R E E F R R EEEEEEE EEEEEEE BBBBB EEEEEEE EEEEEEE RRRRR B B E E R R B B E E R R BBBBB EEEEE EEEEE RRRR B B E E R R B B E E R R BBBBB EEEEEEE EEEEEEE R R

    (5)

  • Crystal N.

    If you don't make advance reservations it is impossible to get in here. I even contacted the brewery directly and unless there were cancellations they said they were too full to let us in. They should leave room for some walk-ins.

    (1)

  • Terri D.

    We recently went on a brewery tour during our family vacation. The tour guide was entertaining and knowledgable. There was a $15 charge for the tour (whether or not you drink beer). Given that we paid so much for the tour, I was disappointed that there were so many people on the tour. The tour is not handicap accessible, there are lots of stairs and no elevator in sight.

    (4)

  • Albert H.

    Tours by appointment only ... and worth twice the price ( it's free ). Appointments are understandably difficult to get - weekday only, and you need to book far in advance. Most of the tour time is actually spent in the tasting room going through much of their current line-up. As far as facility tours go, this one's decent. You're not allowed to take photos of anything except the top section of their exceptionally beautiful German copper brewhouse, but they do take you past their unique open fermentors, lab, bright tanks and up close and personal with the bottling line. The brewery is running at capacity and packed to the gills - something like their third location since the 1906 earthquake - they are building a much bigger facility elsewhere in the city. Parking was challenging, if only because it was street sweeping day when we arrived. Building access and the tour itself were friendly and informal - my 83 year old father and 1 year old son were both favorably impressed. How can you say "no" to free beer?

    (5)

  • Droger S.

    Tour was good not much to see but it was cool to learn about the brewing and bottling process. Best thing here was the beer and copper.

    (5)

  • Nat L.

    I've been on a handful of brewery tours and this one was my favorite. The tour guides had personality and passion and weren't just reading off a script. Also, frankly, they have a really cool product with a very cool history, so there's plenty to be proud of. The beer at the end was obviously the highlight. They make so many different and awesome beers!

    (5)

  • Aubrey O.

    A thorough tour with a lot of tasty beer afterward and very informational. The guides on the tour know their stuff and the brewery is beautiful. The only downside is the waiting list for the tour obviously!

    (4)

  • Liz K.

    Awesome Tour!! And it's FREE!! Must book reservations months in advance as this fills up fast and tour sizes are kept small. Jeremiah was an incredible tour guide (and a San Diego Chargers fan....whoop whoop!) and really covered everything from Anchors beginnings to brewing methods up to current operations. I loved learning about their unique bottle shapes and how they were pioneers in the craft beer world. Their history is very interesting. After the 45 minute tour (surprisingly small brewery considering how much beer they churn out!!!), you get (8) 4oz tasters in their tasting room!! My favorites were the Brekle's Brown and the Old Foghorn!! Found 2 new beers...love that!! I would HIGHY recommend this tour and will be back when I return to claim my heart from SF!!

    (5)

  • Vedran V.

    After several months of careful planning we finally made it to Portero Hill to check out the great granddaddy of all craft brewing in America. First off, be warned that you can't just walk in here as there is no taproom and they don't do tours without a reservation. The tours are free but the wait times might be several months since they don't operate on the weekends. Our tour was on a Tuesday morning and we managed to score a nearby parking spot for free which was a good sign for things to come. Upon walking into the old building-where Anchor still does all the brewing-we checked in at the desk on the first floor and were directed to the second floor for our tour. There were about 20 people altogether waiting in the big room with Anchor mementos all over the walls, with the bar and taps in the central spot across from the door. Be aware though that no beer is sold here. Once we got started, our tour guide went over the rich history of the brewery: from the early days of German immigrants who started Anchor, Fritz Maytag who saved it, and all the way to the present where Anchor is soon to become SF Giants neighbor close to the ballpark. The tour was not too lengthy but very informative and well suited for tourists and beer enthusiasts alike. Of course, there is nothing that can compare to the Beer Geek tour at Sierra Nevada but this tour is definitely the best free-of- charge brewery tour you can have. We saw the production lines, open fermentation tanks, were taken to the bottling line and even saw the canning contract being fulfilled. Anchor staff all seem to know each other and like what they do...the feeling of community and old San Francisco is still living in this building. A complete unknown fact for me was that in this same building Anchor also has a distillery that makes, among other spirits, something called HopHead vodka (90 proof). This was something that warranted further research and needed to be located immediately after.... The tour concluded where we started from with tap handles finally being pushed. The pours were generous (4 oz each) and we got to sample steam, liberty ale, porter, brown, IPA and make a choice of several others they had on tap, including the recently released saison. While I tried all of Anchor's beers they had on tap that day before; each time upon tasting them there is always a renewed appreciation for what they do. Their beer might not be absolutely the best around, but just like Sierra Nevada, they brew so many different styles and do all of them well. This is something only a select few breweries can boast with. Before we headed out to further beer adventures in the City our tour guide opened the little souvenir shop and I was pleasantly surprised how low the shirt prices were.... $14 for an Anchor baseball tee was a steal. At the end of the day all I can say is this: if you consider yourself a beer person and can make it to San Francisco on a weekday, Anchor Brewing will wow you in every aspect. And yes, that Hop Head vodka bottle was in my hands shortly after the tour...

    (5)

  • Jason A.

    The best brewery in San Francisco. We've had multiple tours here with their team and it's always been great. The new IPA is fantastic.

    (5)

  • Ellie O.

    IT. WAS. AWESOME! Our guide was great, thanks nick!! so much history at anchor. Poured so much beer, it's somewhere we will def come back to!

    (5)

  • Nelson Q.

    Its been YEARS since I've visited the Anchor Brewing Company, and like the French Laundry, you need to book reservations for this tour months in advance. They fill up very quickly! Tours are conducted twice a day on weekdays with the first tour (10am) being the better one since you can still see some action. The lucky 25 people looked similar to the lucky few in Charlie And The Choclate Factory, but instead of chocolate, its BEER, Anchor Steam Beer! Our Tour Guide Tegan talked to us about the history of the company and briefly discussed the ingredients and techniques that Anchor Steam Uses took us through the Factory showing us the different rooms(Processing, Pre Fermentation, Hops, Bottling) Then it was back to the tasting room for 8 of Anchor Steam's beers. (Y)ou need reservations to get in (E)ntrance guaranteed by confirmation (L)ove beer? You need to check out this place! (P)eople from all over the world come here (3) weeks-amount of time it took for our confirmation (6) months in advance is how far you can book your reservation (5) days a week tours are given (C)opper Brewhouse equipment is AWESOME! (H)ops room smelled HELLA STRONG! (A)ll beer tastings are free (L)ocated on Mariposa Street (L)iberty Ale rocks! (E)xcellent beer selections (N)eed to get food after drinking all this beer (G)erman brewers started Anchor Steam (E)veryone had a blast here(and a buzz too!) (I)mitated, never duplicated (S)an Francisco is the home of Anchor Brewery (O)ld Foghorn Barley wine was interesting (V)ery buzzed after 8 tastings (E)xcellent start to your day (R)eally TERSTY right now just thinking about it!!! (!).....ALOHA!!!! YELP 365 CHALLENGE-(365/365) "Sippin' Suds At Anchor Brewery" ******************MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!*************************** Yo Adrian...........I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    (5)

  • Brittany S.

    This is a fantastic tour and tasting, and it's free!! My husband and I recommend the Anchor tour for all of our friends who are visiting San Francisco. In our book it is a "must see". Only down side is that you need to make a reservation several months in advance, but it is so worth it. Just go, do it.

    (5)

  • cindy n.

    Don't go on a an hour long brewing tour after you just drank the previous years production of Anchor Steam. It was my roomate's company picnic and I promised her I'd go so being the good friend I am I sucked it up pulled my head out of the toilet and went along. Biggest mistake! I'd never been on a brewing tour and I didn't expect so many smells and temperature changes and whatnot. I nearly threw up on myself a quarter into the tour. What made it worse was the tasting afterwards. I am not one to ever say no to free booze but that day I just couldn't take it. 5 stars for making me feel like a amateur.

    (5)

  • Tim K.

    One of the underrated 'musts' for someone new to or visiting the city. Friday afternoon with your buddies, doing that tour, man, not much better than that.

    (5)

  • Sarah M.

    I had a friend in town and really wanted to take her here. I heard you should make reservations a month in advance, but heard too late. I called a few days before, and they were of course booked, but they called me back 30 min later because there had been a cancellation and fit us in. The tour is great! The guide had tons of information and we learned a lot about the making, history of the brewery, etc. This is the only brewery still open that was open before Prohibition. Pretty cool. After the tour you get to taste all of their beers on tap, there were 6. You get big pours, and best of all it's all free! Luckily it's right down the street from my house too. Too bad they are only open M-F, 9-5 for us poor folks that have to work.

    (5)

  • T-Bone L.

    My favorite porter, period. They have got a good story to tell so the tour is worth it even without the tasting afterwards. I recommend it highly for visitors.

    (5)

  • Sharon M.

    wow, this tour is WAY better than the budweiser brewery tour! first of all, it's actually interesting and informative and fun. and second of all FREE BEER. but not just a little free beer, but like the tourguide turns into a bartender and serves us each a full glass of 6 different types of delicious delightful fresh cold beer. and he'll pretend not to realize it if you go in for second helpings. book far in advance.

    (5)

  • D J.

    I love this place and their beer. Free tours and free beer. I went here with a couple of buddies a few weeks ago. We went on the morning tour and were enlightened of Anchor's history in San Francisco. Our tour guide was very knowledgable. The tour was cool but the part we enjoyed the most was of course, the tasting at the end. We tried all the beers and even ordered a couple of seconds. I definitely recommend this place to any San Franciscan interested in our history or anyone who needs to get buzzed on a budget. I've been there 6 times in the past 2 weeks. Just kidding.

    (5)

  • Sidney B.

    SO much has already been said. Excellent tour with lots of information but done really well. It moves quickly and allows for ample time in the tasting room, when you can learn so much more from chatting with whoever drops in while you're there. Look for the free posters that are reprints of classic paintings of old-school San Francsico. It's a classy experience, start to finish. Great way to spend time with out-of-towners.

    (5)

  • Abendigo R.

    A good old standby of a beer. Especially good on draft. I don't drink it regularly, though, since I'm more of a dark beer and IPA kind of guy. However, when I do drink it, especially on tap, it's delectable, especially with fish.

    (4)

  • Barbie D.

    A free tour with free beer at the end? Definitely worth taking time off of work to do this. Which is why 8 of us did! You can reserve online, and they tell you 8 is max, but you probably can show up with a few more, they don't really check. The tour was informative, just under an hour and well worth the time. The best part is the open bar after the tour. Yeah, after "studying" the beer making process and the different types, you then get to put it to the "test"! I love tests. You're free to sample 6 or 7 different beers, I think, I lost count after 5. The tour guide Mike kept you awake, amused, and never left your glass empty! Great idea with a group of friends.

    (5)

  • Mike I.

    Great beer brewed by people who care about beer. Not only worth a visit to the brewery, but worth supporting when shopping for beer.

    (5)

  • Jen C.

    Call in advance to make a reservation for a FREE tour (M-F @ 1 p.m.)They take up to 10 people per group, although there will be other groups within the tour. Tour starts in the tasting room, where they explain all the different grains that go into the beer, history, etc. Then they take you around the small--but so clean!-- facility and explain the whole process from start to finish. The tour takes about 45 minutes. Our guide, Dan, was really entertaining. The best part is going back to the tasting room for FREE samples of all their beers. My faves were the steam beer and the Liberty Ale. If you ask nicely, they'll give you refills of whatever you want. Bring comfy shoes as you'll most-likely be on your feet the entire time. Take Muni #19 or #22. An AWESOME way to spend a couple of hours in the City.

    (4)

  • Brian B.

    Best brewary tour in the city! Make a reservation and take the tour. mmm free beer. They're only avialable during the week. Friday afternoons are the best days for tour as everyone is relaxed. Last time I was there the fork lift operator was drinking with us, doesn't get any better than that.

    (5)

  • Rose J.

    Another recommendation for the tour & free beer! The facilities are fabulous and their process is interesting. Plus, FREE BEER! With 6 to sample (ending with the barleywine) you get a free buzz!

    (5)

  • Jessica K.

    There is nothing wrong or bad about this place. Free beer, beautiful men (young Dan....uuuhhh), and a gang of restaurant/bar people to shmooze with after you're tipsy. Try the christmas beer if they have it and avoid the rye. Maybe i'm a wuss but that sh*t is harshhhhhh. Oh yea and if you go on the right day there will be pizza and munchies to satisfy your beer induced hunger pains.

    (4)

  • Marina F.

    Love taking the brewery tours! Too much fun sampling all the yummy beers! But they need to have a hot dog cart outside or something because you seriously need some food after going on the tour and sampling their fine brews.

    (5)

  • Jeremi M.

    so wait, a free tour of a local landmark then FREE BEER? what?? the gimmick is.... a time share. no? i have to complete a 300 question survey. no? uh, clean some bottles maybe. no. anchor kicks ass. therefore tour anchor.

    (5)

  • James R.

    Great tour - just the right amount of information about the beer making process, without boring you to death. Then you receive a taste of 6 or 7 beers - all in pretty decent size glasses (not little wine tasting things). All for free. Great way to start off the Friday night drinking!

    (5)

  • W G.

    clearly the best thing about the anchor steam brewery is the tour. it starts in the 'bar' which is full of memoribilia and history of the famous "steam" beer from this 100+ year old brewery. now this tour is spot-on brilliant. the place isn't huge so the walking tour is both informative and efficient. you are done within 45 minutes and then you find yourself, SURPRISE, back in the bar!! anchor steam features 7 standard brews, starting with what?? like a lager or a wheat beer or something so you start there with your pesky little 6oz. glass. the tour guide talks about each brew and you can probably work an extra shot from him before you proceed to the next one. these beers work their way up in both the taste and complexity scale. my palate is a little more focused on the subtleties of the ALCOHOL scale so it is no mystery that i am on the edge of my seat waiting to get to the barleywine(10.2% alcohol). once you've tasted all the offerings, you are free to "come on up to the bar to try anything again" and that's your cue to start hammering the barleywine until your stomach feels like a snaredrum and you go cross eyed. at this point you've probably got about 25 minutes of straight powerdrinking to get your fill. NOTE: if you try to book yourself for back-to-back sameday tours under separate names there is a slight chance that they'll catch on and tell you to beat it. in the event that you choose to ignore this advice, keep in mind that you can buy 12-packs bottled that day and drink on the steps out front until the police get wind of it. call me if you need an extra.

    (4)

  • Raj K.

    One of the better breweries that I have been in quite a while. The tour was great and even better was off course the beer. Great experience if you have never been here before.

    (5)

  • Rachel M.

    go. go. go. its so cool, fun, informative, drunk-inducing and best of all FREE!!! call way in advance for reservations. bring all your friends and get kinda drunk before noon! we got so many souvenirs, t shirts, pint glasses, posters. if you love anchor beer (or beer), then you will love this tour. (its crazy that everyone gave it 5 stars, but not really cause its really great!)

    (5)

  • Dylan M.

    Go on the Tour! Its Free! Just make a reservation or call on the day of to check for cancellations (I've had good luck with this strategy). I believe they have started running two per day. The two best parts of the tour? The Hop room (OMG, the smell is intoxicating. Hops are in the cannabis family, ya know...) and the tap room. The taste you on all the old stand by's and whatever seasonal concoction they've got goin'. good beer.

    (4)

  • Kevin M.

    You are Charlie and this is the Chocolate Factory, except nobody dies and at the end you get to sample all of Anchor's beers (except the Christmas brew). The tour is free, and is likely the best way to spend an afternoon in the city. Just call well in advance because it seems like the tours are booked through 2019.

    (5)

  • Peter L.

    Tour was exceptionally informative. Learned so much about beer brewing. I never knew Anchor Steam Brewery was located there and parking was at ease. Tour is approximately 45 min. You can take as much pictures in the bar counter and the brewhouse but once you get to the back camera's are off limits. Need to call about 4-6 weeks in advance for reservation because there absolutely no walk-in tours. At the end of the tour you get to taste all their beers including their seasonal and specialty beers. My fav was the Porter. The christmas beer was interesting. Overall all this was a great tour and did I mention it is free! A must experience for any in the bay.

    (5)

  • David S.

    Came here with a few of my cousins. Very knowledgeable staff. Learned a lot about the brewing process. My favorite part was the beer tasting. All you can drink. They just kept refilling my glass till I had a nice buzz. The beers tasted great of course.

    (5)

  • Alison H.

    This place is awesome. Great FREE tour with tons of samples at the end. We even got to meet Fritz!!! Tours are only on weekdays at two specific times, and you have to book in advance. If you are visiting SF, it is a must do if you like beer. If you live in SF, it is worth skipping a day of work to make it to this tour. I am definitely returning.

    (5)

  • Natalie M.

    you learn a lot about beer and then you get to drink as much of it as in you can in an hour! and it's free!!! what more can you ask for?

    (5)

  • charlotte s.

    andchor dan, he's the man!

    (5)

  • Douglas L.

    Hands down my favorite beer. I usually stock my fridge with summer beer in summertime, christmas ale in the winter, and the standard anchor steam for everything in between. Now, if only I coud make it to the damm tour!

    (5)

  • Alexander L.

    Discover how beer tasted back in the early days in this century-old brewery right in the heart of San Francisco. Enjoy seven unique, handmade beers made from state-of-the-art methods from clean and fresh products. There is a free 45 tour on the history and how the beers are made. Due to the overwhelming popularity of the tour, it is only available by reservation. But wait, the best is yet to come! After the tour, you get to taste all seven beers... for free! If you're lucky, the bartender might even give you free refills. During the holiday season, a special Christmas Ale is also available from November to mid-January. And it's damn good!

    (5)

  • Victor B.

    probably one of the greatest things i've ever done in my life. why? because i got wasted for free at 2 PM when the tour was done. this tour was interesting and afterwards you get free tasting at their little bar. i just had pitcher after pitcher of old foghorn and the porter. and i got a free poster and bought some memorabilia.

    (5)

  • Adam G.

    Historical background in the beer hall was very cool, then they take you into the brewery and explain how beer is made, all very standard at any brewery tour, but the open air cooling tanks are pretty unique, and the fact that they have the bottling plant running while you're there, and you walk right by it, instead of look from above is awesome. Afterwards you sample about 4 or 5 beers and just hang out. The tour guide was friendly and very knowledgable and answered a few random questions we had. Highly recommend as a casual afternoon activity.

    (5)

  • Mike G.

    Awesome tour! We came here for a team offsite and they did a great job of giving a tour and serving some very tasty beers. The best part is it is entirely free! The staff is very friendly and knowledgable, and you really get a good sense of the place. We were all very impressed. Omar the manager was great to deal with for booking it.

    (5)

  • John J.

    This was my absolute favorite part of my San Francisco vacation. It's very hard to get a spot; we just happened to get someone else's cancellation the day before. If you love beer, this place is going to be the highlight of your trip. It's in an industrial part of town and wasn't near anything else we did. We had to walk a decent ways from our train drop-off. The building does not really stand out from the neighborhood; nor should it, because it's the actual factory. You'll walk through about 4-5 rooms, where everything happens. It's very mechanical and there are lots of workers around who look like they belong in the Breaking Bad lab. The tour is fun, but it's an appropriate length since there isn't all that much to see. The real fun is when you get to the tasting room. You get to taste eight beers (eight!) and be social, if that's your type of thing. If you have an open mind about beer, you'll like each and every, but I certainly found some favorites. I wasn't an Anchor guy before the tour, but I am now. Also, Jeremiah the tour guide was really awesome. He was a great host and very knowledgeable.

    (5)

  • Anthony R.

    I had to reserve for this tour 3 months in advance. It was well worth the wait. The tour guides were friendly and well informed. This is a complete tour that starts (and ends) in the tasting room. Great way to start AND finish ;) The points in between entail the brewing process, bottling, and packaging of all of their famous labels. At the end you sample everything for free, and there is no limit to how much you are allowed to consume. They sell swag like hats, shirts, tap handles, etc as well. Parking is not a problem as it is located in the high tech software area of the city, and a few blocks down from "Zynga". Lots of cool cafes to eat at either after or before the tour. It is very warm and humid inside due to the heating during the brewing process- no jacket required.

    (5)

  • Greg P.

    It's a brewery! There's a tour! There's some free beer at the end! That's about it. The tour is nice. Free beer is nice, too--although "free" in this context means having to reserve a tour several weeks/months in advance. At which point, OK, fine, but I can also just, like, buy some beer? At the store? I don't know. Maybe I'm just a GRUMP. Anyway. It's a fun time if you go in a group. Probably not worth it to go solo, unless you're really into brewing.

    (3)

  • Durty D.

    The tour is awesome! And Free! Book it a few months in advance because they are usually that far out. I had no idea how much history Anchor Brewing had and it was awesome to get an in depth tour of the one and only facility that produces their beer (until their Pier location is complete). You get to go through most of the facility and you can't help but want to make a few Laverne and Shirley comments when you pass through the bottling process. You get to sample a bunch of beers at the end and they even give you a last call after you have about 4-5 small glasses. When you leave you want to order an Anchor Steam at every bar and you really appreciate all the work that went into that one bottle.

    (5)

  • Brian P.

    Was here for the tour and sampling. The tour was really good, with a lot of good historical type info. Can't really go wrong with a bunch of free beer :)

    (4)

  • Meredith C.

    Six months ago, I was having a rough morning when I overheard a coworker giddily recapping their recent brewery tour at Anchor Steam. I listened in carefully for about three seconds before abruptly grabbing my phone and bolting to the lobby. Let's just say I know a good time when I hear one. "I'd like to book a Friday afternoon tour for ten!" I excitedly requested. "Six months from now? Hahaha! Oh, you're not kidding." Six months later, after countless reminder emails to secure the afternoon off of work for myself and my best pals, we embarked upon one of my now all-time favorite San Francisco activities. Our charismatic tour guide, Bobby, treated us to a slice of brewery heaven--his passion for Anchor Steam was both endearing and entertaining, and there's a sort of old-fashioned authenticity to this tour that makes you giddy to be a part of it. The tasting room is a magical space to say the very least. Spending the afternoon in this sun-soaked room, enjoying and learning about all kinds of rare Anchor brews courtesy of our dreamy guide was nearly surreal. To put it simply, we had the best time. I would strongly recommend this tour for anyone looking for an extra memorable, perfectly soused afternoon in the city.

    (5)

  • Holly D.

    Awesome beer experience! Starts off with entering into the most comfortable pub atmosphere I've ever experienced! The tour guide nick, I believe was his name, was quirky, friendly, knowledgeable and an overall great host! The your was informative and fun and the tasting at the end was the best I've experienced...and it was all free!

    (5)

  • Jeff S.

    I loved this tour, one of the best I've been on. The guide was good, funny, knowledgeable, and gave us all a good presentation. Anchors beers have always been great, but I haven't had the chance to sample more than a couple, and with this tour I got to remedy that. All of the beers here are rich in flavor and color and very clean tasting. And the history of the brewery is very interesting. I highly recommend coming here if you're in town, but be warned, they fill up quick so make the call a couple weeks in advance. Cheers!

    (5)

  • Brad G.

    Fantastic tour of a landmark craft brewer. The beer is fantastic and free! The education and history of the brewery does not overwhelm you but leaves you with a great sense of SF history.

    (5)

  • N J.

    We were just there for a home brewer's competition and it was awesome! Love the building and the tap room and loved getting to try the Old Foghorn barley wine and the Christmas Ale. The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is the trucker-hat-wearing jerk of a bartender who waited on us. This guy had serious issues - when I asked for the barley wine, he rolled his eyes and smirked (was I meant to understand that he didn't approve?) then pushed my beer at me with an expression of utter contempt. As my husband ordered, we tried to kind of joke with the guy and get him to loosen up but he was an ass throughout the entire exchange. I did notice later that he WAS able to smile - but only to his coworkers. Hey man, you don't wanna be there? Do us a favor and work someplace else.

    (4)

  • Alexis R.

    The tour is a must! Our guide was friendly and informed and led us through the 45min. tour of the entire facility. I loved seeing the frothy wurt and smelling the variety of hops. The bottling process was informative, and the tasting at the end was great. We were able to sample all the beers on tap - 8 in total. It became a bit much since many of their beer are dark and very heady, but I shared with my BF and loved having the variety. Since I'd from the Midwest, we encountered a number we hadn't tasted before and became fans of some of the more unique varieties. Parking is a bit difficult though - but getting there early for our midday tour, we were able to find parking beside a gym just a few blocks away. Overall, this tour is MUST if you can plan ahead and get your name in - it fills up quick!

    (5)

  • Kat D.

    Finally had the chance to take the tour this morning! By far my favorite brewery and best tour in California. Friendly staff, fun tour guide, historical and educational tour, beautiful brewery, every beer was good. I recommend this place to locals who have never been here and any visitors to San Francisco. We will be back for sure!

    (5)

  • Kim K.

    Awesome brewery tour! Full of history, passion, and awesome beer. The building is really amazing too - it definitely has that century-old brewery feel. Very unique. Definitely would recommend this tour to anyone who loves beer and wants to see this amazing brewery in action!

    (4)

  • Amber T.

    The tour was well managed and fun! Our tour guide was very informative and served us up plenty of tasty beers after the tour! I suggest doing a afternoon/night tour we did a morning tour and did not expect to be served so much beer! All the beers we tried were what they had on draft and were delicious. This tour and tasting made me even more of an anchor steam fanatic! Yay for local beers! :) *Made our reservation in Novemeber and the first opening was January! So call way ahead of time!

    (5)

  • John S.

    Solid tour, full of solid history and punctuated with solid beer. I've been on three dozen brewery tours over the years and Anchor nestles nicely into the pack. A must-see for beer lovers who happen to be in the Bay Area.

    (4)

  • Justin H.

    I TOOK A tour of this place our tour guide is bobby he didn't leave out any detail he was on point... he through in some good history and made the tour very fun at the end of the tour you get to try 6 different beers in about 6Oz glasses the parking aint bad either... The only steam brewery too by the way

    (5)

  • Lupolo K.

    Cool tour of an original "steam" brewery. You can usually find parking over in that hood. In the tasting room, a lot of cool turn of the century signs and posters in there. But, the tour guide really didn't want to be there and any questions, he just shrugged his shoulders. We are not at a standard bar asking detail questions about beer. We are at the Brewery asking a tour guide. You would think he would have some knowledge or at least care. If not, there are enough bars in San Francisco you can work at were you can be annoyed working there.

    (4)

  • Jason T.

    Came here for the opening event of the SF Beer Week of 2013 and it was incredible!! First of all, the event was free, and because of that I was not expecting much from the actual event other than maybe one or two samples of beer. Turns out they actually served up some delicious food. I'm not a beer connoisseur by any measure, but trying out Anchor Brewing Co's beer for the first time really opened my taste buds to the possibilities. My first taste was of the Breckle's Brown Ale, and that was my favorite by far. I also had a sample of much stronger and lighter beers. Next, the food! Oh thank goodness they had food, or I would have passed out from sampling so many beers. The sliders (beef, shredded pork, crab cake, and portobello mushroom) were amazing and the waiters were more than happy to just serve me whatever I wanted. There was also lots of fries to eat, and a wonderful aioli sauce to dip with. The cheese, meats, and ice cream samples were a real treat as well. The ice cream (pick from Breckles or California Lager (?) flavored) was a great dessert option and just wonderful to have. You could navigate around the brewery floor, seeing its many chambers and vats and pretend to be a brewer, or you could engage in photo adventures with the photobooth set up. All in all, I'm so happy to have come to the Beer Week kickoff!

    (5)

  • Amy G.

    My roommates and I came for the kickoff party for SF Beer Week! We parked nearly half a mile away in fear that there wouldn't be parking closer to the brewery, but even right around the building there seemed to be lots of space (on a Wed evening) so I wouldn't worry about transportation if you're planning a trip here. The air within a three-block radius of the brewery smells wonderfully like super sweet, fresh-baked pastries, which must be the yeast factor. Inside the building, we peered inside huge old-fashioned-looking metal vessels grounded in the floor, ogled at massive vats of beer in the center of the main room, smelled hops, and grazed on snacks, all while drinking a variety of Anchor beers. It would be interesting to come for a tour for more educational explanations of all their big pieces of equipment and tools.

    (4)

  • Lyra S.

    Five star brewery tour. Besides of all this place has a character among all small breweries with great history behind it. I would say that i've visited most of the breweries in bay area and beyond but this one was most complete tour of all. (probably the longest) thank you to entire knowledgable crew who made it possible. its great to see open air fermentation tanks and they even show you bottling and packaging facilities.

    (5)

  • David T.

    Awesome tour. Nick the cricket was our guide and he was great. The best part of the tour was the end where you get to taste a bunch of different beers. We drank the Anchor Steam, Liberty Ale, Barleywine, Porter, Lager and Zymaster. There might have been one or two others. Drinking beer and talking beer with fellow beer lovers reminds you of the classic Ben Franklin quote that "beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy."

    (5)

  • Omar S.

    What can I say about Anchor Brewing and their tours? I now know why you have to book 3 months in advance to secure a spot on one of these things. The fact that this is a free tour blew my mind. There were so many fascinating components to this tour that I do not know where to begin. The tour is very informative and lasts about an hour. First, you get a bit of background knowledge of how Anchor became to be and where it's at today. You then go through many different areas of the brewery. Right after the tour there is a free tasting of about 6-7 of their beers at about 2 oz. pours. The tasting lasted about 45 minutes and our guide answered any and all questions that he may have missed earlier on about the brewery. It was such a neat place for regular beer drinkers and beer connoisseurs alike. TIP: The posters by the front doors of the tap room are really cool and free so feel free to grab one!

    (5)

  • Lizzy M.

    Anchor Steam is a great place to visit! You get to see the whole fermentation process on the tour and more importantly you get some beer tasting! I don't drink too much beer but when in Rome . . . Favorite was The California Lager. The staff was very pleasant and knowledgeable thanks guys!

    (5)

  • Julia G.

    A friend arranged a private, after-hours tour. We were lucky in that we were able to taste the beers before AND after the tour. Our guide was knowledgable and friendly. The bar area has a lot of cool, historic signs and trinkets to look at. Aside from that, I don't have much to add to the other reviews. I'll just go back to the OMG FREE BEER thing. I mean, I now have a deeper appreciation for Anchor beer, but FREE BEER OMG.

    (5)

  • Erica E.

    This was really a treat. I just can't recommend this highly enough. Here is my "best practices" suggestion of how to do it: 1. Decide you want to go to Anchor Steam and try to make reservations immediately. *Note: you may have to wait up to 6 months to get the spot you want* 2. Now that you have 6 months to plan an awesome trip, come up with a guest list (you can bring up to 8 people) and then start planning 3. Reserve a party bus so that you can drink all the beer that your heart desires. 4. Patiently wait 6 months. 5. Grab your water bottle and enjoy the tour. Complete with San Francisco history, beer tasting, vintage decor and Jules Verne style brew equipment. 6. Try ALL the beers. I assure you that you will find a new favorite. 7. Get on your party bus and hit a few other choice SF beer spots That's all you have to do!

    (5)

  • Jennifer W.

    There is so much to be said about this fine local institution. 1896 was the magical year it all began and downhill it went. Despite the building burning down twice, despite prohibition, despite the competition, Anchor thrived. Baruth and Shinkel, Kraus and Meyer, even Tietjen and Allen plainly refused to give up. I have real respect for this establishment. And although Fritz Maytag revived them with investments in modern equipment, they still stick to traditional brewing tricks like dry hopping and open fermentation. The things they do here are so straightforward, I shouldn't even call them tricks. I had the fortune of attending as part of a special event, but a regular tour requires booking much in advance. It is so worth it though. I'm not talking about the generous samples, but an educational history lesson from a well-spoken tour guide. Our tour guide named Daniel really knew this stuff and was a top notch beer lover. He was knowledgable, friendly, and funny. There were some corny jokes I'm sure he has used before, but he told them as if it was the first time. He was so enthusiastic in his speech, you can hear his passion for what he does. And even if you don't like beer, you'll learn some San Francisco history. The tour and tasting was an hour in total, equal parts of time in both activities. Photos allowed. The facility is quite large because they have a large production. I was a little sad we didn't get to go into the open fermentation room. The tasting consisted of seven 4 oz. pours, which is about 2.5 pints. This is pretty sizable considering you only have half an hour to get through them. While Anchor brews can be found all, nothing beats having it at the place it came from. To date, my favorite is the summer beer, a filtered wheatbeer. The barlywine and christmas ale comes close. I'll even forgive Fritz for the tree, a tribute to his alma mater, if he forgives me for not being partial to the liberty ale.

    (5)

  • e w.

    What is bad about a FREE brewery tour (learn something) and then an hour of FREE tastings afterwards?! Nothing! That's why it's popular and you have to be organized and book in advance. It is worth the wait and helped me understand much more about the beer brewing process and Anchor in particular. The history and cleanliness of this establishment makes me a fan. Yet another thing that makes me proud to be a San Franciscan!

    (5)

  • Abby S.

    Growing up in middle America, it's no surprise that I'm a beer lover. Although I'll always be loyal to Anheuser-Busch (my first beer was a Bud heavy), Anchor Brewing Company is a very close second in my book. Have visited the brewery/bottling facility twice now, with a tour/history lesson of the company. It's actually a very interesting story, so even if you're not a huge beer fan, you should come to learn something. If you do like beer, you learn all about mash, hops and the steam process. It's like a chemistry lesson, only way cooler. The best part of the tour? Their amazing views of the city! Seriously, Anchor is lucky to be such a big, important part of SF, otherwise this building would have been taken over and turned into luxury condos. You also get to sample the brew, which isn't too bad, either. Come here for a tour and get a taste of SF history. Something that's a "must" in the city.

    (4)

  • Lex L.

    I went to the Concord Beer Festival on Jan 25th, 2014. Anchor Brew beer was the best in the entire place for me. I went back three times till one of the tabs went out and broke. I had no idea your company was in San Francisco where i grew up. I will have to schedule a tour one day of your factory. Here's to looking forward to buying much of your beer, Cheers !

    (5)

  • Chelsea A.

    Free beer. Old-school copper. Giant tubs of fermenting deliciousness. Tradition. Knowledgable staff. Oh, and did I mention free beer? Go. You will not be disappointed.

    (5)

  • Bob B.

    Fabulous tour! Everyone we came into contact with was very cordial and our guide was pretty funny. It was about an hour and a half tour all together. When the guided portion was over we got to sample about 7 of their beers in 4 oz portions. All free! Would definitely come back.

    (5)

  • Ben S.

    What a fun tour - even at 10am! There were about 30 people on our free tour. It began in the brewpub upstairs. Our guide, Jeremiah, spoke about the history of the company, the building, their original brewing process, and went through each of the beers they produce. He spoke of the company's future plans and went through the ingredients that go into beer. He was very knowledgeable, a fun guy to have as a guide, and always asked for questions. After this talk we walked through the primary and secondary fermentation areas and finally the bottling area. He explained the process occurring at each stage. Upon arriving back in the brewpub it was time for drinks! It was about 1050 ha. Eating breakfast is advised! You are then served 8, 4oz samples. It is a rather leisurely process and you have time to sit and relax and at the end of it all buy things from the small gift shop.

    (5)

  • Susie C.

    Awesome, Awesome, Awesome tour. It's FREE first of all. But you have to reserve in advance to get a spot. Also, it's in a sort of funky area (Potrero) of SF. Don't wander around too far away from the brewery if it's dark out. There is a bus that stops right across from the entrance so it is easily accessible by public transit. They give a TON of tasting samples, so pace your self. The tour is really interesting they show you a lot of the steps and the rooms where they do the work. Watching the bottles travel along the room on the conveyor took me back to Laverne and Shirley days!!! The other tour I went on (Sam Adams in Boston) did not show that much of the process close up so I appreciated how Anchor did their tour. Also don't miss the gift shop items there are cool posters, coasters, t-shirts, and taps that you can customize with stickers from whatever kind of AS beer you want.

    (5)

  • Ron S.

    *** My 200th Review *** There are several things on my bucket list that I still have to do before I die.....but I'm happy and proud that I can scratch one off: The SF Anchor Steam Brewing Tour & Tasting! = Boo-ya!!! I LOVE BEER!!! I even have a dedicated Facebook photo album of my many pints over the last 30+ years I've been walking the Earth. For my birthday this year, a few of my closest beer guzzling pals joined me for one of the coolest FREE tours in California. I experienced a few Laverne & Shirley and Strange Brew flashbacks to my heart's delight ;-) Our tour guide was fun, energetic, knowledgeable, and a genuine beer fan! We walked throughout the actively running brewery for about an hour. We had several photo shots in between stops and at the very end while we tasted ALL their yummy beers. =TIPS= - Make sure you book a tour in advance! 10 people max limit. It's a very popular SF tourist must!!! - Try ALL the beers there. Buy your 6-packs at BevMo and support this fine beer!!! - Don't drink and Drive home Koo loo koo koo koo koo koo koooooooo! CHEERS!!!

    (5)

  • Natalie N.

    My company did a team building brewery tour here recently. We had such a fun time. Not only was the tour guide friendly and knowledgeable, the beer was flowing and it was fun to try all the beers on tap. The tour itself can really go as long as you want (depends how many questions people have). It's hard to get private tour reservations, so plan ahead! Tip: they weren't able to take credit cards after the tour due to the time so make sure you bring cash if you want to tip your guide! :)

    (5)

  • Saul D.

    THERE IS NO TAP ROOM HERE. I flew from Miami to visit my gf and was excited to visit the brewery. Now I recognize that I should look at the website and it would of said that there is no tap room, but considering that every brewery I have ever been to (no matter the size) has had a tap or tasting room I assumed that one of the oldest breweries in the United States would have one. Driving all the way out there to find out they don't was disappointing. Now it was my fault for not checking but I just feel it's very amateur hour that they don't have one, and if they can't for some legal reason, I am still shocked they haven't found a way around it. It silly of me but it just put me off the beer and company

    (1)

  • Ali B.

    Daniel, our tour guide, was fantastic and appropriately enthusiastic :D We were given a thorough tour including the history of the brewery (even through the prohibition era), the basics of beer making and what makes Anchor beer unique, and 4 ounce tastings of 8 different Anchor beers (e.g., Spring Wheat Seasonal, Anchor Steam, Porter, Old Foghorn Barley Wine, Humming, Liberty Ale IPA, and Breckles Brown Ale). I've enjoyed brewery tours in Texas, Tennessee, and now California. Anchor's tour held it's own. Attend to the advice of booking early. Many on our tour booked 6 months in advance for the (free) tour.

    (5)

  • Megan F.

    If you're just visiting SF, the second you figure out your dates go ahead and call for a reservation! No, you can't just show up to Anchor Steam for a tour. I'm glad I read the Yelp reviews in advance for that reason and I happened to score two spots on the only tour slot with any openings for the entire month. That's how booked they are...crazy. Although it's really not crazy when you consider you get about two free pints of beer through all the samples and a pretty sweet tour of the place! I'd actually be fine with paying for this tour. The coolest part, besides free drinks, is seeing those original copper brewing pots and just being engulfed in the wonderfully rich baked goods smell, obviously from all the yeast. I'm not a huge fan of their flagship Anchor Steam Brewing Co Beer (it's good, just nothing special), but I was glad to see that they let us try about 6 other different beers at the end and several were pretty outstanding. Their porter and barley wine were two of my favorites but what I really enjoyed is getting to try so many different styles of beer right after one another. Each guest gets about two full pints by the time you leave. Plus, they welcome you to grab a free poster as you leave - yeah free souvenirs!

    (5)

  • Nikki G.

    Went on the tour this past week, Nick was our tour guide, he was great, very knowledgeable and a lot of fun. We had a great time and really enjoyed the beer samples.

    (5)

  • Sara C.

    I don't drink beer, so my review is mostly for the tour and the boy's experience. We had wanted to go the previous year, but when I called in November they were all booked up. So this time around, I called some four months in advance in order to get a reservation for Christmas week, and snagged a spot for both of us. The tour consisted of about forty people and a tour guide named Daniel who first talked us through the history of Anchor Steam, then walked us through the brewery itself. Afterwards, we returned to the taproom and everyone got four ounce samples of six types of Anchor Steam beers, which the boy thoroughly enjoyed. The tour guide did a great job of keeping the beer flowing and chatting up the guests. All together, it lasted about two hours. And it was completely, totally free! Ironically, we were nearly crushed by a Miller Lite truck while parked outside on De Haro Street before the tour. So watch out for those guys.

    (5)

  • Mai N.

    A must go to place now whenever I'm in sf. Love the tour and tourguide!! But most of all love the beer.

    (5)

  • Vanessa L.

    I've been to Ancher Steam Brewery twice now and both experiences were amazing. This is a must visit if you are a SF resident.

    (5)

  • Dani Z.

    2011 Homebrew Club of the Year was honored to Pacific Gravity Homebrew Club, and Anchor welcomed us with free beer and an amazing BBQ spread. This company really values it's patrons and it shows. Free posters, pins, food, and beer....SWEET!

    (5)

  • Dan M.

    I won't try to be different and say this tour didn't rock...because it did. We were early for our tour, so we had to kill about 20 minutes waiting outside (parking during the weekdays where the brewery is actually isn't terrible--there's spots on a slant about a block away and even parking in front of the building if you get there early), but got to see some of the grains being poured into a large truck to keep us entertained. Once inside, Nick, our tour guide, did a good job of explaining how the beer is made and showing us the various stages it goes through, from creating it to bottling it. But, you're obviously not there for that...the real "money" is the tastings. Eight of them in generous 4 oz pours while he tells more stories of the history of the brewery. All of them were good, and it's amazing they don't charge for this, because they would make a killing (and if they served food--forget about it). There's a few lunch spots down the street also if you want to coat your stomach beforehand or chow down in the postgame. You also get to choose a free poster at the end, which is of decent quality, and not the crappy giveaways you usually get. If you are lucky enough, take this tour, but book early...I booked it in June or July for an October visit.

    (5)

  • Ryan J.

    We chose Anchor to do our business strategy report on for a project as SF State undergrad students. Long story short - the tour was terrific. Our tour guide, Jarrett, was knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly during every aspect of the tour from the history to the tasting. For a free tour including free and nearly unlimited tasting, you cannot ask for a more fun experience without spending money. I'm a big fan of Anchor and have always enjoyed their beers but haven't made the effort to tour the brewery until recently. Making reservations with a party bigger than or equal to 8 gives you a higher priority on the booking list, and also makes for a lot of fun. Highly recommended & I would be happy to go again.

    (5)

  • Kevin P.

    Anchor Steam is a beautiful brewery in a beautiful spot with a beautiful view and beautiful equipment. You can experience all that beauty if you book a free tour. This is the best free tour I have ever been on. They share a ton of interesting information about the history of Anchor Steam and beer in general. The tour guides are both knowledgeable and likable. Also, they serve you a ton of delicious beer at the end of the tour. You should stop reading this review and call right now and set up a tour. In a few months when your date comes up, you will be really really happy that you called immediately. You really get the feeling that the people who work at this brewery love their jobs. When you visit you will respect what they have going on. Very classy, Anchor Steam, you guys are awesome!

    (5)

  • Eddie H.

    The fact that out of 164 reviews thus far (as of 04.28.09) the lowest rating is 4 star review should speak volumes of this company. Most of the reviews here will speak to the consumerist side of the product(s) that Anchor Brewery produces (and yes, I am a big fan), but I've chosen to touch upon the business side of the company in this review. I highly recommend reading the book Small Giants: amazon.com/Small-Giants-… Once you read this book, you will gain a much deeper sense of appreciation not only of the beer but of the brewery itself. I am huge fan of educational pieces that can tie back to subjects that I can relate to - in this case, the book Small Giants and Anchor Brewery. After reading about the company, I knew I had to eventually take the tour someday and once I did, I was not disappointed at all. Sure, you can sample their beers and depending on how quickly you can pound beers you can get pretty buzzed and even recklessly drunk in the time allotted for a tour, but apart of you will want to remain sober to digest all the rich history behind this company. The people that work here really enjoy their jobs which is a testament to the culture of this company. Do you know how much companies would dish out to replicate the sense of morale and ownership that the employees of this company have here? I can't even begin to fathom that. The end product is just one small representation of what this company embodies. Fritz Maytag is one the most important figures in the U.S. craft brewery history. His vision came at a time when there were only 70 breweries left in the U.S. (down from 2,000+); his work inspired other like Ken Grossman (founder of Sierra Nevada). Even if you don't like the beers here, you cannot overlook the work Fritz has done over the years. All beer enthusiasts should raise a pint to him. Simply put, you have to tour this place - there is simply no excuse for you not to especially if your are a local. You'll learn a great deal of the company's history and some cool random tidbits such as Bill Cosby trying to become an investor in the 1970s (because he was such a huge fan) but was ultimately turned down. When sampling beers, if you are a fan of strong beers, get a half and half of Foghorn Ale and a stout for a quenching refreshment that will leave you thirsting for more before your cup has yet to dip below the halfway mark. After you checked out this place and read up on the history and culture, you'll never look at another beer the same way. (For another good read, check out the Harvard Business School case study on the Mendocino Brewing Company).

    (3)

  • Tom S.

    Are you kidding me?!? Where have I been to wait so many years to tour this brewery?!? Amazing story. Very active, fun and educational sticking your head into the wort. Beers I did not know they sold and we all loved their higher alcohol beers which is a huge compliment. Joao, the taproom manager gave us the tour - he is totally cool. Turns out he's also an Aggie from UC Davis and was in the Aggie Band as I was. His wife was there and she also went to UC Davis and played in the band. Small world. Take this tour! So laid back and very SF.

    (5)

  • Shannon L.

    I feel like I'm part of a special club now that I've gone on the Anchor Brewing Tour. The tour that is only available during the weekday (too bad for you working folk) and the tour that you have to make reservations 6 weeks in advance for! I arrived a little past the hour and the tour had already started but luckily the guide was giving some background info at the bar so they hadn't walked out of my sight. Andrew (he looks like Bill Murray + Quentin Tarantino), our tour guide, was very knowledgeable in both the history and the science behind this beer. The entire tour lasted about an hour, including six tastings. And boy, are they generous with the tastings!! They practically give you six 8 oz. cups. There were a lot of foreigners on our tour so this is actually a good opportunity to meet people. The crowd was diverse in age, ethnicity, and everything. I would recommend going with a group of friends because drinking with one other person can be kind of strange especially during the day. They have a distillery downstairs (you don't get to see it) where they make their Old Potrero whiskey which they are licensed to make but not sell. Btw, you can only take pictures in the bar room and where the beer vats are.

    (4)

  • Steven R.

    A history lesson as taught through beer. Sign me up. Anchor is an awesome way to learn how and why Anchor is the real San Francisco treat. Locally born and raised, you learn fun facts about the beer and the whole "steam" thing. A tour of the brewing facility makes you appreciate just how much these guys do given the size of breweries with seemingly equal branding. From the ingredients, to the fermenters to the bottling line, you get to check it all out. The tour guides are usually pretty good and personable. Apparently they used to hire someone just to do the tours but they've shifted to having actual brewery employees give the tours. Another somewhat unfortunate change is that you could get tanked here essentially for free. The first time, the tour guide filled some pitchers, left them on the counter and stood by for questions noting that we could go until the next tour started. This time they issue a taste or two with a potential refill if you play your cards right. As with most breweries you can get your fill of schwag (sweatshirts, hats, etc) if so desired. A great event for a birthday, special occasion or even if you're bored and want to know more about beer.

    (5)

  • Chris T.

    Even if it weren't free, touring Anchor Brewing Company would be a fun and tasty way to spend an afternoon. On the tour, not only will enjoy generous free beer samples and witness the delicious brew being methodically and meticulously produced, you will learn the reason it is called Anchor "Steam Brew" (rather than "Anchor Steam" Brew).

    (5)

  • Calvin W.

    $FREE.99?! i'm sold!! interesting history lesson with the free tour and plenty of FREE BEER. why are you even still reading this? go to drink and be merry!

    (5)

  • Sandy D.

    Fabulous tour !! 1. All the beers for tasting were excellent and FREE 2. Well organized tour, and the guide Jeremiah was very entertaining and informative. 3. Did I see Free beer !? Generous pours too. I got an assorted box home.

    (5)

  • Leslie G.

    Great tour! Make sure you get a reservation far in advance. A sample of every beer they have on tap (5) is included with the free tour. Lots of interesting information about Anchor and beer in general. Do it!

    (5)

  • Scott G.

    I came here with my girlfriend for our one year anniversary. I have done quite a few beer/distillery tours and this was the best one so far. I made a call on February 29th to Anchor Brewing to set up a Friday afternoon tour and was told that they were completely booked for the next six months (this was to be expected) but that if I called early the next day, they would have openings for the entire month of September for any day I liked because they only make reservations a maximum of 6 months in advance and it starts at the beginning of each month. So my word of advice is: plan 6 months in advance for a Friday tour & call on the first day of the month. The actual tour was a lot of fun. Our tour guide was very fun and enthusiastic. He gave us a great history lesson on the various different locations of the factory, the history of the owners and chronological timeline of when each beer was created. We got to see each stage of production during the tour of the factory, followed by a sampling of every single beer they make (with the exception of their "small" beer since they do not make it on tap). By far, my favorite is the Old Foghorn Barley wine. If you come across it in the city, I recommend you give it a taste but watch out, it is a very strong beer.

    (5)

  • Kim N.

    Back in college I had friends that lived in Chico and Sierra Nevada was a way of life there. My college was filled with Sudwerk. We all ended up around the bay area and what's more SF Beer than Anchor? I guess I knew about it even before moving here and didn't think about what it was to be local. Of course places like Magnolia, 21st Amendment, etc. are starting to move to the forefront but Anchor was one of those pioneers that opened the door for those folks way back when. Even though they're owned by Skyy now, there's still a lot of history to be found behind the name

    (4)

  • Jennifer A.

    There is a reason Anchor Brewing Company has an average five star yelp rating from hundreds of reviews...their tour and beer are great! I was lucky to join a group of friends on a tour (which I hear took months to book). Found it very informative and the best thing - beer tastings after. And very generous ones at that. I was very happy. I love their bottles, their long local history, and their refreshing, yet flavorful beers!

    (5)

  • Catriona C.

    5 stars for free tours. 5 stars for 75% of the tour. 25% gets a 2 star as the tour group was too large and at one section of the tour we had no idea what the guide was saying. 5 stars for getting to walk around a rather lovely brewery. 5 stars for the 6 beer tastings at the end - having had the steam beer and the summer ale, it was great to try out the other beers Anchor Steam have in their portfolio. Delicious! Definitely a gem that isn't known enough around town.

    (5)

  • Annette Y.

    Hands down, the best beer tour I have ever been on -- to be honest this was my first beer tour and it's FREE! My friend was visiting from LA and she made reservations almost 6 months ago. I had no idea what this place was, since I'm fairly new to drinking beer. I'm allergic! But, I thought, hey..I'll try it out. When we got there we were greeted by a very friendly young feller who told us we could go upstairs to the tasting room. As we entered the door, we see a bar full of beer bottles and different types of beer on tap. Yay! We have arrived! At the start of our tour, our guide gave us a little history about the brewery. He asked several questions and of course, I had no idea but he was very funny and entertaining and helped us out. After about 20 minutes, we finally entered the brewery. This is probably the cleanest factory I have seen. Our tour guide gave us a 40 minute tour and explained to us why Anchor does what it does, etc. He also talked about brewing beer -- if you like to brew your own beer, I suggest you go here! I learned a few things, but to be honest, I just wanted to try different samples of beers. So, after 40 minutes had past, we get to the end of the tour... We end up in the tasting room. Sweet! We get to try several types of beer. We see one of the factory workers enter and grab a glass. He gladly pours himself a glass...how cool is that? Free beer all day long. Anyways, back to my story...we get to try several types of anchor steam beer. I think my favorite was the summer beer - I'll take two, please! I was able to substitute the summer beer for the dark beers. I don't like dark beer. I highly recommend this place. Our guide was awesome! Very entertaining and I think he had a background in theater because he was very animated. We ended up buying a few souvenirs -- the best part was that the souvenirs are cheap. We ended up buying a shirt ($10) & anchor steam beer glasses, about $4 each. Loved it. I will come back.

    (5)

  • Kendall B.

    This tour is a must! I surprised by boyfriend and his brother for their birthday's with the tour. Since it's my boyfriend's favorite beer and their dad used to deliver for Anchor back in the day, it was a perfect place to go! Our tour guide, I can't remember his name but I want to say Jeremiah..., anyways he was really knowledgeable and fun. He gave us a history of the company and then walked us around the brewery. It was cool to learn about how they make the beer and how they keep things original. After the tour, you sample 8 of their beers. They are all, of course, delicious! You get a free poster as a souvenir to take home, but we also bought shirts. You must make a reservation months in advance though. The tours fill up fast. I made mine 3 months before we went, but I also had a group of 10 to plan for.

    (5)

  • Mike S.

    The condition of Anchor Steam.....Approx. 5 months ago I went on a tour of your company and noticed it in spotless, clean immaculate condition. A couple weeks ago I again went on a tour and noticed a def. change. The floors were dirty, and other areas of the company were not clean what so ever. What happened to Anchor Steam cleaning company ???

    (1)

  • Daniel S.

    Wow, the first thing to say is that this was unbelievably fun. I grew up watching my Dad drink Anchor Steam and it seems only appropriate that it's now one of my favorite local beers. I'd wanted to do the tour over the summer but the timing never came together, and as a result I made sure that it would fit into my schedule on this visit home. The tour itself was was both interesting and fun and of course of the highlight was the tasting. The number of beers on tap was pretty impressive and the X-Mas was definitely a highlight. Regardless of if you like beer or not if you're in San Francisco and have the opportunity you should absolutely visit this brewery.

    (5)

  • Ashish K.

    Very detailed and thorough tour. Some really really good beer here apart from the famous Steam beer.

    (4)

  • Tom P.

    I've toured a lot of breweries/wineries over the years. This one is great! I toured as a part of a work event, so I can't discuss difficulty of scheduling. But the tour is good. You see all parts of the brewing process, hear why it's "steam" beer, and hear about the history of San Francisco brewing. The tour ends with a stop in the tasting room, where you can taste a large number (6-8?) of Anchor's beers for free! By the time I tasted them all, I had a definite buzz. The best way to go back to work. They said they'd soon be offering tours of their distillery, and, more importantly, tastings of their SF-made hard liquors.

    (5)

  • Courtney M.

    First of all...its a brewery...which automatically earns at least 3 stars.. Secondly, I was here for a cocktail week event, so my experience here might be much different than the others that you might be reading. But anywho, I will get right to it. Great beer. I am not hard to please with beer, but I can definitely appreciate the really great ones. Don't ever give me a coors light to sip on... that should be used strictly for beer drinking games. I have always like anchor steam beer, and so I went straight for my free taste of that. And although this has nothing to do with the brewery itself, the food was amazing! Lots of different little tastes... and they were all SO satisfying. Whoever thought to make little fried balls of risotto was thinking on their feet. They were little drops of heaven! The only complaint I had was the temperature... it was a hot night in SF so I understand that it was harder than usual to get cool air inside, but holy cow..it was probably 10-15 degrees warmer in that room! But being amongst all the equipment and seeing the brew masters attending to the machines was fantabulous. Lastly... THE VIEW!!! Holy canoli, that view was stunning at night time. Gorgeous lights from the city and the bay bridge were just a look away. Thank you anchor brewing company for a pleasant visit!!

    (4)

  • Chris R.

    I went to the Anchor Steam brewery tour which I have been wanting to go on for a long time. I called just a few days before and since I was going "solo" they were able to fit me in. The tour was short but sweet and fun. Andrew our gracious and friendly tourhost who found this job on craigslist! was pretty knowledgable and all the staff were real friendly. The best was the tasting. I didn't care for most of the beers but the main anchor steam and one other really strong and sweet one I've forgotten the name of now. They even gave me a free poster! Long live anchor steam, oh and the taco truck outside was pretty good.

    (5)

  • Jane K.

    Thank you yelp. I wouldn't have found this without you. This tour was amazing. I highly recommend to anyone interested in beer. The tour itself was informative and interesting. The beer tasting afterwards was awesome. I booked the 10AM a month in advance because they didn't have the 1pm. The beers were awesome, the guide was great and the facilities are pretty easy to get to. I just hopped on some bart bus and it left me right outside the place. If I ever make plans to go to SF again, this will be the first thing I fit into my schedule!

    (5)

  • Lena Y.

    I've been here twice now. You have to usually book at least a few weeks in advance; if you know your schedule well in advance, I'd recommend aiming to book a few months in advance. They offer tours twice a day, every weekday. I wish there was some sort of online system where you could book tours, but you have to call and go through their automatic message system before you talk to a person to book the tour. They allow you to book for up to 10 people at once. Although that's a very minor gripe for an excellent tour that's FREE! What else can you ask for? (Free beer samples?? They've got those too!!! And it's a surprisingly large amount of beer! 8 different samples. In fact, I started asking for half-samples halfway through because it was just way more beer than I anticipated.) Located a little bit out in the middle of nowhere. You can definitely smell the beer before you realize that the building you're standing next to is the brewery you're looking for. They start at the tasting room with the history of the brewery as well as the basics of brewing the beer, then go on to touring the brewery. The brewery was smaller than I'd imagined it to be. The tour guides are very knowledgeable. The first time, we had this girl who wasn't very enthusiastic. She knew her stuff - she just seemed kindof tired and not very excited. Perhaps it was an off day for her? The second time though, we had this different guy who was VERY enthusiastic about EVERYTHING, and that definitely helped make the tour a lot more interesting, even though it was my second time around. Protip: Free posters in the tasting room!!! One of them comes with a nifty case to hold it in!

    (5)

  • Frankie D.

    I've been on a Porter kick as of late but I wasn't able to find one that tasted as good from the bottle as they do on tap until I discovered Anchor Porter at my local Whole Foods. I first tried Anchor Steam while on a trip to San Francisco but I was unaware that I could have visited their brewery. After trying the Porter, I looked Anchor Steam up online and was estatic to find out I could visit their brewery. On my last trip to Frisco I made a trip here and did I enjoy it.

    (5)

  • Billy C.

    This has been a fun beer tour I took today. The sad part was I had 9 friends who bailed out on me so I went solo. Nevertheless, the staff was friendly. The tour was informative and fairly quick. The tastings were nice ( a good healthy pour). It was good to know that I can purchase a case or two at the brewery if the stores run out. I would definitely go there again, again, and again.

    (5)

  • Caitlin K.

    I came here a while ago to buy some Christmas gifts for work and couldn't have been more impressed. I can't wait to go back soon! Pros: amazing tour, extremely personable and knowledgeable staff, clean/easy to access facilities, great selection and wonderful tasting room Cons: understandably the tasting room was a little crowded Anchor Steam is one of my favorite beers and can sometimes be hard to find (have lived in Virginia and now live in Arizona after growing up in the Bay Area). If you ever are looking for something to do in the city and/or are a beer aficionado, Anchor Steam is a must!

    (5)

  • Susan F.

    Loved the brewery tour and the 7 beers we got to try. Our guide, Tiegan was so knowledgeable and had a great disposition about her. It was awesome to hear that Anchor Steam was the first among many in brewing in the US. They are actually moving their distillery soon across the street so that tour will be held in a different area. Our tour of the whole brewery took about 40 minutes and the rest of the time we drank beer! Their beer memorabilia is very cheap, too! **Book ahead, WAY ahead. This tour fills fast and we did ours on a Friday morning at 10am! **Also, cabs are NOT plentiful in the area, so have a DD or call a cab company prior to the end of the tour.

    (5)

  • Abc X.

    I went on a private tour at the Anchor Steam Brewery for my sister's birthday. Some people showed up as late as 30 minutes and the tour guide happily chatted and poured beers for us while we waited. He even offered us free pizza from Goat Hill Pizza. The tour was excellent. Our tour guide was Daniel. Daniel knew the brewery, beer and history inside and out. He is very charismatic and happily answered all of our questions and made the tour a lot of fun. The brewery is very nice, the equipment is beautiful and the employees seemed very happy. I've done the tour twice before (2002 and 2012) and enjoyed it very much every time! The beer is also great!

    (5)

  • Gary R.

    The crème de la crème of microbrew makers in my humble opinion. Their beers are PACKED with high quality ingredients. The brewery is phenomenal, a national landmark of all things American and micro. They have never sold out in any respect, and that is why they continue to quietly dominate their niche market. I am a big fan of the flagship brew "Anchor Steam." It is such a fitting beer for San Francisco's cool climate, great chowders, sourdoughs and maritime history. The Liberty Ale is also quite good.

    (5)

  • Mike R.

    Came here for the tour. Daniel was our guide, very knowledgeable. I enjoyed the beer tasting had about 2 pints.

    (5)

  • Priscilla S.

    Love free BEER? Take a tour at Anchor Steam Brewery! it's Free! Just really hard to get unless you make a reservation ahead of time. All you have to do is call :) You meet in the Tap room which has all the Beer for tasting and Merchandise shop, were you can buy a original Anchor Steam Tap Handle for $12 bucks! They offer free posters, and Anchor Steam Collector coins :) ...then after the tour of the tap room, the tour guide takes you in the brewery's get to see everything and even get information about Anchor Brewery Gin and Whiskey production! really hard to find and is top shelf quality. After the tour is all done you get to try 5-6 Beer tasting and if you book in SF BEER WEEK, which I did...you get to try 8! They are featuring Zymaster which is my favorite and hope they keep it going. Much recommended if your coming to San Francisco! Must Book in advance!!! (months)

    (5)

  • J. R.

    Back in my childhood when I drank beer, Anchor Steam was my go-to favorite. I took the very informative tour a million years ago. Everything was very shiny and clean and they gave us beer and hotdogs at the end. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy about San Francisco.

    (5)

  • Wes T.

    I've been a long time fan of this brewery and the fact that Fritz more or less saved craft beer making in America. I've had just about every style of beer they produce, and I am well acquainted with their company. That's the beer geek in me. So, as a birthday treat, I was given a tour of this fine facility. I was impressed the second I hopped out of the cab because I could smell the mash from outside. Oh man! The tour itself was good, and it was interesting to see this little craft beer mecca in person. As they explain, Anchor is not about innovation, it is about tradition and history. When you go through the building you see that, with all the classic bottles and other memorabilia. I was impressed that they do the bottling here, in addition to the brewing. This really is a fully self-contained operation. Anyone who is interested in beer, San Francisco, or history will like this place. I highly recommend.

    (5)

  • monica c.

    Drinking in the afternoon...What's not to love? Cheery and Informative tour guides. A massive room filled with hops. Seeing the entire process close-up. I mean really, I could have reached out and grabbed a beer off the assembly line if I wanted to. But don't do that. That's poor form. And will probably get you kicked out before the best part of the tour... Six or ahem eight tastings including old foghorn. Awesome antique posters and signage to peruse while you taste. Oh, and did I mention...old foghorn. I'm in love :)

    (5)

  • Michael W.

    If you've never done the tour you should. We did a private tour with some of my relatives and friends and had a blast the beer was fantastic and the tour director was awesome. We even got to sample some of their GREAT whiskey.

    (5)

  • Ali L.

    We got the golden ticket....we got the golden ticket! The minute I walked through those doors and up those stairs I was expecting to see a little orange Oompaloompa walk past in an adorable white jumpsuit singing about beer. Instead I saw 2 grown men dressed in jumpsuits stirring a vat of FogHorn and I nearly peed myself. It was close enough. Not only had we scored the coveted golden ticket to a private Anchor Steam Brewery tour, but it was on a Friday night and we had the run of the place. FogHorn and Liberty Ale and Porter oh my! If you had compared my reaction to my experience at the Anchor Steam Brewery to my first experience at DisneyWorld at the tender age of 6 you wouldn't be able to tell the difference (aside the fact that I'm now 5'11" and have all sorts of womanly curves, but whatevs). The whole time I kept ooohing and aaahing with the same enthusiasm a kid would have getting their picture taken with Mickey Mouse. How I went from a Willy Wonka to a Disney reference in the same review speaks volumes at how amazing it is to get inside this brewery. Anchor Steam Brewing Company makes kids outta all of us, albeit a slightly tipsy, borderline alcoholic kid, but who's judging.

    (5)

  • Caitlin C.

    I'm from Boston, but I've been dying to take a tour of this Brewery ever since my very first taste of Steam beer a couple years ago. When I went to San Francisco last spring I attempted to make a reservation, but it turns out that you must call 2-3 months in advance. This year I wasn't taking any chances. I called in early March and made a booking for May 24th. This tour is a lot different from other brewery tours. Molly, our guide, gave us a quick history lesson on the brewery (which was quite interesting) and then she took us on a walk through the brewery, explaining each of the brewing steps. The way Steam beer is brewed is very unique and it was really fascinating to learn about the process. Another fun fact (which I am sure has been mentioned in other reviews) is that they also distill their own Whiskey (Old Potrero) and Gin (Junipero and Genevieve). Unfortunately, we didn't get to taste the spirits, but you can find them in certain establishments (Nopa, for one) throughout the city. Of course, the best part of any brewery tour is the complimentary beer at the end. We got to try 6 different varieties: Steam, Summer, Liberty, Humming, Porter and Old Foghorn Barley Wine. I particularly enjoyed the Humming Ale (I even ordered it later that evening at Jack's in the Cannery), but the Barley Wine and Porter were also quite intriguing. As of now, I have only encountered Anchor Steam and Liberty Ale on the East Coast, but hopefully some of the other flavors will eventually make their way out here.

    (5)

  • Kevin C.

    I went on the Anchor Brewing Company's awesome free tour of their brewery during May 2013. I was greeted by the front desk staff, who instructed me to go up stairs and through their office into the waiting area. The tour started off with the very basic history of the Anchor Brewing Company and their steamed beer. It was great to see how a beer is made from scratch. The guide, Jared was extremely knowledgable and friendly. They had around ten different beers available for tasting and I would recommend this tour to anyone.

    (5)

  • Ms. M.

    It takes awhile to get into, but its free and the beer is really good (and I'm not a big beer drinker). Plan in advance and get a real tour of SF history. Our guide was Daniel and he was super fun! Highly recommended activity. 4 instead of 5 stars as I wouldn't recommend allowing screaming babies on the tour. The brewery echos & magnifies sound. That kind of sucked.

    (4)

  • John P.

    I went today with some guys from work and truly had an awesome tour. Our tour guide, Molly, was absolutely awesome and really helped us to enjoy the tour! You need to book the tour WELL IN ADVANCE! This is a must do if you love beer and can fit it in to your visit, or if you live here come back as often as you can. I definitely will!! JP

    (4)

  • Dan L.

    If you're in the area I would highly recommend visiting the brewery, but call ahead to make reservations. You get to take a tour, learn about brewing, hear some SF history, try 5-6 different kinds of beers, and overall have a great time! Also, Daniel, our tour guide/self declared "beer nerd" was funny and informative! Oh, and all of this is FREE.

    (5)

  • Kymberli C.

    We had reservations for 3 months, which I guess wasn't bad since the recording on the machine says you need to plan for 6 months in advanced. We had just come back from Thailand the night before but knew we had to go or else we'd be waiting another few months and the hubby was dying to go since he had never been. The tour is still about the same, I didn't really remember it being as short as it was this time around but it was still informative as before. We got to try their new beer, Breckle Brown, which was really good! Always a great tour and I would definitely recommend it to beer lovers! The 6 beer tastings at the end are always a plus.

    (5)

  • Christine S.

    I called on a Monday, asking if they happen to have openings the next day, and the guy said at 10am. 10am seems a tad early for a brewery tour, but when you try to plan a day of hooky, you take what you can get. And take is what I/we did. In our two hours at Anchor Steam, we got: - An amazing tour from their amazing guide, Joe (and cute too!). - Samples of six different beers, enough to get buzzed at that time if you haven't eaten breakfast yet, ie: me. - Poster and postcard for tourists to send to their friends back home to show off a cool thing they did while they visited the Bay Area - Roommate advice from Joe. How come no one has mentioned his good looks?! Guess I developed a crush while I was there too. Holler at me, Joe.

    (5)

  • Ronnie S.

    anchor steams makes some great beer. this is a brewery and they have brew tours. you can not just show up and taste beer here. call ahead and find out when you can take a tour. when you take the tour you will have fun and learn alot.

    (4)

  • Eric L.

    This was a tough review for me. I'm not a big fan of... 1. The beer itself. Anchor Steam Beer "gained a deserved reputation for producing sour, bad beer," says Wikipedia, citing an actual book on American brew history. That hasn't changed much, save for the porter. 2. The fact that it takes 2-3 months to get on a tour. They had no interest in accomodating me coming in from out-of-town, but they'll whore themselves out to bar industry folks who would rather offer better-tasting local beer that actually sells. 3. The size of the groups and kids on the tours. People were letting their snotty children run around the tasting room. And there were at least 25 adults on the tour, which they say is supposed to be limited to groups of 10. Hence, the wait time. All that aside, I'd still recommend the tour. This brewery has more history than most others, and it was fun to learn about and see the more traditional brewing methods being used. The bottling line was especially neat. I almost expected to see Laverne and Shirley and a glove floating on by. And really, there are worse ways to spend a Monday afternoon. Skip out of work, go at 1:00 and you'll be primed for happy hour.

    (4)

  • Miguel S.

    I and a few other members from Castagnola's bar and restaurant came in for an tour and were extremely impressed by the entire experience. Our host was Daniel and I really can't say enough good things about him! His knowledge of the anchor Brewing Company beer selection as well as history was extremely informative and impressive. As a San Francisco native and avid Anchor Steam consumer it was a dream come true to get to have the opportunity to sample the beer selection and learn the creative process from beginning to end. Highly recommended experience!

    (5)

  • Anne N.

    Went on a tour of the brewery. Had to schedule 2 months in advance to get a time slot we wanted, but it was well worth the wait! Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We were shown around and got to see where the magic comes together, along with some historical facts about the brewery, very interesting. The best part was of course the beer tasting in the end, we got to sample (or not just sample, the portions were pretty generous) 7 or 8 different beers in the Anchor Family - enough to make me feel a bit tipsy: and everything was free! Would love to go back!

    (5)

  • J R.

    Came here for my brother's birthday a few weeks ago....Really a cool tour!! It was really interesting and our guide was very informative and answered all the crazy people's 500 million questions about beer! lol...At the end of the tour you get to try out a bunch of different beers and they have some cool stuff to buy...I would definitely go again...You just have to make the reservation months in advance, but it's free!

    (5)

  • Peter K.

    A must for visitors! Great tour, EXCELLENT guide, Jeremiah. 7 samples of delicious beer afterwards.

    (5)

  • Anthony R.

    Anchor brewing company offered a pretty in depth tour starting with their history as well as some brief lessons on actual brewing. Daniel was our guide for this tour and he was very knowledgable about the company he works for as well as just beer in general. He was very personable and cordial. We talked about his favorite beers, favorite football teams, brewing, and numerous other things that you would talk with someone about while drinking. The tour covers the vats where they brew, fermentation, hops, and bottling. It's about 45 minutes through the whole thing and in the middle you can stick your head into the room where they store their hops and just get a big whiff of amazing! Once done with the tour you are able to go back to the tap room where you sample brews. While I was there I was able to sample 8 of their brews. Each one was about 4oz and I went back for 2nd's on a couple. I ended up drinking about 3 pints in a 30 - 45 minutes period. I was feeling pretty good. All in all their beers are pretty good. The new California lager was great, but they don't have any intention of bottling it. After everything was said and done I was able to buy some stuff they had for sale. Ended up with a t shirt, 4 pint glasses, a metal sign, and some coasters for 32 bucks. Really not bad prices at all, considering 3 pint of free beer. This tour doesn't disappoint, and if you are a fan of beer at all you should check this tour out

    (5)

  • Nate M.

    For the cost of a couple cab rides, I got drunk on great beer, in San Francisco, before noon. You've got to make a reservation for the tour as soon as possible, months away if you can. Most people visiting SF stay on the Wharf side of the city cause there's a lot to do and you can walk everywhere. The brewery is on the other side, near the baseball stadium. The tour is informative and quick, a great way to learn how beer is made, from the hops to the bottle. Once the tour is over, you head back upstairs to the main lobby/bar. Everyone gets 8-oz glasses and the fun begins. Your tour guide is now your bartender. You don't run through all of the beers they brew, you walk. Your guide talks a little about each beer and then you get to have as much of it as you want until everyone is ready to move on the the next one. As far as I could tell, you can drink as much as you want. Back to the point I first made, pay for the cab rides, you'll need to.

    (5)

  • Karen K.

    Free tour, free beer, what's there not to love? Probably not the best idea to go with an empty stomach as you do get 6 full tastes of beer. I was definitely buzzed toward the end and I was only doing half the tastings. (Cue the lightweight jokes!) My favorite part of the tour (Besides the whole tasting part) is the hops room. You go in there and you're hit by the complex smells of the hops they put in their beers. I swear my nose and my tastebuds latched onto the citrusy notes of the hops of the first beer I tried (yes, I was so buzzed I forgot the names of what we'd tried). It was sensory delight!

    (5)

  • Andrew C.

    Anchor has a long and interesting history. The tour was a fantastic way to learn more brewing. Enjoyed tasting a variety of beers and had a pleasant outing.

    (5)

  • Liz D.

    AMAZING! I have lived in the bay area for years and all the times I go out drinking beer not once did I even think about going to the Anchor Brewing Co. to do their tour. I really enjoyed it. Our tour guide was an actor in the making, very animated. He spoke pride about Anchor and how it became such a great brewing company. I learned a lot about their beers and I didn't realize that they made different types of beers, they are all so good. You get about 7-8 tastings. The summer beer was refreshing, but my favorite is the brown ale. Yummy. They recommend you book far in advance to make a reservation. So when I called this past Wed., I was told there was an open spot at 1pm on Thurs. It was perfect timing for me. Best of all the tour and tastings are free, nice bonus. I really enjoyed the tour, and want to go back again soon. So for all you beer fans out there; I recommend you do the tour at Anchor. They offer two tours a day, one at 10am and one at 1pm. The total time is two hours. It's worth going and learning about good tasting beer brewed in the best city in the nation. :)

    (5)

  • Corey V.

    I'm a big fan of this brewery and I had a good time on the tour. I think most people who go on these tours have a good sense of how beer is made and may have even looked up the history before visiting. I know I did. I still find it interesting to see how a local business can put out a great product known around the world. One star off for allowing kids on the tour. Especially one under the age of 6. That kid never shut up the whole tour.

    (4)

  • Julie C.

    Awesome brewery tour! Favorite things about it: -We got to sample 6 different types of their beer -Our tour guide was really funny, but still kept the tour short and sweet -It was totally free! -Bonus: it was in walking distance to the Mission, so we took the 1:00 p.m. tour and walked over just in time for happy hour : ) Be sure to book early, the tours fill up months in advance!

    (5)

  • Lily K.

    I got ridiculously lucky to get a tour of this place. If you are at all interested in brewery tours and plan on visiting SF, get on a list to take this one asap. The local history and story is great, seeing the various stages of brewing is cool, and sampling the beer is the best part. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and our guide knew her stuff and was a bit of a bonus because she worked in the distillery so we got to learn about that aspect too. Also, the beer is really good! I suggest trying the full line up from pale to stout. Also wins points for having so many wheat free varieties.

    (5)

  • Karen S.

    Wonderful tour... make sure to call way in advance to get a spot. The building is beautiful and the tour guide way very knowledgable. To top it all off you get 8 4-ounce pours at the end (2 free beers?!?! awesome!!) I'll definitely make it a habit of coming here when visiting the fam-bam =]

    (5)

  • Josh K.

    As part of my bucket list of things to do before leaving SF I made it out to the Anchor Brewery. It was extra cool seeing the huge mash tuns and wort kettles, but what wowed me the most was the crazy industrial bottling line filling tens of thousands of bottles per hour. And of course, there's an automatic 5-star rating for the free beer tasting. I got to try their Old Foghorn barleywine which was exceptionally good. I even picked up a little metal wall thing for the brand, since it was only $5, and it'll serve as a great piece of SF memorabilia when I'm 3000 miles away. :)

    (5)

  • Aaron H.

    I came here for the beer week kick off event last week. Great space, good beer, what more can you ask for?

    (5)

  • Mariko F.

    Since I moved to San Francisco 8 months ago, I have wanted to go here. Finally, I had a weekday off and got booked on the 11am tour (they run two tours a day, 11 and 2) at Anchor Brewing Co. Living in Potrero Hill, I have been often tormented by the sweet smell that comes out of here. Sometimes, you walk to the train station in the morning and your stomach starts to rumble, craving that sweet hops. When you are in the brewery, the smell is even stronger and tortures you further. You walk by a room packed with hops (it looks like pot...) and get to see the bottles get filled and labeled. You see the brewer stir the giant vats, all the while, the sweet aroma killing you. Until you get to the tasting that is... Now, when I was told "tasting" I though you would get a shot glass... or a bit shot glass. No. You get a glass. It's not a pint or anything, but it's about 300ml. And you get 5 of those. I started asking for half glasses after the third because it was barely past noon. I got to taste the Old Foghorn, which I had not yet tried, and loved it. It's so sweet and creamy -- the beer's answer to the dessert wine. And the Christmas Ale, that released today, was great too. It's so spicy and rich. It would be perfect with pork or duck. My mouth is watering... And the best part: this was all free. As soon as I have a weekday off again, I'll be calling in for another tour.

    (5)

  • Andrei Z.

    I can't believe that I've been in Bay Area for 6 years and in San Francisco for almost 2 and I've only now gone on a tour of the Anchor Brewing Company. This is unacceptable - I will have to make up for it by visiting several more times this year and doing some quality assurance testing on their beers. Gene X. organized the tour for a few of our friends and it was great. Mike, the tour guide, did a great job showing us around and telling us about the history of Anchor and about the brewing process. Since I brew beer myself, it was especially interesting to see the equipment they use and see how the brewing happens at this scale. Somehow I expected the brewery to be larger, but all the Anchor beer in the country comes from the big 3 copper kettles/tuns that they have here. We didn't get to see the bottling process because they just finished and were cleaning up, so if you want to check that out go on the 11am tour instead of the 2pm one. After the tour we had a chance to sample 6 of the beers that Anchor produces regularly: Steam, Liberty Pale Ale, Summer Wheat, Bock, Porter, and Old Foghorn barleywine. I am a big fan of Steam and Bock, but the barleywine was fantastic. It's always great to get free beer, but doing it at a famous brewery on a beautiful San Francisco afternoon is even better. This was a great start to the SF Beer Week.

    (5)

  • D.wight L.

    I've been a big fan of Anchor's beer for a long time, their "Steam" beer to be exact. It is amber hued, nicely balanced and most importantly very local, with ALL their production done here off Mariposa in SF. Pizza with Anchor Steam, seafood with Anchor Steam, takeout Chinese or Thai with Anchor Steam, etc...you get the picture. So when some friends of mine finally set up a trip over here, it was like asking me to go to Mecca. I was all over it. The tour of the brewery itself is very structured and organized (you have to stay in your group and no photos after a certain point, b/c you're literally walking through a "working" brewery.) It is however very informative as the guide was able to answer any question thrown his way. The tour ends in a tasting room where you are able to sample 6 different brews in what appeared to be 8 oz glasses. After not even an hours time of tasting, we've downed over 40 oz of delicious beer. And for anybody whose ever downed a 40 ouncer before noon should know, we were feelin' purty gooood, ifyaknowwhataimean. I even got to try 3 new beers that I usually can't find at stores which were a real treat. And all for FREE. Ya just can't beat that, I'd do it all over again with another set of friends willing to do the tour. Now I see the averaged 5 star rating even well after a hundo reviews. Woohoo! As good as it gets! *burp*

    (5)

  • Robert G.

    The tour was fun and the beer tasting afterwards was incredible. Many of the beers that were poured were small scale productions and are not widely distributed and still had the quality and character that make Anchor beers stand out. Make sure to make your reservation months in advance.

    (5)

  • Emily J.

    Some friends and I booked a tour for a Friday about 2 months in advance. Since we all work "normal" jobs, we needed to plan that far ahead so we could all get the day off. There were probably about 20 - 25 people total. We started the tour and I immediately started not feeling well (I think it was a morning massage plus not drinking enough water that lead to my dehydration.) The non-tour staff were very sweet and brought me water and insisted that I just sit down and wait for the tour to return. Thankfully, I ended up feeling better by the time we got to the tasting portion of the tour. My friends said that I faked not feeling well to avoid learning but I was really sad to miss the tour. They recapped it for me later. The entire tour takes about 45 minutes and then the rest of the time is dedicated to delicious beer tasting. Oh, and it's all free. Yes, free.

    (5)

  • Ooh Lal A.

    I've been road-trippin' to Frisco for years! i love BEER, especially microbrews! I don't know why I haven't visited Anchor Steam Brewery till now. FREE tour & Beer Tasting! What?!?! WOW! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! If you are visiting Frisco, this place is a must see! You get a historical tour of the brewery. We also took our wedding guests to this Free Brewery tour. Everyone had a great time. You can only make reservations for 10 ppl/ person. They give you a tour on all the 4 floors. We had a blasts!

    (5)

  • Bryan W.

    Makes one of my top 5 favorite beers - Anchor Steam and has a kickass brewery tour that serves you ample pours of all their brews.

    (5)

  • Lucia C.

    Fantastic brewery tour. The whole factory also smells like hops- it's a heavenly aroma.. The tour guide took us through every major step of the brewing process- from extraction to fermentation to bottling& packaging. And they ended it with a free beer tasting- they let us try about 6-7 of their beers. MmMMmm beer. They only have tours during the week, so make a reservation and try to a day off work (maybe a sick day- because you're sick for some good beer). My tour went from about 1-3:30 pm on a Friday. Thanks Anchor Steam :)

    (5)

  • Dennis S.

    Free 99? To experience a staple of San Francisco... The tour was quick and informative to get everybody to their favorite part of their visit, the tasting. After the tour, I have a renewed appreciation for Anchor Brewing. I'm looking forward to this years exclusive Christmas brew.

    (5)

  • Ken L.

    Great tour, tour guide is knowledgeable, interesting history and fun watching the whole process, complete with functioning conveyor belt. You get 6 4 oz. tastings at the end of their current tasting menu. All beers are good. Plenty of parking too! It's a shame the tours are only on weekdays.

    (5)

  • Kenny J.

    This is a must for anyone living in the Bay Area who likes beer. Great tour, but only on weekdays and you MUST make reservations in advance. I had a mandatory shutdown and my dad was in town, so it actually worked out and we were able to get a spot on a Thursday morning tour at 11. Oh yeah, beer for lunch. The tour very informative and cool, especially the bottling line. I had no idea the brewery was so small, only employing 60 or so people. Plus, all the beer is brewed in one building in Potrero Hill! The tour group was pretty small, maybe 15-20 people. Of course, the beer tasting was the best part. They use generous sized glasses and we sampled six different beers. I really liked the porter and the Liberty ale. Mmm...I had to ask for half a glass for the last two since I had to drive later after lunch. lol!! Soooo much beer, yet sooo good though.

    (5)

  • moae i.

    AMAAAZING! we walked in randomly on a tuesday, and though the guy at the front desk said they were fully booked for the next three months, he said he could squeeze the two of us in the next day at 1pm (so make reservations in advance!!) when we arrived we were ushered into the waiting room/bar area. there was a bunch of cool beer memorabilia and lots of fun things to look at while we waited. when the actual tour began, our tour guide was funny and very knowledgeable and gave an extensive history of the company and brewery. at the end we got to sample 6 different beers, and pavel ended up walking out kind of tipsy (i drank half of each of mine, and he finished them) our guide also mentioned that they bought the building next door and are going to expand their distillery. we will definitely come back for that! (we really like their junipero gin) also, they don't sell any of their products there....hopefully they will soon!

    (5)

  • Der Maibaum L.

    This is the place to go for GREAT BEER and it's so much fun a friends!

    (5)

  • N. M.

    i was referred to the anchor brewery tour after i mentioned i was going on a trip to san francisco. i went to yelp to scope out the feel of what to expect and all the reviews are pretty consistently good. and after i took the tour, i found out why. (and also why they book very quick.) the reservations were booked about a month and a half to two months in advance and they had a few tours left for the week i was visiting. so it is advised that as soon as you know you're going to san fran, try and book a reservation. the tour was two hours and our guide had wonderful enthusiasm in giving a brief history of the brewery, the general brewing process and the impact anchor has made over the years. plus six 4oz samples of beer at the end does nicely complete the tour. wonderful knowledge on a respected brewery and samples of its brews - entirely FREE. (the only small thing to note is i found that there was not too much to do in the area around the brewery - not at all the fault of the brewery, but just a good note to keep in mind when planning your trip.)

    (5)

  • Xavior G.

    Its amazing in here !! 6 stars !! You got to take a tour of the brewery cause its cheap and its a good time.. Took a bud from out of town here last month cause its not far from work and close to freeways and they got good beers. Its a long tour but you get to drink alot after and you could just show up drunk to cause its more enjoyable like that. Didn't know how beer got made before but now I do so thanks Anchor !! Could be a good place to bring a date or break the ice cause there will be drinks but make sure to ask if she drinks first cause I didn't and got smashed and she didn't like my jokes.. No 2nd date but I don't blame Anchor for that.

    (5)

  • Stephanie W.

    I managed to reserve a tour for a party for 6 about two weeks ago. Without a doubt, this was the earliest I have ever started drinking for a week: 10:45 in the morning on a Monday. When we got there, the bartender even made a pot of coffee and gave us a couple cups to start our morning. The tour was extremely informative and took us all around the brewery to show the old-fashioned way their flagship steam beer is produced. The guides are extremely knowledgeable, but more than that, there is so much memorabilia around the entire establishment that it's absolutely fascinating. We eve learned that Anchor has a distillery section that produces Rye and Gin. I totally didn't know that, but I desperately want to try it now. Best of all, we then got to go to the tasting room after an entire morning of anticipating beer. We had tastes of the Steam, Liberty, Porter, Summer seasonal and their anniversary beer called the Humming, which will be their new fall seasonal. I'd never had the Anchor Porter until then, but it was delicious, and the Humming was one of the most perfect seasonal beers I have ever tasted. Look for it this fall (its first release in bottled form). It's an amazing SF experience with one of my favorite beers and it was the best way to start a Monday and the rest of our week.

    (5)

  • L T.

    Free tour, free beers... Worth the wait... Made reservations 3-4 months in advance. Best Porter EVER!

    (5)

  • K E.

    Good tour with through information on the brewery and it's history. Tour guide Daniel was great and was like a character out of the dead poets society. Generous tastings after the tour and a comfy tasting room to boot. Always great to see where the beer I drink is made.

    (4)

  • Diana R.

    I have always been a fan of Anchor Brewing. I was raised on the stuff because my Dad has been a fan for years. My first beer was Anchor Steam which of course I had at an age that wasn't of drinking age. Every year since 1984, my Dad has saved a bottle of their Christmas beer and around Christmas time they go up as a part of our Christmas decorations. So as a delayed Father's Day present, I took my Dad on a tour of Anchor Brewing followed by the Giants game. First off it took me 6 months to get a tour. We wanted to go on a Friday and it seems that every Friday where a game was going on was booked. As soon as I figured out the system, it was more of a game of when we were available and when they were available. I was really happy we were able to get the time we did because both my Dad and I wanted to go to the Giants game where they were giving out snuggies. The tour itself is amazing. Immediately when you walk in you can smell the barley and hops throughout the brewery. God I absolutely love that smell. They start you off with a tour of the brewery. It doesn't take you too long because well we all know why everyone is really here and that is for the free tasting. You typically get whatever is on tap, which seems to be 6 of their 8 beers. They usually have the seasonal on tap so depending on when you are coming you will probably get their wheat (now their summer ale) or the Christmas beer. Either way it is good beer that is free so no complaining. My favorite beer lately has to be their porter. I have been on a porter/stout kick for a while now and it is just amazing. I even mentioned to my Dad that I should probably pickup a 6 pack at BevMo to have around my house. Molly, our tour guide/pourer is awesome. She knows a lot about the brewery as well as the history. Her stories about Fritz are awesome. Being a bit of a history nut, I was in bliss. This is actually the perfect kind of date where you don't have to spend any money and you have a unique experience. The only downside is that they only do tours Monday through Friday, so you are more than likely taking a day off from work. I'm really glad that I got to experience this with my Dad. He hasn't been on the tour in 20 years and he kept telling me the stories from last time. A lot of the crew in the brewery come up around 3/4 and if you stick around, you will be entertained with stories about working there. I can't wait to go back. Word of caution: Make sure you eat before you go on the tour. Helps with that "protective lining."

    (5)

  • Kelly C.

    Company trip to a Brewery. Why not? I'm not much of a beer fan but after coming to Anchor Brewing Company, I have new found respect for beer esp steamed beer. This place rocks and you kinda feel like you're in an episode of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I was the fat kid who wanted more, more, more. Beer that is.

    (5)

  • Raquel T.

    i didn't really have high expectations for this tour bc i've been to the guinness and heinekin tours.. but at the end of this tour i have to say that this anchor tour was the best.. i wanted to do something for my friend's bday and thought of a 3 part surprise fest.. this was pt 1. i booked a mid-week morning tour, a couple weeks in advance, for a group of 6. we grabbed a quick bite at a hot dog cart nearby before heading in for our tour. once we got there, i was surprised at how many people were allowed on a tour..it was very intimate, less than 40 i think, which i liked.. so our guided tour begins and we walk through each stage of the process..after about an hour of the tour, our tasting begins! we had six 8oz tastings and were able to get refills.. however, i hear they limit the tasting amounts now.. anchor brewing co is a great thing to experience in the city.. and very informative..i would take friends here if they wanted to.. tidbits: reservations are free. friday tours book fast so plan yours way in advance. they offer two time slots: 11am and 1pm.

    (5)

  • Brian A.

    Been on the tour twice.. going a third time next month... yea... it's that good of a tour. What's not to like about free beer? Free Anchor Steam beer at that, one of my all time favorite beers. The beer tour is also fun and you learn a lot of info.

    (5)

  • Johanna P.

    Came here for their free tour. Even though it was a Wednesday afternoon, there were a good amount of people. Our tour guide/expert was incredibly informative and charismatic. We were able to view the whole brewery process. You will truly feel proud of being a San Franciscan. For the tasting, we tried six different kinds of their beer and each glass is about 4oz. (by the end of the tasting, you would of drunken around 2 bottles). Anyway, had a great experience and highly recommend it. Quick tip: Reservations for tour is necessary and should be done in advance. Ample street parking available. The tour is about 2 hours including tasting. Enjoy!

    (4)

  • John A.

    Best brewing tour yet !! Good size samples : ) Great history of the beer. A must see tour by appointment only and it's all free ;)

    (5)

  • Chris D.

    What a great space and learning on how they make the different brews they have on the tour... Thanks Molly. Non-stop pours on what ever Anchor has on tap which is everything except their Small Beer. We tried them all and they have some great beers! Bock is amazing, so go out and grab a 6 pack because it's seasonal and it will run out!

    (5)

  • G. B.

    Real informative brewery tour. Nice to see an old brewery keeping their traditions alive. We got to sample eight different Anchor brews. I highly recommend this brewery tour. Be sure to make reservations well in advance.

    (4)

  • Jean K.

    The tour here rocks! *** Basics: FREE tours M-F at 11AM or 2PM. You should call at least a week in advance. Friday tours get booked up fast.**** anchorbrewing.com/about_… The tour is pretty good. A lot of good info about the history of Anchor Steam and how beer is made. I was really impressed with how clean the facilities were given a brewery is pretty much a chemical plant. I felt like the 45 minutes went by in no time. Then it was on to the tasting! You get to taste (in half pints) the 6 beers they make. And when you're done you can continue drinking as much as you want! Unfortunately, the bar is only open for an hour after the tour (last call at 4PM after the 2PM tour), so drink up!

    (5)

  • Ayrn H.

    We recently took the morning tour and I have to say...the place is impressive and that they offer free tours and tastings are amazing. The 2 stars is for the attitude. Okay, so I got the damn time wrong for the tour. I kept thinking it was at 10:30 in the morning and we all planned around that and got there on time...well on time as in late to their 10:00 tour. Big whopptie f'n doo peeps! It's not like the whole world will end if 5 people are late to your tour. They didn't even get to anther room when we showed up but did that stop people's snottie remarks/attitudes...not one bit! You make beer, I get it...so be happy!!!! Jesus! That was a bad start to our morning, but once this nice gentleman who was in their jumpsuit thingies walked us to the tour, all was okay. Just skip that whole front office area and you are good to go. And Andrew, our tour guide, was a tough nut to crack! Wow...I kept saying "THANK YOU" each time he poured me a taste and only once at the end did he actually smile and say " You are welcome!" Again, you work in a brewery. You should be happy! Shit...I've worked in two wineries and they were the best jobs I had. I just don't get it. I don't think I would return or recommend it. The tour was super short and if you don't go in the morning, that means the bottling isn't going either, so it's not worth it as that was the best part. The tasting was fun but not informative at all. I barely knew what I was tasting as he just didn't care to explain. I think they all need naps and a reality check!

    (2)

  • Tripp W.

    I have been around the block a few times when it comes to brewery tours, so when I say this was one of the better, I speak from experience. Every member of the staff we encountered was super nice and willing to answer any questions. The tour guide was extremely informative about the history of Anchor and the brewing methods they use. As with any brewery tour, the pivotal moment was the tasting. Free pours (4-6 oz) of six of their beers going from light to dark. A very nice sampler of their family of brews. Anchor is a wonderful mid-day stop for a relaxing and informative experience. Oh, make sure to make a reservation in advance!

    (5)

  • Joey S.

    I'm still giving this place 5 stars because it is a fun tour. But I must say that they have downgraded the tasting experience. Previously, they had six 8 oz tastings that you could keep on refilling to your liver's content. Now because of yelpers like YOU it is regulated to exactly six 4oz tastings. It's an ok amount and they do serve good beer, but not exactly worth the effort to book in advance, the anticipation and planning to get out there to not be able to rally.

    (5)

  • Rennie L.

    I don't see how you can not love this place. The tour was very cool and interesting. And of course, the beer tastings afterwards is awesome. One piece of information: they stop the bottling machines at 2pm, so if you want to see them rolling it out Laverne and Shirley style, go on the earlier tour.

    (5)

  • Saunders C.

    It's possible that I like Anchor Steam beer just because I live here and I have a soft spot for it. I was fortunate to visit the brewery for a tour that was set up through a friend. Otherwise, you'll have to have major foresight because you usually have to book these tours months in advance. The brewery tour is ok. We're not talking about Disneyland, here. Actually, the whole operation is much smaller than you'd expect. The building is smack dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood. When you go on the tour, they show you how the beer is made, and the origin of why it's called anchor steam is actually pretty fascinating. If I revealed that fact here, I'd probably ruin the tour for you, so I'll let you find out for yourself. The real highlight, as I'm sure you can guess, is the tasting at the end of the tour. You get to try 4-5 different beers that they brew, some seasonal. The stout was my favorite, but the Liberty Ale is also pretty good. It turns out there's also a distillery here that makes Old Potrero whiskey. It's hard to find in stores because most of the product is sold through bars and restaurants. It just happens that the bar around the corner from the brewery sells it, so I tried it. Nice and smooth. There are usually two tours per day, but I don't think it's everyday, so make sure to check beforehand.

    (4)

  • Nader M.

    amazing information. I became a huge fan of Anchor bears after this tour. this tour includes free beer tasting at the end. and there is no charge for the tour.

    (5)

  • Ashley W.

    This is one of the better brewery tours I've been on and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in seeing a brewery. It is pretty centrally located in Potrero Hill. You need to make reservations for the brewery tour in advance and they are only given twice/day, Monday-Friday. Our tour guide, Joe, was very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of information on both the history of Anchor Brewing and the brewing process. There was a lot of history, which was interesting, as Anchor Brewing has been around since 1896. After seeing much of the production facilities, we got to sample a variety of Anchor's beers. I really enjoyed this, as I had only tried Anchor Steam before the tour. I especially liked Brekle's Brown, a new brown ale, which is not yet available in bottles-- only draft in some bars around San Francisco. If you're in the Bay Area and get a chance to visit Anchor Brewing, enjoy!

    (5)

  • Nicole G.

    This is my boyfriends #1 beer of choice and decided to take him on a tour for his birthday. We both enjoyed it and our tourguide was so awesome. They give you a bunch of tastings from light to dark... unfortunately I wasn't able to try any since I'm expecting :( I advise you book a month ahead since they fill up quick since there are only 2 tours per day. Take advantage if you live in the bay... it's free!!!

    (5)

  • crystel s.

    Best staff. Best tour. Best beer. Thank you, thank you!! I love Anchor Brewing! :)

    (5)

  • Shawn M.

    Went here for the beer tour. I'm not a beer person, but it was fantastic. I learned a bit about the process, and got to see the inner workings of this small yet mighty brewery. It is a rather old fashioned brewery with wood decor, huge copper kettles, and an old fashioned feel. The tour is short, sweet, and excellent. A lot of info provided in the amount of time you're on the tour, and at the end they're generous with a small glass each of each of their different beers (6-7 I think). The girl leading the tour was very nice, talkative, and knowledgeable. I learned a lot about beer and was able to appreciate it a lot during the tasting time. In summary, an awesome tour that was free and completely worth the time.

    (5)

  • Chris R.

    1 o'clock 2 o'clock 3 o'clock DRUNK

    (5)

  • Brooke P.

    I was so happy when I was here. I had to make reservations months in advance in order to get a Friday at 1pm spot. (That's right, you can only schedule tours M-F, either 10am or 1pm). The tour takes about two hours. You spend about 20-30 minutes talking with one of the brewers and go over the history of the brewery. Then you walk around the brewery and see all their unit operations (nod to the engineers). You don't get to see any of their distillery, but they do talk about it. After that, you spend about an hour tasting the beers. You end up drinking a few beers by the way, so don't plan on going back to work if you don't have to. I can't wait to go back! Also, don't forget to try the Breckle's Brown, their newest beer. It's sooo freaking good. Now I'm off to my nearest Whole Foods to buy some Anchor Liberty and Breckle's Brown :D

    (5)

  • Valerie P.

    This place recieves an A for Awesomeness! On the website, it says that you'll need to make a reservation for a tour a month ahead of time, but if you call a couple of days before, you can check to see if anyone has cancelled and you can get in right away. The tour was like being in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory but instead, beer. They give you a detailed history and tour of the Achor Brewing company and at the end they let you try their beers...did I mention, FREE!? They had 6 of the 8 brews of tap, which included: Anchor Steam, Summer Ale, Christmas Brew, Barley wine, Porter, and an IPA (I think). And I didn't know they produced gin and whiskey. They also have a side project where they make wine. Darn, I forgot the name...now it's going to bother me.

    (5)

  • Kenneth R.

    Anchor was there first: they were the first real craft brewers in the US in modern times. Because they've been making a reliable excellent product for the past 35 years, we might forget sometimes how good they are and focus instead on newer local breweries. I agree with the other reviewers: Anchor brews are spot on. I had the privilege of attending an "evening with Fritz Maytag" a couple of weeks ago. I had high expectations, and I was not disappointed! Fritz is proud of his family's long-standing involvement with independent food operations. His grandfather founded the Maytag blue cheese operation in Newton, Iowa. Fritz took over Anchor not long after his graduation from (a certain Palo Alto university that I won't name). He now makes the rye-like Old Potrero, Junipero gin, and wines and a port at York Creek Vineyards -- all this in addition to the Anchor brews. I know the steam beer pretty well, and I always buy some of the Christmas Ale when it comes out late in the fall. On the other hand, I haven't paid sufficient attention to the specialty beers that Anchor makes: Liberty Ale, the porter, the bock, and so on. I'll try to rectify this situation -- real soon.

    (5)

  • Melanie N.

    For those who know me, you know I'm not a huge beer connoisseur...but the past few months I've been hanging around some serious beer drinkers and they've piqued my interest in the libation known as BEER. When I heard that a group was getting together to check out Anchor Steam's tour I figured it would be a good lesson in how this beverage is made! Ended up getting a lot more out of it than I thought! The tour guide was pretty knowledgeable about the brewing process and no only that, the history of the company itself. It has a long, fascinating history all in San Francisco which is rare these days as apparently most of the breweries in the area died out around prohibition! We walked through all the various rooms where they make the beer, the best being the hops room....take a whiff! YUM! (Funny that it was my favorite room as I don't care for hoppy beer all that much!) After the tour we were able to taste (and by taste we were given half pint glasses!) of all six of the beers they had on tap. My favorite by far was the bock beer. I'm not sure I've ever had a bock beer in my life but I know now to look for them. We also got to try the barley wine (Foghorn) which was....interesting. I'd never had barley wine before but had heard a lot about it. At first taste I really didn't care for it....then it became more tolerable, but I'm still not a fan. After spending more than an hour drinking, most of the group walked out of there a little buzzed....and of course it was the best kind of buzz because it was FREE. I definitely think this is one of the best tours to go on if you're visiting SF or even if you live here! And you really can't beat free (GOOD) beer...

    (5)

  • Aaron A.

    Here is the deal. They don't have pub- but that's ok. They have a tasting room which looks exactly like a pub but he beer is FREE! They will pour you good hefty tastes all day and the beer masters will talk with you about anything beer related. Great place for out of towners and locals. Parking: Tons of street parking. You've just been yelped in.

    (5)

  • Courtney N.

    Have been on multiple tours here and have made it a point to always order Anchor at any restaurant that has it on tap. That said, WHY, FRITZ, WHY??? I am hoping and praying that the sale of Anchor to the Griffin Group doesn't change not only the beer, but the institution. Anchor is an SF treasure. Don't screw it up.

    (5)

  • Keara C.

    I had a work "bonding" event here on a Friday morning. (Welcome to the good life...getting paid to drink at 10am is definitely baller status). Back to the review... We had a very pleasant time here. Upon arrival, you wait for the FREE tour to start at the waiting room. When the tour guide is ready, he calls everyone together and starts his spiel about the history, business, and facts of the Anchor Steam Brewing company. He then continues the tour in the brewing room, discussing the huge machines that are used to brew the beer daily. The figures of how many they can bottle is pretty amazing. Can't believe a tiny brewery can make enough beer to serve both nationwide and internationally. We then go down stairs to the packaging section of it. The assembly line was super old school and again you are completely in shocked at their production rate at that facility. The tour ended with a tasting (what everyone was essentially there for). It was really generous. I think we had about 6 or 7 cups of beer on tap. The guy did a great job of explaining the differences and similarities of each beer. He was also lenient and didn't care if you asked for more beer. I was pretty buzzed at the end. I could tell others were too because we all talked really loud on the way out. Great place to be! Too bad it's not accessible by public transportation. I suggest taking a cab here. Also, I heard you need to make reservations in advance (especially for large groups which may take up to one month + in advance).

    (5)

  • T F.

    Reserved a couple spots for the 10 a.m. tour on a Tuesday. Got held up on w/ traffic on the Bay bridge and called to let them know we were running late. Was told they started promptly. (I do appreciate a tour starting on time...no reason to wait for latecomers) Luckily we were only five minutes late, along with some other stragglers. We walked right in and joined the group in progress, with no attitude from the front office...even got a welcoming smile... Enjoyed the informative tour, loved the awesome views looking out those huge windows over the city. Best was the tasting at the tours end. We all bellied up to the bar and Andrew did a great job serving us all (at least 30 on our tour) and answering questions. Good sized samples, est. a 4-6 ounce taste per beer. Street parking only which can be a problem, so factor finding a parking space into your arrival time...that, and the traffic on the bridge!

    (5)

  • Andy G.

    Must go in Sanf Fran! VEry interesting and a good little buzz for free. Everyone was super nice but call and make a reservation at least 6 weeks in advance!

    (4)

  • Tom R.

    I can't believe I haven't written a review of this place yet. This place makes the best beer in the bay area, probably the best in California, and possibly the best beer in the world. The steam beer and the Liberty ale are two perfect beers. They don't use short cuts or cheap fillers. They aren't the strongest beers and the latest trend is over the top alcohol content but I'd honestly have the mellow happy buzz I get from Anchor products over the ragged, crazy, drunkedyness (yes I make up words) from a fortified beer. If you haven't been on the Anchor tour you must go even if you have to call in sick. Anchor never gives me a hangover no matter how much I drink because they use quality ingredients.

    (5)

  • Aaron V.

    Yep, this place is awesome. Probably the most fun I've had on a tour of anything ever. It helped that I came here straight from a tour of a sake factory and was already feeling "happy". The tour was a lot of fun. I had a good laugh at the beer "lab" complete with lab coats and a periodic table. Whoever knew that beer making was so high tech? After the tour I drank quite a lot of beer at the bar they have setup there. The employees were super friendly and they even let me snag an "employee" beer (one with a messed up label) as a souvenir. Cheers to Anchor Steam for being one of San Francisco's gems. P.S. I drank the souvenir on the bus ride to dinner.

    (5)

  • Lester W.

    F-R-E-E B-E-E-R ! ! ! Is there anything more to say? You'll have to sit through the tour before you get the free beer, but its actually quite worth it. You'll learn about the history of the Anchor Brewing Company, how it almost went bankrupt and how it survived, and the reason why they call it "steam" beer. At the end of the tour, you'll get to sample all the different variations of beer that they brew. My personal favorite is the Foghorn beer (8-10% alcohol content). It's basically "all-you-can-drink" and very much worth the free admission.

    (5)

  • Matt G.

    Yeah, yeah. Another 5-stars. Free beer tours and really good beer. It's nice to have such a quality establishment locally in SF. Makes me proud.

    (5)

  • Shal J.

    Friday tour as a surprise bday gift for me. Drinking beer as part of the tour, meet a couple who are there for a birthday treat too. A year later, reminisce about the day we met our good friends at an awesome brewery with an awesome tour that attracts awesome people.

    (5)

  • Andre M.

    awesome brewery tour!

    (5)

  • James G.

    Wow! Free tour and better yet free beer! I got to meet Mr. Fritz Maytag on my tour. I learned he purchased 50% of this brewery in 1965 for only $3000. What a stinkin' bargain...

    (5)

  • Dean W.

    Just for the record, the tour is FREE! However, you do have to book about a month in advance because it's pretty high in demand. Our tour guide was enthusiastic and informational. He started out with the history of the company (which took the majority of the time), then took up to the different sections of the brewery before ending back for 6 samples of their current beers. You can always ask for refills if 6 isn't enough for you. It was a great experience and whats better than free beer right?

    (5)

  • Roger H.

    Doing the tour & tasting at Anchor Steam Brewery has reignited my love affair with beer. Who doesn't love free beer? Generous pours, fun and free!

    (5)

  • Marc S.

    Yet another thing I can't believe took me so long to do since living in the city is taking a tour of here. Either plan in well in advance or call around Thursday to get in on the early next week tour based on cancellations. Our guide, Andrew (who looked just like the main dude in Office Space), was incredibly knowledgeable and affable and you could tell he had great pride in his company. The actual tour is fairly short as the place is not that big, but you get to see it all in action. I could watch that bottle machine all day. Tastings were great (don't drive as they are very liberal in the sampling) as you get to try a lot of the varieties that are hard to find in bars or stores. In all, another reason to be proud to live in SF. Kudos to Mr. Maytag for keeping the tradition alive with this fine beer.

    (5)

  • Rachel G.

    I don't even like Anchor Steam. On that note, I don't even like beer. It's too bubbly and makes me feel more pregnant than I wish to feel on any given night. I'm more of a vodka soda with a twist of lime and a splash of pineapple kind of lady - but you guessed that right? Nonetheless 5 Yeasty and Hoppy and Malty Stars for the Anchor Steam Brewery Tour. Know why? Cause the tour ends with a tasting. Not the "here's a taste of our beer" tasting. It's more like a free-for-all which of these five beers is your favorite do you want some more we drink this stuff all day like its water and want you to make us feel better about that issue so drink drinky drink. Oh, and its for free. Suck on that Guinness Factory Tour.

    (5)

  • Andrea R.

    I've tried for many years to like beer, but I just can't do it so a trip to the Anchor Steam Brewery really doesn't do much for me since I don't really drink it and I certainly don't care how it's made. However, our trip to this brewery was so fun that it doesn't even matter if you're a beer lover. I wish I remembered our tour guide's name because he may have been the most entertaining (& enthusiastic) tour guide ever. And once I admitted to him that I'm not exactly a beer fan (gasp) he poured me a very light beer that I actually enjoyed. The Anchor Steam Brewery is a fun time for both beer lovers and others!

    (4)

  • Adam X.

    I end up here about twice a year specifically for the Free Beer, but always enjoy the tour. Now if i could just figure out exactly what times the tours end so i could just show up for the beer service... Either way, if you're in town, its a great free stop for the tourist. You'll leave drunk, happy and ready for Clam Chowder in one of those bread bowls.

    (5)

  • Sara N.

    If you have never tried Anchor Steam and love great microbrewery beer, you are missing out on a great San Francisco treat. But you need to make reservations well in advance of the day you plan to go if you want to do the tour. It is a fun thing to do with a bunch of friends or your honey. If you have friends that plan to visit SF, this is a great place to go in addition to the usual tourist stuff and it's unique. Lots of history, lots of exceptionally good beer. Educational and tasty. Get your brew on!

    (5)

  • Evan B.

    First, I have to say that this establishment does in fact make the best beer...in the world. Guiness has its place, Stella Artois has its place, Sierra Nevada comes close, but Anchor Steam is what the Atomic Clock is for time, when it comes to beers, it sets the bar. So go visit this brewery, the bar is open once a month to friends and family, (if anyone is interested in what day that is, just send me a message, otherwise I am not telling the public as its our secret). I highly recomend the tour, where else can you see how they make the worlds greatest beer. I want to thank the brew-masters at Anchor for always having the consistency, discpline and quality that is tangible in each batch. Where is the 6 star rating when you need it....

    (5)

  • Gene X.

    Finally got around to checking out Anchor after living here for over 11 years. The tour is pretty neat and we had Mike who did a great job explaining the history of the brewery as well as walking us through the tour. I'd probably suggest the 11am tour as everything is humming along on the assembly line then while at the 2pm tour the line is shut off but either way it's a good tour. No pressure to buy or anything else and it's actually free so you really can't beat the tour and the free tastings at the end. I ended up really digging their bock which I hadn't had before (I'm a fan of Shiner Bock from my college days) and it's also cool to see all the various other styles they have. Check out the 1989 earthquake beers too - it's interesting to see what they did with that and there's a pretty cool group photo during the tour of some original team from last century and a modern version of the same pose with more current employees.

    (5)

  • Raoul D.

    We live in San Francisco. The Anchor Brewery and the Anchor Distillery are located in San Francsico. That makes us cool. Why? Because the products and style of this brewery and distillery are of such a high standard that anyone living within a 30 mile radius of 1705 Mariposa Street enjoys an elevated status by association. Witness: -Anchor Steam beer: The grand staple. "Steam beer" refers to the style of making the beer. Jack London drank this stuff. Cool. Delicious. Refreshing. -Old Potrero 18th Century Style Whiskey: Wow. Just as the label suggests, this spirit harkens back to the 1700s - the age of reason. An unusual taste treat. -Genevieve: The booze that inspired this review. I grabbed some while picking up my wine club shipment at K&L. As a ginophile, I tend to purchase a bottle of every type of premium gin I come across. And this isn't your father's gin. Rather it's your great, great grandfather's gin. This is gin how they used to do it, before modern technological advances ruined it all. Instead of a neutral spirit, Genevieve is based on a grain mash to produce a much fuller flavor profile. So, all in all, we are lucky to share our city with Fritz Maytag and his staff at Anchor Brewing. Do yourself a favor and take some time to explore their creative offerings. And, as always, enjoy in moderation.

    (5)

  • Ameer N.

    steam beer!!!! i can't believe they don't charge for this tour! as a resident of san francisco, i feel as though this beer has bled when i've bled. this beer has moved when i moved, and this beer had been heart broken when i was heart broken. maytag~!? i would like to thank fritz maytag for using his grandfather's famous name and money to purchase and save anchor brewery in potrero hill. 'steam beer' was a type of beer, not a brand, but now it's proprietary to anchor brewery. it was a gold rusher's cheap beer. i'm drunk while writing this. take nothing to heart. they make whiskey and gin.

    (5)

  • Sean F.

    Delicious, FREE Beer.....how could you go wrong here?

    (5)

  • Megan L.

    To begin, I basically only drink Anchor Steam. But I did a speech for my class on the brewery. It's so interesting, they really have been with us here in SF for a LONG TIME, they ran with all the punches and are still succeeding. The tour is fabulous, the workers are even better, they answered all my questions even when i was not making sense. They let you try every beer which is the only place I know of that is free and lets you have 6 good size beers, not just shot glasses full. If you live in the city or are visiting San Francisco I highly recommend taking the tour because it is well worth your time!!!! DO IT!

    (5)

  • Jessica M.

    Six free beers at the end of the free, informational tour. Yea, this is an awesome MUST when you have friends in town to visit. You technically should call ahead weeks in advance because this tour always sells out. But if you some times want to go on the day of, call and TRY. Never hurts to try and you can get really buzzed within the hour. I like the Barley Wine and can do without the small beer. (OBVI Barely wine is like 15 percent alcohol/vol.) Perfect to go exploring in Portrero Hill.

    (5)

  • Elaine S.

    Mmmmm the smell of yeast! I swear, this brewery smells like zucchini bread! We had a 1:30pm tour scheduled on a Tuesday, YES, during work! Some fellow co-workers said to me before I left, "see you tomorrow, you won't be coming back to work" I responded Naively with, "I'm not going to drink, I'll definitely be back to work!"...Boy was I wrong! The tour taught me how beer is made and even bottled, which makes me appreciate beer a lot more now. Our tour guide Lindsay was very knowledgeable and witty too. After the tour, you are able to taste 6 Anchor beers, which are on tap. Trust me, you will leave at least buzzed if not drunk! Free tour and free beer, it can't get much better than that! I highly recommend this tour! Oh and making it back to work... ...it definitely did not happen!

    (5)

  • Brian H.

    I got a group together to do the brewery tour here for my last birthday, and it was an excellent way to kick off the festivities. Although they weren't producing the day we went, the tour was excellent and the facilities impressive. Our tour-guide did an excellent job of balancing historical narrative with an entertaining introduction to the science and art of beer-making. Definitely a worthwhile tour, whether you are seriously interested in the beer-making process, or just want to kill a day and learn a little bit about a San Francisco institution. The tour is followed by a generous tasting of 5 or 6 of Anchor's excellent beers- probably the equivalent of a couple pints. All in all, one of the better brewery tours I've done, and a great way to kill a weekday afternoon.

    (5)

  • Rick G.

    Great tour and history lesson. Classic San Francisco brewery with interesting history. Bigger than you would expect. The tour requires some stairs, but is worth doing. The tour end in the pub room where they treat you to 5 or 6 different brews, some not available anywhere else. And just like a winery, you can buy a case of beer at the brewery.....

    (5)

  • Larry L.

    Free beer 5 stars no doubt! Tour guide was pretty cool and informative. I didn't know this brewing company was here for that long. The history was pretty fascinating of how "steam beer" evolved here in SF. As long as your an employee you can gulp down as many beer's as you like. I'm available for hire any day! You get to sample all the beers that are on production after the tour. Sample drink, more, sample, drink more, sample, and sample lol. Call me a cab now. I recommend the Liberty Ale.

    (5)

  • Albert H.

    Anchor's Steam beer was one of the good craft beers that helped as a "gateway" beer for me into craft beer and out of the macro-swill. However, their lineup is largely uninteresting to people who have made the switch, and many of their beers aren't so flavorful unless they are very fresh. There's also a questionable premium priced into their product, and again it's just not award-winning, industry-leading craft beer.

    (3)

  • Heather T.

    This was the greatest tour I've ever been on, both because it's interesting and because you get six (count 'em, SIX) 10 oz. beers for free. Good beers! Beers I'd actually want to drink! FREE! Their summer wheat beer is incredible. Oh, how I envy those who can buy a six pack of it...

    (5)

  • chad n.

    What can i say, if you like beer, brewery tours are always great. But these guys get 5 stars .. i've done 20+ brewery tours, and this is one of the better ones - They got history, the tour guide Dan had character, and their tasting room was filled with gear and pictures from back in the day. More importantly, they let you taste like 6 beers in the tasting room, and if you're good, some more than once. And if you've never been to a brewery, the fresh beer is always better than its bottled/kegged version. And no pressure to make you leave (about an hour tasting). All free. However, when i did it in April 2006, they only did tours on friday afternoons and you had to make a reservation. Check out my flickr pics - flickr.com/photos/chadn/…

    (5)

  • Stephanie M.

    I really don't know what I could say about this place that hasn't already been said. The aroma of hops permeates the place, filling you with excitement as you enter the taproom. For NO cost, you get a Free and informative tour, and SIX FREE delicious 8-10oz tastings. From what I hear, make a reservation way ahead of time, especially for a bigger party, and you're good to go. My favorites were of course "steam," but also the porter, barleywine, and liberty ale. They were all great!

    (5)

  • Infodiva B.

    I've toured. I have drank. I was drunk. Hands down the best tour period in the city. Thank God Fritz Maytag( yeah the washers) saved this place with the family moolah and the dedication of the employees. The tour books up months in advance...so remember this during the popular months ...Summer of course but also the Winter months. They offer a wide variety of beers. They explain the beer making process to you. Eat some food before you go because you will probably be sampling 6-8 8 oz samples of beer. Look for Anchor Christmas Ale- A special brew each year. Secret recipe. :) Fog Ale..a higher octane beer packaged in a tiny bottle. They have lots of swag to buy also. Remember Drink and Drive Safe. San Francisco is the Best City in the World

    (5)

  • Blake B.

    Great tour, great history and free beer...how could you go wrong. We've been wanting to go on this tour for so long and we finally picked a day (way in advance because you have to make reservations well ahead of time) that we took off of work. We had the tour at 11am and there were a little over 10 people in the tour. It was great to learn some history of the beer that is brewed in our backyard. The tour was relatively short but very informative even though I didn't understand it at times as I was looking forward to the beer drinking part. A generous tasting at the end was a lot of fun too. I can't wait to taste the Christmas beer this year.

    (5)

  • Skye R.

    I once took a brewery tour at Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL, when I was underage. Not only did we spot a live RAT running under one of the big vats, but they also let us have A FREE BEER at the end. (That was before people were so litigious, and teenagers could openly drink illegally in family theme parks with no hassle while rats roamed free .... GOOD TIMES.) Getting served alcohol at age 15 was one of the highlights of my life. Another highlight? Taking the Anchor Steam brewery tour with my best friend on a rainy (are there any other kind?) afternoon in San Francisco. Even though it was totally legal this time, the fun was not diminished. Our tour-guide was patient and thorough, and he let us have as much beer as we wanted at the end. LOTS of FULL-SIZED GLASSES of FREE BEER. LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of delicious FREE BEER. So you might want to take a cab home.

    (5)

  • Wes K.

    Love me some Anchor beer. And now I get to see where it's made. Been here twice and enjoyed it both times. Too bad there is such a long wait list. Can't take photos either. The tasting at the end is good too. Also, it's free!

    (5)

  • Marta C.

    We had to book our tour a few month in advance so that we could be there for my brother's 21st birthday. It was worth it! The tour was amazing, although I didn't understand half of the things they were talking about. But I did learn that Anchor Steam makes a yummy gin! My fav! The best was the grand finale! Tasting! The beer is never ending. We had a great time.

    (4)

  • Wes M.

    I think I have a new record for earliest drink in the week: 10:45 AM on Monday. Monday morning perhaps isn't the preferred time for beer drinking (although it *does* help you ease in to the work week), but it was the only time I could get on such short (read: 2 weeks) notice. Yep, even though the tours are during work hours only, and there are 2 per day, they still fill up fast in a town of idle-rich-cum-winos. I've toured a lot of breweries, including Guinness, the Stoutiest Place on Earth. Anchor Steam's is relatively short (after all, the building really isn't that big), but you get to see everything live and up close. Watching the bottling plant in action was particularly impressive. The bar and office area of the building has a beautiful, 1930's Daily Planet look. After the tour you have the beer tasting. I was expecting little shot glasses, but no, you get 6 ounces each of 6 different kinds of beer (Anchor Steam, Liberty Ale, Anchor Porter, Old Foghorn, Anchor Small, and the seasonal). And after that they'll keep refilling you as long as you want. As DD I had to pace myself but my friend took full advantage of the hospitality. Even big Anchor Steam fans might learn a thing or two here: for instance, did you realize they make liqour here? Old Potrero whiskey and Junipero gin (which got a shout out in SFMag). New BAFL (Bay Area For Life) idea: stock bar with all local booze. And ship 6-packs of Anchor Christmas Ale every year to my poor friends not living here. Oh, and greet all houseguests with a shot of Fernet-Branca.

    (5)

  • scott w.

    Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. - Benjamin Franklin This savior of all micro-breweries is a fantastic journey into the process of brewing what god gave us the ability to accidentally invent - good beer. The Tour: You'll need to book your tour at least 3 weeks in advance but trust me it is worth the wait. Although other people say they started the tour with drinking, we didn't. I'm guessing noone was able to retain anything they were listening to on the tour once riddled with alcohol so they decided to change the formatting. It started for us with a brief history of this amazing brewery and their interesting type of beer - "Steam". Steam beer used to be a style of beer but has now been coined or more importantly trade-marked by Anchor. It derived mostly from the sound and appearance of steam that would shoot out of the old wood kegs as they were tapped. (for more...take the tour) Anyway, follow that with a jaunt through this surprisingly small brewery. From the mash ton to the hops room to the bottling - you will see it all. They even produce wine and distilled spirits (aka liquor), specifically Gin and Whiskey. Follow that with a sampling of their 5 major styles - Steam, Porter, Liberty Ale, Small (a half the alcohol style - not worth the sipping effort), and Barley Wine (woah baby - in voice of either Olsen twin - this is a further fermented/higher sugar-content beer which equates to a very high alcohol content (smiley face)) * I said sampling above because that's what they call it but it is actually a full glass of each kind of beer. Unlike a vineyard that will give you two sips to try a style, beer lovers need at least a belly full to actual taste it and Anchor delivers just that. I guess what I am trying to say is you have to go and you cannot drive there. Take public transpo. There's a new Whole Foods down the street where you can recharge after all the drinks and then head to Kennedy's Irish Pub and Curry House...by taking the (28?) - I think, I don't know I was pretty drunk by that point. Did I mention it's free! WTF - You should be calling to book a tour right now, actually by paragraph 2 of this you should have started dialing.

    (5)

  • Shayna N.

    Yay for breweries, good beer, fresh beer, free tours and, even better, FREE BEER. Yay for Anchor Steam! I've been on a few different brewery tours (including the all encompassing Budweiser in St. Louis) and Anchor definitely ranks as one of my favorites. It's a small, local San Francisco brewery specializing in high quality beer (certainly one of my favorite local brews) AND being right, smack dab in the middle of the city it's totally accessible and easy to get to. If you don't have a car just take the 22 bus line to Potrero Hill and walk two blocks. Bam! you're there. You must call ahead to reserve a spot for you (or your group) on a free tour of the brewery. Our tour started at 10am, lasted about 45 minutes and ended in the tasting room where we were offered a half pint of each of the Anchor brews available on tap. I think we sampled like 6 different kinds. It was yummy and fun and FREE! Seriously, you can't go wrong.

    (5)

  • Derek B.

    Need something cool to do with out-of-towners and don't want to cross a bridge? Want to do one of those things in the city in which you live in that you know you should do and have always wanted to do but have never gotten around to because you're too busy doing nothing? (Right up there with visiting the Asian Art Museum, exploring the Exploratorium and biking the Golden Gate Bridge.) Or maybe you just want to go get drunk for free? Then do this tour! Hands down my new favorite thing to tell people about, brag about, think about doing again soon. The tour is short but cool and the beer is plentiful but free. Tours are only at 11 AM and 2 PM on weekdays so you'll probably have to play hooky. I'm a fan.

    (5)

  • Jennifer L.

    I love beer, I love learning about how beer is made, I love drinking beer, I love drinking FREE beer. I abso-frickin-lutely love the Anchor brewery for making my love come alive. My friends and I book a tour every year a couple of days before Christmas--usually easier to work a half day and you get the bonus of picking up some last minute gifts like an Anchor fleece vest, pint glasses or onesie. The tour guides I've had have all been fabulous and if you're lucky you get to see the bottling room in action--loud and it gets me all nostalgic for Laverne and Shirley. The best part of the tour for me though is the tasting of the beer at the end (natch). The guide pours all 6 beers (at Xmas the holiday beer-yum) and you can get refills til they kick you out. Also don't forget to ask for a free poster. Oh and take a cab cuz you should not be driving.

    (5)

  • Ryan S.

    If you like beer or are just into local history, an Anchor tour should be #1 on your to-do list. Their beer is unique and excellent and the brewery itself is beautiful and steeped (no pun intended) in history. It's amazing how few employees it takes to make such an amazing product. Anchor is a real jewel of San Francisco and I look forward to touring it for my 6th time!

    (5)

  • Tolga E.

    The true San Francisco original. The only way to enter this facility is to take the tour. You can try making a reservation, two months in advance, or take the easier option and schedule a special tour for a special group (work, your softball team, beer enthusiasts club, whatever). It's much more amenable to your schedule. The tour is great, but isn't too much different from any other brewery tour. So if you've been on one before, this isn't too much different. What is different is that you get to try all of Anchor's brews before and after the tour. Free quality beer, straight from the source. Doesn't get better than that. No matter where you are or what you may think about different kinds of beer, Fritz Maytag is responsible for the American microbrew you are drinking right now. Show some respect, pay homage, and enjoy the original California Common Lager (aka "Steam beer") that is a San Francisco original.

    (5)

  • Suo L.

    Long, long ago all beer was micro-brew, even American beer. But as time passed, Brewers consolidated and American beer became a substitute good propped up by advertising budgets bigger than many countries' GDP, an industry where fun-loving dalmatians and Swedish bikini teams became more important than the quality of beer's ingredients and its flavor. But today, sales for macro-brews are relatively stagnant while US consumption of tasty Micro/Craft brews grows. As it turns out, Fritz Maytag, eccentric scion of the washer-dryer Maytags purchased Anchor Brewing and not only revived it, revived microbrewing in the United States. A visit to Anchor Brewing is thus akin to a visit to Chez Panisse in that they are loci of change in American food and drink habits. I've been on a few brewery tours before in both Belgium and the good ol' US of A, and this one is by far the most informative. As other reviewers have said, you have to make your reservation months in advance. At the brewery, your tour guide will cover such topics as Anchor Brewing's different beers, their history, brewing in general as well as Anchor's brewing and bottling processes as the warm scent of malted grain wafts about you. After the roughly 30 minute tour, one works up quite a thirst. Good thing you can get to sample their beers in 8oz. pours. I sampled: * Anchor Summer Beer (a wheat beer, but filtered) * Anchor Steam (the most widely available Anchor beer, also their only bottom-fermented beer) * Anchor Liberty Ale (fresh and hoppy, especially at the brewery) * Anchor Porter (you can get this on hand pump at the Toronado) * Anchor 2007 Christmas Ale (this year's Christmas ale goes on sale in early November; a preview: plenty of spice, including clove, nutmeg and allspice) * Anchor Barleywine (really strong) Best of all, it's free!

    (5)

  • H K.

    A brewery making great beer in SF. A rare treat. I hear they have great tours too but I haven't been on one. That should definitely be on my to-do list.

    (5)

  • Eric G.

    Anchor Brewing is fresh out of the steampunk world. All knobs and tubes and analog gauges, not a single digital readout to be found. I almost expected the place to be powered by a mule. The tour is free. And so is the beer. Yes that's right -- FREE BEER. Of course you'll become hopelessly addicted to Anchor Steam. That is their evil plan. Don't say I didn't warn ya.

    (5)

  • Aneli C.

    I went with some buddies last October and the visit was great, the guide guy was really kind, the factory is amazing and the tasting was super! Sure i will come back!

    (5)

  • Momo R.

    Since Anchor Brewing only holds tours twice a day during the weekdays, you'll have to play hooky from work (shhh...) to participate in one. To taste a bit of San Francisco history, it's worth it. Our tour was informative, albeit brief (I never knew that the primary distinction between lager and ale is the type of yeast used). One of my friends who came along informed me that the prior times that he'd taken the tour, it took double the time. This is probably explained by the fact that certain sections of the brewery were closed off this time, and so were skipped during the tour. At the end of the tour, they let you hang out and taste 6/8 of the quality spirits that they produce (my faves were the Anchor Steam and the Summer Beer) in what seems like unlimited quantities. Yummers.

    (5)

  • Jay E.

    If you go on one tour in SF and only one make it be the Anchor Steam Brewery Tour. This building is amazing. Their process is classic, producing consistently amazing beer every season year after year and they'll even order you Goat Hill Pizza to wash it all down!

    (5)

  • Erin R.

    This place was so kick ass that I applied to work as an Anchor Steam tour guide part-time. If you can get a reservation, GO! I had the time of my life on this tour and learned so much about brewing and the Anchor Steam that, despite the copious amount of beer that I drank after the tour (6 beers in 45 min.?), I still remember *almost* everything because it was just so cool. Big, bubbling vats of fermenting beer, humongous copper caldrons tooting out hot steam, humongous piles of fresh green hops, hundreds of kegs and bottles dancing down conveyor belts- it's like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory for Adults. Unfortunately, I didn't get the job but you can bet your ass I'll be back on this tour anyone comes to visit me in the city!

    (5)

  • Pablo H.

    You had me at free beer. Make your reservations far in advance.

    (5)

  • Jonathan D.

    Anchor Distilling has brought back small batch distilling in traditional copper pots. Some of their work has produced: My two favorites: Old Potrero - an 18th century 100% Rye Mash Whiskey Junipero - a dry traditional gin with distinct Juniper flavors - for a martini with a little zest. And others: Hotaling's Whiskey - a longer barrel aged version of their Old Potrero 18th or 19th century editions Genevieve - which is an earlier derivation of the liquor that eventually became gin as we know it today. The Distilling Company was founded in 1993, but as I understand it they only started offering their products to the public 5ish years ago. I love their Rye Whiskeys over ice or the Junipero in a dry martini (12+:1 vs. vermouth) and I look forward to whatever they bring out next.

    (5)

  • Peter S.

    Anchor Steam is one of the oldest and best micro-brews in the country, and it's right here in the middle of San Francisco. They do these fun tours every afternoon, where you can taste their yummy beers. Call way in advance because they keep the group size small. By the way, their Summer brew is simply magnificent!

    (5)

  • Meg M.

    Upon walking into the Anchor Brewery we headed upstairs to the bar where the two brew-masters Kevin and Jim poured us generous portions of the elixir of the gods...BEER! GREAT BEER! Seven different choices ranging from the lightest pale yellow to the depths of the dark, carmeley brown goodness - Anchor Steam has a wide variety for all different palates and the brewery tour offers the perfect place to try them all. After spending some time at the bar sampling the beers, our group was taken on a guided tour of the brewery... (insert Laverne & Shirley theme song "Schlimiel, schlimazel, hasenpfeffer, incorporated!" here) First, we passed HUGE tanks where the beer is mixed with the yeast , resulting in a huge head of frothy goodness. We saw the room filled with barrels of fresh hops. We saw the conveyor belts with the labeling machine and the warehouse where the cases and cases and kegs are stored. Very interested stuff for any fan of beer. All in all - the tour was an awesome way to spend the afternoon. The brew-masters were well-educated, funny and informative. They were able to answer all of our questions and even better -they kept our glasses filled to the best of their professional ability. YAY BEER! **Added note: Beer-goggles aside... I asked Kevin (the VERY cute brew-master, ladies...) if there was some where I could buy a patch, like the one on his uniform... he responded with "you can have this one"... and ripped it off his shirt! TALK ABOUT CUSTOMER SERVICE!

    (5)

  • Michael G.

    Fun tour and fresh beer. Buzzed on a Monday afternoon. Then I took a nap!

    (4)

  • Stephy S.

    My wrap up of the Yelp outing to the Anchor Steam Brewery! And here we have the tanks.... WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHWOOOOOOOOOOO!?!!? And here we have the hops... WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHWHOOOOOOOOOOOO!?!?!? And here we have the label machine... WOOOOOOOOOOOOOWHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!?!?! And here we have pallets full of finished beer... WOOOOOOOOOOOOWHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!?!?! Loud yelpers + Fun yelpers = Hell YEAH!! As for the brewery itself, it's sooo awesome. I don't really know all that much about beer and how it's made and what those little green hops have to go through from their time in the bins to the time in my mouth, but it was really interesting. Our tour guide (Kevin) was funny and super informative and made the educational journey a fun and tasty one! I would definitely go back anytime and I highly recommend grabbing a group of friends and enjoying an hour or so here! Good times!!

    (5)

  • Jess H.

    Wow seriously an awesome tour. The tour guide Molly was friendly and fun. You actually get to see the creation of beer to the packaging of beer. Downside, no pictures that you can take home but you can always go again :) At the end you can taste 6 types of beer. Definitely fun for even non beer lovers since you can see almost the whole process up close. And since it is free there is nothing to lose.

    (5)

  • Uncle Fishbits Aeneas X.

    Best long brew small batch beet in the US. Period. SO gooooooooooooooooooooooood. The Tour is a national treasure... enjoy it.

    (5)

  • Rachel S.

    So apparently it's not a secret. This tour is INCREDIBLE. Very detailed, cool facility, and did I mention the beer samples were fabulous? Awesome Awesome Awesome I want to go back.. STAT!

    (5)

  • Mortiche W.

    I'm walking back from the Trader Joe's under the freeway overpass with two arms full of snacks and frozen lunch (for those times when you don't have a chance to leave work to eat) and I get a phone call from a colleague: "We're going to Anchor Steam brewing up the street for a tour and tasting. Come with us RIGHT NOW." What? Why? I explain I have two bags full of stuff. In the next 10 seconds my colleague appears, grabs one of the bags, throws it in the freezer and says "c'mon. We made rezzies for a tour but almost everyone bailed due to work stuff. Come with us and see if you can find more people to go come or they'll be mad that we are cancelling." What's a girl to do? I'm slammed at work but I hate to disappoint a local business by being flaky so I tag along. The Tour is pretty cool- you get a review of the beer-brewing process (where I learned more about hops), a walk through their brew room with the gorgeous shiny copper machinery, the history of the company, and it all ends with the tasting. Oh, the tasting! Many generous pours by a kind, friendly and knowledgeable staff made this a memorable event which lasted several hours one that I almost didn't even partake in! WHAT WAS I THINKING! We were so *ahem* merry by the time we left that we had to stop at the Yankee for burgers to sober up, and of course, more beer (oops). We staggered back to the office (luckily it was a short walk back) and I wish to thank the good folks at Anchor Brewing for putting up with me and my colleagues, and making such good local brew!

    (5)

  • Adam G.

    I've done the Anchor tour twice and will probably continue to do it as long as people come to visit me in the Bay Area. Last year I did the tour and had a great time for my birthday. They have tons of great memorabilia that you can get after the tour (glasses etc) and the tour itself is pretty interesting. Last year they gave us plenty to drink and sent us home happy. This year they cut the glass size by a big percentage and no longer let you retaste the beer you really like (I found this to be a bummer). My experience on this last tour made me go from being a devout fan (I would normally never have another beer as long as I know Anchor is on tap) to feeling a little less loyal. For what it was worth the tour guide (Molly) was really friendly and willing to answer all questions! If you can book the tour and can get in during the time when they brew the Christmas Beer I would highly recommend it. And the tour is free!

    (4)

  • Topher G.

    LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place! Absolutely amazing beer from an absolutely amazing brewing facility. The tour is so worth it, even if you don't drink beer. Love to bring my friends and family here when they visit from out of town. Tour guides are always friendly and funny. Beer is always amazing. A must!!!

    (5)

  • Brye L.

    Haven't taken the tour, however was lucky enough to go the holiday party this year. All the beer and apps a girl could ever want. The Christmas Ale this year was delicious....Great place to see how this beer is made, last brewery in the US to use steam from what I understand. Side note, they also do wine. York Creek....OUT OF THIS WORLD

    (5)

  • Marvin N.

    I love the tour at anchor steam. i cant wait to do it again.

    (5)

  • Colleen B.

    Anchor isn't my favorite local brew, but is is a damn fine beer and the brewery tour can't be beat. It's in that great little section of Potrero Hill too, so you can eat & tour and then eat some more. Good bike ride adventure too!

    (4)

  • Rebecca H.

    Call in sick, ditch your classes, or do whatever it is you need to do to go on this tour (FYI: it's only offered M-F, once a day). The tour itself is pretty short, but interesting, and it ends with FREE BEER! Not little wimpy sized glasses either, decent glasses. And, you get at least six of them (my friend and I were debating which we liked best so we managed to score 8 from the tour guide). The tour guide was also really knowledgeable and very patient in answering my lame questions about the beer. Great thing to do with out of town guests. They tell you to make reservations a month in advance, but I called a two days before I went and asked if there were any cancellations. Fortunately there were.

    (5)

  • Tom S.

    Anchor Steam surpassed my high expectations. Awesome place, great beer, great people. Great way to spend an afternoon This staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Truly one of the great American breweries

    (5)

  • Jenica M.

    Dude I don't how you could say anything bad about the free brew co tour at Anchor. It's FREE, GOOD beer and they have you "taste" (aka you get a pretty sizable glass) of 5 - 6 beers. Nice friendly staff. I'd definitely spend a Friday afternoon with friends doing this again.

    (5)

  • Big Toe ..

    An absolute must visit for any local and beer lover. Good for groups, they take reservations for groups of 10. Beautiful building and location. An institution in SF.

    (5)

  • Brandon B.

    Well, I must say, although I work for a competing brewery (in some respects), I have no shame in admitting that the Anchor Brewery is spot-on. They make incredible beer and the history of the brewery is quite storied. It really is just a gorgeous complex as well. While there, I highly recommend trying some of the more esoteric styles like the Small Beer, the Porter, or the Barleywine. Call ahead and make an appointment and support your local brewery. And fuck Budweiser.

    (5)

  • Mark G.

    I've always been a fan of Anchor Brews, but now so more than ever since I took the tour. It's a great way to spend an afternoon, it doesn't cost a dime, and you get to taste beer! They let you taste each of their current releases, and each taste is about half a pint. Sweet! Next time you have some guests from out-of-town, fuck Fishermen's Wharf, take them here! This is some real San Francisco history! By the way, Anchor Steam also operates a winery across from the brewery, it's called York Creek Winery and is the only winery in San Francisco. They don't have an official winery tour, but if you see the door open poke your head in. Sometimes ,if they're in a good mood and you're cool, they'll show you around.

    (5)

  • Danny S.

    Old school Frisco, gotta support these guys. For a while there, this was all I drank. I live on Pot Hill and smell the wort brewing all the time. Makes me thirsty thinking about it right now. Get a few friends together for the brewery tour, you won't be disappointed. Peace out, support Frisco!

    (5)

  • Chelsey S.

    This is such a cool place, my husband and I recently went on a tour! The staff is very knowledgeable and super nice! So interesting, even if you don't care for beer. My husband was very happy with the beers he got to sample. :)

    (5)

  • Sarah D.

    Oh yeah, I am the best girlfriend for taking my boyfriend to the Anchor Brewery, our favorite micro brew for V-day. So romantic. The best for me and I am sure he liked it too. You know what they say. The best gifts are those you would give yourself :) The brewery is great! Floors of yummy smelling hops and they even have a little swanky pub where you do all the tasting and check out historical artifacts etc. I recommend making and appointment for a tour. Cost is by donation only. PS: They are generous with their tastings.

    (5)

  • Yuko K.

    Anchor Brewing offers one of the best brewery tours I have gone in the last few years. The tour is very informative and the tasting afterwards is quite generous. Make a reservation well in advance.

    (5)

  • Sam P.

    what a FAN-FRIGGIN-TASTIC way to spend a day in sf! relatives in town? too busy with work to be their tour guide? take them to anchor breweryfor their FREE tour! try their 7 ales, then go on a walking tour of the facility to see how steamed beer is made! i went their with my work before a giants game and had more fun than wine tasting! when you walk in, it's hard not to notice the yeasty smell, but you get over that quickly after a few beer samples (which seemed to be about 1/2 pint each)! then we went on a walking tour with a hilarious guide (i think his name was mike... too much brew!) we ended the tour in the basement where he let us sample their gin, whiskey, and grappa! did you even know anchor makes that shit?!? i didn't, and let me tell you, i normally i HATE gin... actually DESPISE... but i drank their gin with just 1 ice cube, and it was good... mmm... after the tour, we went back upstair feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, and saw that the manager bought us all pizzas... don't get your hopes up, i think it was a special occasion since we're a restaurant... but still, what a great way to pre-drink before the giants game!

    (5)

  • Kristen H.

    yeah, i'm sure they need another 5 star review. oh, that's right, sarcasm doesnt translate into text that well. aaaaaanyway, my awesome friend Ken organized this tour, and we ended up rounding up four of us to go. not stellar numbers, but hey, at least i didn't go by myself! My whole thing going into this was I didn't want to be THOSE assholes. I didnt want to look like those young kids just coming to drink. This goal was kinda marred by being 15 minutes late, but the directions ken had were completely bogus. They were super nice about us showing up late, and let us join the tour. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, and they've got the whole thing down, complete with signs for when the tour takes a noisy turn. I tried to look suitably enthralled and ask questions to show that I REALLY CARED. And then came the beer. You get 6 very decently sized glasses of beer, ALL FOR FREE. I started out trying to pass out the beers since we were the ones closest to the tap, and then just figured I was going to be that asshole and grabbed a seat and drank it. Our tour guide, who also tapped the beers, even made sure we didn't miss out on one of the beers when we lost track in the midst of our conversations. The Anchor Steam was good, as always, and there were also a few nice surprises in there. I can't remember what my favorite one was called, but i think it was something patriotic. We all left suitably sloshed, and made our way out into the world to try and find some food to soak up the beer, pretending to know more about the beer we drink.

    (5)

  • Ray M.

    I've done the tour twice over the last 3 years and both times were superb. Tour is well designed and they're generous with samples. A great time for friends. Afternoon tour guide 'Lindsay' is pretty fun and I even saw her today at Bay2Breakers dancing and drinking....Anchorsteam lol.

    (4)

  • Andrew Y.

    This place had a pretty informative tour. The beer could have been a little bit better but there was a lot of variety available for tasting. The place smelled like hops and beer, but I guess that was no surprise. They bottle a lot of beer for a small operation. They ship to 10 countries. They're doing pretty well. The tour is really fun and busy! It took us 5 months to finally get our butts to the tour. Well worth it.

    (4)

  • Ryan G.

    Great tour - whatever beer. I love the history behind Anchor Steam Beer, and the tour and tour guide was absolutely top notch! Seriously, this is an amazing tour. What an amazing company. I have so much respect for this beer and the people that work there because it is obvious that everyone of them loves their job and works as hard as he/she can to make the best beer possible. However, at the end of the day I don't reach for any of the Anchor beers as their flavor is not what I prefer...and that is fine. Needless to say, I'll never refuse one that is handed to me. Next time I go I'm going to go with J T (reviewed 01/03/08) and brag about how I drank with the FBI and Secret Service at a Christmas party to emphasize that I am more special. I will also point out that Anchor Brewing Company's initials are A.B.C. which is relevant or interesting in some way.

    (4)

  • James M.

    I only started drinking beer this past May. I drank a Corona here and there but never really was much of a beer drinker until of course. . .my last holiday in Amsterdam! It was a freakishly hot week in the Netherlands, and nothing quenched the thirst quite like a Heineken. I was staying at my friend Aad's home, and would crack open a cold one with him when he returned from the studio each day. Ever since May I've been drinking beer. All sorts of beer so when my friend GP mentioned the Anchor Steam brewery tour I said, why not? I'd gone through many beers at the Toronado and was ready to learn about this wonderful brew. The brewery tour was fascinating! My brother Dan, who loves beer, was oohing and ahhing the whole time. I'm not beer fanatical but I too was oohing and ahhing. James family sibling quality time at the brewery! That's how we James kids roll. . . The brewery itself is housed in an old building that is architecturally impressive. The beer is completely hand brewed, and learning about that process was totally interesting. The whole brewery smells amazing and all I could think about was noshing on a nice loaf of artisan bread. . .that yeast smell made my mouth water. The bottling area reminded me of the beginning of Laverne & Shirley! The place even has a tap in the lunch room! I wonder if they're hiring? A couple things about this tour: If you are a single female, the male to female ratio is like 4 to 1. The tasting at the end of the tour is a great way to try out the beers to see what you like. The tour is free. . .rah! Check it out! Cheers!

    (5)

  • Bleep S.

    Appoint a designated driver. The tour is informative. The "samples" of EVERYTHING they produce are generous....All FREE!!!!!!

    (5)

  • sloe j.

    Informative and enjoyable with plenty of sampling at the end. All FREE. Yup, FREE. Make reservations way in advance.

    (5)

  • Eunice M.

    Anchor Brewing Company is SF institution which survived earthquakes, fires, prohibiton, and fall out. Tours are conducted monday thru friday 11:00am and 2:00pm, call way in advance to ensure a spot. Tours are very intimate, 10 - 12 max, last about hour. There are about 5 different draft brews you can taste after the tour - my personal favorite the traditonal and summer brew. Kudos to Lindsey who did a great job conducting the tour, and Fritz Maytag who I got to chat with prior to the tour - very friendly and down to earth, and yes his family is the maytag appliances and maytag bleu cheese.

    (5)

  • Jeff D.

    "so its a cheap date and its free beer, thats a WiN WiN BABY." heh, it's a great tour. They let me roll around in the hop stalls . . . And the spirits they're doing now are of the hook . . .

    (5)

  • Marciano P.

    Wow, this is such a cool place to tour! Beer lovers will enjoy this. Find out about the history of this san fran landmark is cool and the beer is good. I was called a day before to see if I could attend, and I'm so happy that I could. I'm not sure how it works since it was a last minute thing for me, but I'm sure gonna find out because, the tour guide was funny and very informative, and just actually seeing how the process is done is pretty cool.

    (5)

  • Stumbalina b.

    This is where they make the best beer in America, Anchor Steam. Yum! Touring this brewery is the best thing you can do with beer-loving visitors to SF. The FREE tour is only an option on weekdays and you have to book your spot about a month ahead. It's worth skipping a day of work for! Not only is it a fun way to learn about SF history, it's also a mighty pleasant way to get trashed for free on quality beer. Go with an empty stomach. They are VERY generous with the sampling. The 'interesting' smelling building is located in Potrero Hill on Mariposa St. You can take the #22 bus but, parking is easy. Also nearby is my favorite coffee shop in the city -- Farley's (on 18th Street). There are about 20 public journals on the shelf where you can read entries from all kinds of people---regulars, artists, the insane, and travelers. It's a great way to spend the hours following the Anchor tour sobering up.

    (5)

  • Michelle B.

    It's your typical brewery tour in most respects, it smells funny, it is kind of cold, the bottling facility will mesmerize you, however our tour guide was top notch! He was one of the guys who makes the beer, knows his stuff, and can amazingly pull off wearing a beanie with a white jump suit! He got us Yelpers all fired up for such things as pasteurization, cows, and E. coli. We actually Wooohooo'ed for E. coli...or maybe it was the eradication of E. Coli...heck I don't know we were just happy that we had tried quite a bit of the delicious beer they make there. The tasting room is set up much like a winery tasting room and you get your beer flights (which consist of 12oz pours!) from light to dark unless you request otherwise. These people are serious about their beer, but don't expect you to be. Whoohoo for Anchor Brewing!

    (5)

  • David P.

    Allah be praised! (OK, that was inappropriate.) But you get my drift. This is a venerable institution -- the first modern "microbrewery", having inspired gems like Sierra Nevada, Widmer, etc. The brewery tour is informative, and it's amazing how clean the brewery is. Highlights include seeing the beer tap in the breakroom (I'd get fired within a week if I worked there) and if the Laverne-and-Shirley-esque bottling machine is going. As cool as the tour is, the apogee (I had to look that word up) of the tour is the post-tour tasting. FREE BEER. Odelay. You can sample all of Anchor's beers -- including their holiday beer if you go in the holiday season. And they're great beers, in a wide variety: "Small" beer, wheat, steam, ale, porter, barleywine.

    (5)

  • H. Q.

    This is one of the best and very educational tours in the Bay Area. C'mon who does not like to learn a little something new for the day and get rewarded with beer?? I was there at the end of the October and got to try the new Christmas Ale. Just that alone was worth it. AND.... the tour was FREE!!! In addition to all the tour and tasting and all, you can also buy 12 packs or cases of FRESHLY bottled beer from them. I bought the porter and the liberty ale that was bottled that morning. Be sure to make your reservations early as they fill up quick.

    (5)

  • Nancy W.

    They do what they do and brew what they brew soooooo well and they've never had to advertise! The tour is great -- make sure you have reservations -- and chatting with the brewers afterwards in the Tap Room is always fun. I've known many of the Anchor folk past and present and one thing that has struck me is how important it is from their personal prospective that they make great beer.

    (5)

  • Jacquie S.

    I came her for a free tour a while back and although I am not a huge fan of beer the tour was really interesting. Did you know they have 99.5% zero waste, don't know how, but they do! Amazing! Also, I left pretty tipsy from all the free samples.

    (4)

  • Nir B.

    My gf took me here today for my surprise bday gift. I must say I was blown away. ALl she told me was that we are getting on the 19 from Nob HIll. Next thing we know..we get off on Mariposa we keep walking and then I see the Brewing company. The tour itself was fun. We had a host by the name of Andrew who looked like a combination of Dan Akroyd and that dude from Office Space. He seemed a little more shy compared to other Tour guides. However, he did an excellent job. He definitely knew his $hit and he was very friendly. 40 min. after the tour we got to sample all the different anchor steam beer. My favorite was the summer ale. They also had a porter that was 8.5%. You don't find many of those beers at random bars in SF..just the basic Anchor steam. The tour guide told us the secrets of where to go though. I highly recommend this tour to anyone. I heard it's really popular but you can't go wrong. it's free and you learn a lot. The smell of the hop (which is an ingredient used in pretty much every beer) is mary jane :)

    (5)

  • Briony D.

    I love touring this place. I live nearby, so it's one of my favorite places to take out-of-town visitors. I don't actually like beer that much, but Anchor's good enough that I usually have a little bit of a taste at the end. One time they let us sit around for 2-3 hours after the tour having a chat. Yes you have to prebook, which is fair enough for a free tour. And the maximum group size is 10 people. And as for public transport accessibility, the 10, 19 and 22 bus lines all stop a block away (the 19 stops right outside on the way into the city).

    (5)

  • stephanie i.

    Talk about hidden gems. Ha... this big ole' brewery sits right in the midst of Potrero Hill and I never even knew it existed. I've never been on a tour of a brewery before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The tour was great. Our guide had a great sense of humor and "guided" our unruly group of 35 or so peeps through the halls of their facility. The aroma of hops in the air was enough to make you salivate and look for a frosty mug. Mind you... I was the only one not drinking and boy did I want one. Even if I had known this brewery existed, I probably wouldn't have gone in for a tour. But now that I have, I am inclined to share this experience with all my beer loving friends. Cheers!

    (5)

  • Don y.

    I have been coming up to the beer tour about twice a year for the last 20 years, its always informative, fun, and interesting...A real class act, and a class beer...Not just the beer which is great, but the people and the atmosphere are just great...Thanks Fritz for keeping it going... Also tasted at the winery across the street...If anyone is into wine, this is a special treat...Strongly recommend....Tom was informative,and friendly, and they are making some great wines...Will definitely go back...Have to make reservations, well worth it... Don from PA .

    (5)

  • Johnny B.

    When I bartended they took us on a tour. By the end I was wasted. I think it was their fog or Whiskey.

    (5)

  • William L.

    I came here with my coworkers one Wednesday afternoon. The tour itself is fairly speedy; you walk through each stage of the brewing process and learn how Anchor's is unique. (Boy, do I sympathize with the guy who - as five bottles zip by per second - checks that the labels are on right.) Our tour guide, a recent college graduate, had a speaking manner that was a little hard to understand, but she was upbeat and held my interest. The real reason to visit, though, is the tour-ending tasting. You get six-ounce samples of six varieties of beer, each sweeter than the next. Even after a hearty lunch, I felt a good buzz at the end. I stayed nearly an hour there, savoring the brewing mementoes that filled every square inch of wallspace in the room. A trip to Anchor Brewing Company is right for any occasion. Because it's a bonafide San Francisco institution, it's great to take out-of-town visitors, local history buffs or just plain beer lovers.

    (5)

  • Dalia K.

    How can I give any place that serves FREE beer less than 4 stars?!? I can't. It's free. And it's beer. Good beer. Not that Budweiser and Coors crap. Free good beer - music to my ears. So why didn't I give it 5 stars? Eh - our tour guide was only asi asi. I was a bit bored. Really - I just wanted to try the beer. How cool would it be if we could go on the tour and drink beer at the same time!!! Eh, eh...good idea, huh? Plus, we never got to sample their last beer which really was a bummer - when we asked for it, our tour guide said "sorry, we have to close. we're throwing a party later." LAME. At least she could have given us a taste or something instead of a full glass. I still like Anchor Steam beer - just not the tour guide.

    (4)

  • Victor G.

    gotta do the tour sometime! this is one of my favorite beers!

    (4)

  • lisa v.

    I just recently "won" a tour to this place from a charity that I sponser for me and 8 of my friends and I couldn't have been more surprised. At first I didn't understand why I could only do it after 5:30 but that was because they were closed to the public so we had the whole place to ourselves. Everything that everyone else says is true about the beer tasting and such but I couldn't believe how much I actually learned. My friends and I were driving Andrew nuts because we kept interuppting him to ask something but he covered it all. He was very professional but also made it alot of fun and interesting! I would definetely do this tour again.

    (5)

  • Dan C.

    you ask any micro brewer who da man is. They'll all tell you it's Fritz Maytag. Cheers!

    (5)

  • Jimi H.

    So glad I ditched work one morning to catch a tour here. I loved the taproom and the brewing facilities were squeaky clean. This place and its history fascinated me and I had no idea they made more than just the Anchor Steam or Liberty. Super fun and I would do it again, just be sure to plan ahead.

    (5)

  • tim f.

    Whether you're a local looking for to give out-of-towners a glimpse of San Francisco history , or a visiting tourist yourself, you don't want to miss this tour. At the end you'll try our a "sampling" of their beers...which was poured at larger proportions than any other tasting I've been to. You'll love this tour...be sure to call ahead to book a tour since these fill up fast.

    (4)

  • C M.

    5 Stars, why you ask? two words Free Beer, and the tour is educational. NOTE: schedule in advance about 30 days. The Tour: Is as advertised, 40 minute stroll through the brewery, and 2 hours of free beer. Couple things to note, if the tour group is too big you may not see a few things, notably my second time through we skiped the hops room :( But either way the tour is good. The Tasting: This depends on the group and the bar tender. I've been twice. Time #1: they did seconds and the group was pretty social and lively . . . so it was pretty bueno, had to head up to Chez Maman to sober up and get some grub before we could drive. Time #2: The bar tender was tight, no seconds! But the group was again pretty social, so all in all a great afternoon! AND we headed to Chez Maman for grub . . . I see a pattern forming here Time #3: I'll report back . . . I think if I go back too soon they might recognize me. This is a must do, if visiting SF, or hosting out of town guests, or if you like beer.

    (5)

  • Garrett H.

    Clearly it's awesome. I've been there twice and really enjoyed it both times. Here is the long and short of it. read the other reviews for more details. Tours start every weekday at one, sometimes they take walk-ins, but it's best to make a reservation about three months (yes three months) in advance especially if you have a large group. It's free and it takes about an hour. They bring you through the entire process, and talk about a lot of interesting history. at the end of the tour you get FREE BEER!! It's great, I'm sure I'll go back. It's best to go on a Friday because some of the workers come up and drink with the tourists at the end of the tour. Everyone gets a little tipsy and has a good time. Look for the beer tap in the employee break room! Cheers. After the tour walk down De Haro toward 16th and stop at Couleur Cafe for a nice post tour snack.

    (5)

  • David M.

    Where do I start? how about where I finished....hanging around a sweet bar drinking and chatting with people who just might have the coolest job ever. Tour was fantastic, kind of like a history lesson about SF....described through beer. You learn all about the production process, distribution, marketing (trick question there if you went on the tour). All in all, the best brewery tour I've been on in my life.

    (5)

  • Jen W.

    I love taking beer lovin' tourists here. The old foghorn is great. After experiencing beer in Germany and guinness in Ireland, it is hard to love american beer, but you will feel the love here.

    (5)

  • Chris K.

    Best brewery tour hands down. Only catch. Make reservations weeks in advance and then call in sick. They gave so many samples I had to say no believe it or not, since I was driving!

    (5)

  • Simon S.

    Free beer? I'm there. Awesome tour, people, and beer. Go get drunk!

    (5)

  • Ben Y.

    YESSSSSS Anchor brewing is great. Their tour is totally awesome. Went here on one of my last days living in San Francisco, and so glad I did! I've been on my share of brewery tours, but this was the most impressive. Their facilities are just awesome - stone, copper, stainless steel, buckets of hops, awesome! The real treat was learning the history of the business - and, of course, the tasting! I don't think I've ever had so many free samples in one sitting. I'm pretty sure every single person I was with left pretty toasty - and the cost? Nadda! I could not believe such a great tour and tasting was free... hell, I even got a free poster when I left. Seriously, if you get the chance, give Anchor a visit. BUT PLAN AHEAD! Especially if you have a large party... they only give one tour a day, only on week days, and you have to reserve your spot. I don't care about your excuses. GO.

    (5)

  • Mark A.

    It's pretty rare to have any business with over 100 reviews have a five-star rating, but they totally earn it. This is their only location, and you see every single part of the brewing process, from start to finish. Even though it's probably the least interesting part of the process, it was really cool to actually be inside the room where they are bottled, it's pretty rare for any factory to let outsiders do that. Nothing is held back. And lots of great pours at the end - all free.

    (5)

  • Evie B.

    Can't wait to go back for another tour. Easy on the wallet (it's free!) and lots I'd interesting information. Love the smell of hops too! We had a large group but they accommodated us well. At the end you get to try 6 different beers which were all really good. Anchor steam has officially made my own personal drinking list thanks to their stupendous tour and beer. Woop!

    (4)

  • Gordon C.

    Awesome informative tour followed by a 6 beer tasting. You get a history of the company and a walking tour of their brewery through each step. You even get to see the guy sitting there watching the bottles pass by to see if there are any errors. I thought I would just be excited over the free beer at the end but the tour was actually really interesting and I'm more of an Anchor Steam fan now. The wife had made reservations 3 months in advanced, so if you are looking into checking it out, call ahead.

    (5)

  • James K.

    I overheard our tour guide mention not to "yelp" this place since it's sort of annoying (this isn't verbatim) but by looking at the stellar reviews, I don't see why he would feel that way --it has over 180 plus reviews so i'm not going to say much that isn't already said --i've been to only one other brewery (Budweiser) in Fairfield and in comparison, i'll have to give this place the edge --first of all, after the tour, they serve you nice sized glasses of various beers (summer, Xmas, anchor steam etc)..can't seem to remember the others...they were tasty beers to say the least..the budweiser factory only allows two beers and they give it to you at the beginning and expect you to finish it before starting, which can be challenging time wise if you don't drink fast (not a problem for me but for others) --staff/tour guide was personable, cracked a few jokes and was down to earth...it's good when you can feel free to ask any questions without feeling out of place

    (5)

  • Jac C.

    This is the coolest tour EVER! Set aside a day during the week and call ahead to make a reservation. It was much harder to find a day that worked for all of our friends than it was to make it work with Anchor Steam. The tour isn't very long. You get to see how the beer is made, a bunch of very fragrant hops in the hop room, and the bottling and labeling machines downstairs. After that, it's back to the tap room to taste everything they have on tap and chat with the people who make the beer. How could this be any better? Oh yeah, it's FREE!

    (5)

  • Zack P.

    I think Anchor is my favorite brewery after this tour. I'm not very knowledgeable of the brewing process and this tour was aimed more at the beer snob. I love the pride they take in their work and in the history of the company and how that history fits into the history of San Francisco. Breckel's Brown.

    (4)

  • Roxanna L.

    My sweetie and I were in SF for our Honeymoon at the beginning of Dec 2009...the farthest thing from our minds during that period of time would have been booking a tour at Anchor 2 months in advance of our visit...but we lucked out and snagged 2 spots (cancellations I presume) for our last day in town. Anchor's Christmas Ale is probably my favorite beer of all time...and lucky for us - we were visiting as this seasonal brew's production was in full swing...As everyone has previously mentioned, our tour guide Andrew was awesome (Shannon I's Bill Murray + Quentin Tarantino reference was spot on). Perfect wit, hospitality, and history (some real insight in to beer making and SF history). They are very generous with their tastings, too...you pretty much get to try it all (and have a 2nd of your favorite if you like)! By far, the best brewery tour I've experienced thus far.

    (5)

  • Fairmount P.

    Nice way to start off a day of trekking around San Francisco. Especially given its proximity to the Mission/great Mexican food. Quick tour of a significant local institution that ends with a tasting. The tasting goes for breadth with six varieties of beer, and there's no distracting commercial aspect to it (of course the whole thing is a kind of brand-loyalty building endeavor, but if you can't get over that and enjoy yourself you're in for a lifetime of disappointments). Nor it it designed to get people drunk. It's a pleasant sampling and a learning experience. The tour and tasting are free. The tour is short and focuses on the fundamentals of the brewing process and Anchor's history. The tasting is casual and informative and even accessible. Anyone with a basic understanding of how beer is brewed will grasp the tour guide's explanations. Anchor's image as a beer for casual but knowledgeable beer drinkers is reinforced throughout the experience. This is not a tour for meat-heads hoping to do keg stands. More of an opportunity to earnestly experience one of America's most "important" breweries.

    (4)

  • Jessica T.

    Prepare to catch a coveted glimpse of what goes through everyone's mind on a group Yelp outing to Anchor Brewing company. I'm talking high-brow stuff here. Thoughts inside my head: mmmmmmmmmm.....garlic noodles and crab at PPQ. Thoughts inside everybody else's head: mmmmmmmmmmmm Beer! Beer! Beer! Beer! And after some fun free beer sampling at their entrance, we began Anchor Brewing's informative tour. Tour guide: (dressed in blue jumpsuit. He definitely wore that jumpsuit well) "And this is the..... Thoughts inside my head: mmmmmmmmmm garlic noodles and crab at PPQ Thoughts inside everbody's else's head: uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yell something quick, so we can get back to Beer! Beer! Beer! Beer! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (Stephy S' review was so on point) Tour Guide: And this is the...... Thoughts inside my head: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, forget the crab...mmmmmmmmmmm.....garlic noodles. Thoughts inside everbody else's head: My beer glass is empty...muuuuust get more (said in Captain Kirk's voice)......let's do some "wooooing" so we can get more beer!! Beer! Beer! Beer! Beer! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooo, (Insert a couple more "And this is the....", followed by loud Woooooooooooooooohs in here) Tour Guide: And finally this is the..... Thoughts inside my head: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm fooooooooooooooooooooooood Thoughts inside everbody else's head: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Beer! Beer! Beer! Beer!.......mmmmmmmmmmmmmm eh....food sounds pretty good right now. Tour Guide: And that about wraps up our tour! Thoughts inside tour guide's head: Whew! Finally. Day over....just in time for some foooooooooood WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a beautiful thing when everybody ends up on the same wave-length. P.S. The tour was informative, well thought out, and the beer was delicious. Definitely check out Anchor Brewing if you have a chance. I'd recommend eating beforehand though.

    (5)

  • Jeremy S.

    Freakin awesome. If you're not a fan of Anchor Steam, go on the tour and you will be. First off, the tour starts with free beer. Yeah that's right, drink up and no worries mate, you can take it with you on the tour. Want to try some of the other microbrews you'll have a hard time finding in the stores? Sure take a draft, damn that's good isn't it. Okay now let's go on the tour. Look at these big vats of baby beer. That smells nice doesn't it, oh yeah it does. Want to see bags of fresh hops? Yeah you do. Now grab your jacket, it's time to head to the basement to see where the beer is stored, see it grow up from baby to adolescent right before your eyes. Hellz yeah, my baby's all growed up in just a few weeks down here. Bottles are for babies, right? Wrong, bottles are for delicious beer. See the bottler slamming more beer per minute than you'll drink this week. Seriously. Okay back to the bar, yep more free beer. Did you enjoy the tour? Yeah you did. Now see if they'll sign you up for next week, booyah. Best. Tour. Evar.

    (5)

  • Sonny P.

    THE MOST AMAZING PLACE IN THE WORLD. I'm a SoCal transplant, and I'm generally poor, I also have a tick that when I'm somewhere I drink the beer from there, (Philly = Yuengling, S.D. = Stone and so on) so after living in SF for 10 years this June I must say that my favorite beer on earth is Anchor "Steam". If you took the tour you'd know that Steam Beer is a designation and not the name of the company. Like you wouldn't order an Anchor Steam Porter, dig? I won a private tour before they sold in a silent auction and it was AWESOME. I got hooked on the Humming Ale before they decided to bottle it. If they continue the traditions even though Fritz sold it I will always be faithful! Shout out to Old Potrero Spirits almost getting a girl I crushed on FOREVER to make out with me. and Maytag Bleu Cheese!

    (5)

  • Jason L.

    took the tour there on a Friday afternoon. it was amazing. they let you sample as much beer as you wanted. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and made the whole experience fun. They ordered some pizza for our group (sourdough pizza) and it was delicious!

    (5)

  • Tysen C.

    The tour is great! History, intrigue, the brewing and bottling process--super informative! Book at least a month in advance if you want to go...and a month and a half in advance if you want the later tour (ours was at 10 am). Parking is easy around the surrounding blocks--and usually free! The tasting room is comfy and there is no pressure to be quick about it. This tour is an absolute must for any beer lover!

    (5)

  • Chris L.

    Echoing the rest of the reviews here, the tour is free and very cool (call in advance to schedule, they are by appointment only and book up several weeks in advance) showing you the whole process of the not-too-huge Anchor Steam Brewery (one of the last remaining SF breweries actually still in San Francisco) followed by a generous pour of their different beers. Anchor Steam, Liberty Ale, Anchor Porter, Anchor Bock, Anchor Small, and Anchor 2010 Christmas ale were on tap for tasting when I went. They have some cool gifts/souvenirs for sale as well including branded Anchor glasses (for each different beer), coasters, and bar signs. If you love beer and you're in San Francisco, this is a must visit.

    (5)

  • Felicity M.

    Anchor Steam=quality through and through. I went on a private tour here and was so impressed with the thorough, informative and interesting facts, the pristine facilities and all of the different and fun rooms. I felt like I was Charlie in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory- with the exceptions being that my name is Felicity, they make beer instead of chocolate and I didn't get in trouble (or sucked up into a fan) for drinking any fizzy lifting drinks. We got to enjoy as much free beer before and after the tour; they also had some delicious sausages for free too!! Take this tour if you are on a budget and want to learn something/get drunk off of delicious, quality beer. Even if I did have to pay for the tour, beer or sausages, I'd still give them 5 stars (bonus points for it being free, though!) Edit: AAAAAAAAAAnd as soon as I posted this, I saw that Cecilia B. had already mentioned feeling as if she was in Willy Wonka too----- so yes! Go! It's true! 2 people have said it's the beer-equivalent to your childhood fantasy(or nightmare...)

    (5)

  • Kathleen N.

    I don't like to drink beer, but I have to know a lot about it. As a bartender and a bartender school instructor, I not only serve and sell beer, but I also teach people who take my class about beer. I lecture my classes each week on how to pour a proper pint of beer, what a perfect Guinness pour looks like, the differences between a lager and an ale and why Hefeweizen comes garnished with a lemon. When my customers come into the bar and ask for a beer, I have to be ready to suggest a type of beer depending on their tastes and what we have in stock. So in an attempt to educate myself more about the world of beer and hopefully develop a healthy palate for beer, I recently went on the Anchor Steam Brewery tour on Potrero Hill. The hour and a half tour of the brewery took us on three of the four floors in the brewery showing the entire process of how Anchor Steam produces their beer all the way to the packaging and shipping room. The best part of the tour was the two-hour tasting. In the tasting room, Anchor Steam provided four of their beers on tap. While everyone in the tour group tasted all of the different beers, the brew master described the different flavors found inside each of the beers and encouraged everyone in the group to ask questions about the Anchor Steam company, its history and beer producing in general. The Anchor Steam Brewery is truly a beer lover's heaven. And as a non-beer drinker educator and seller myself, I found the tour extremely interesting, informative, and invaluable.

    (5)

  • Andre G.

    Yep another 5 star recommendation. Anchor Brewery the Tour: Good short tour and great long tasting! Everyday at the brewery is a great day! I starts with a short history lesson, then we talk, taste and smell ingredients, and then we check out the process and ... we have a heck of a great time at the tap! Yes is really is a great way to spend the second half of the day. The bad thing is this you have to reserve it 3-6 weeks in advance and way more than that if you want a Friday. And whats more is the tour is Free Anchor Brewing Company the Beer: Ah what a great taste and oh yes August 2009 new invention the humming ale made from New Zealand hop (the only hops they use that are not "domestic"). This beer does have a great crisp taste I will continue to enjoy in the years to come! Cheers to you Anchor Brewing Co.

    (5)

  • cecilia k.

    So I finally did the Anchor tour. 11 am on a thursday I felt the urge for some cold HOPING beer (get it!!?? I'm just too funny) so I got on the bus with hubbie and two Swedish friends that mostly like hof and stella (boooooring but hey we are Swedish). The tour was great I felt like Charlie in the chocolate factory and I was just waiting for some of the greedy members of the tour to grab a beer and get sucked up in a pipe filled with his heavenly fluid that we all love too much, never happen. Even though iI did not hear a lot I did however understand the part about tasting beer afterwords mmmm. So after the kinda short, informative tour through a small and personal brewery it was time to get some beer. I like Anchor steam and I really liked the summer beer and the wine beer. Our tour guide was great even though he does this everyday with obnoxious people (mostly) that just want free beer (like me, no it was very interesting) he still held it together and was very friendly. The rest of that day I should not share with you, it did however made me feel like I was sixteen again, for good and for bad.

    (5)

  • Sylvia F.

    If you enjoy a good beer, You'll get one here! Or as they say at Anchor Brewing ...."There are no strong beers, only weak men". We signed up for the tour which was done really well by Andrew. When we walked into the bottling area where we couldn't hear a thing, he held up signs explaining what was going on.It was quite comical. Afterword's we proceeded to the bar to taste the "Goods". We were not disappointed gave us I think 6-7 tastes of all there beers available at that time and they went from the light to the dark porter. The portion size was crazy big for not paying a dime for the tour or tasting. This was a real winner in my book! I would go again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again..........

    (5)

  • Meghan P.

    The lowest rating that Anchor Brewing Company has so far from anyone is 4 stars. That's awesome and very deserved! A free tour with free, amazing beer = INCREDIBLE!!!

    (5)

  • Andrew K.

    Pretty frikkin cool. Can't believe I didn't do this earlier and SHOCKED that Yelp hasn't had an event here...yet. The wines were great!

    (5)

  • Chrim K.

    What an amazing tour! Our tour guide was great. She was nice, friendly, and knowledgeable. We've been to another brewery tour on the East Coast and the Anchor tour was a million times better. We liked that they took us from room to room to describe (and show us) the brewing process. We were lucky enough to be there on the day the owner, Fritz Maytag, was there. He was being filmed for a new show. The tasting portion of the tour was fun. We were able to sample all 6 of the beers on tap. They were all very good, especially the Humming Ale. We really hope it makes it's way to the NY/NJ area soon. They also have a little area where you can purchase merchandise (beer, shirts, coasters, openers, etc.). Everything was decently priced. We picked up 2 shirts and a bottle opener. Make sure you book a tour well in advance. We plan on returning during our next San Francisco trip!

    (5)

  • Douglas O.

    Work outing, was able to sample the beers, wine and distilled beverages. the Pale Ale was light and flavorful. The tour was quick led by knowledgeable team. Were able to have lunch in the wine area of the building, an enjoyable afternoon stop by place.

    (4)

  • Len D.

    I was lucky enough to get here by calling in on Friday and was able to get reservations for the following Tuesday. Some people on the tour told me it took them 6 months to get reservations. Unlike what some reviewers say, it is very clear on the website and at the site that they do not accept walk ins and that you should reserve weeks ahead of time. I'm a new homebrewer and it was great to see how a real factory does it. The tour guide was very informative and the tour including the tasting was about an hour long. You get about 6 beers which are about 5 oz each. Some of the beers aren't even on the market, yet. The best thing about it is its all free. You can also grab some postcards and a poster for free as well. So if you live in San Francisco I would call and reserve a date now. Or if you are a tourist like me then just call everyday and find out if they have any cancellations, Its worth the try.

    (5)

  • Beatrice W.

    Best brewery tour EVER!!! You can easily get 3 1/2 pints of beer during the tasting (6 generous samples + 1 more if you want to retry one or mix 2 together...)

    (5)

  • Jafon H.

    A truly epic family of beer, best make sure you take their amazing brewery tour. Even better to be invited to industry night whereby sharing their food and delicious brew. Oh how I love thee Anchor Steam. From the bottom to the top, good to the last drop and never a bad word; a sure friend you'll always be.

    (5)

  • Cool J.

    I finally went to the Anchor Steam tour on Thursday and I was pretty impressed. A very informative and educational tour. Who would of thought you had to do so much to create beer? The tour guide went through how Anchor steam started, what ingredients they use, how they brew the beer, where they brew the beer, etc. Overall i believe the tour is about 45 minutes. My favorite part of the tour is the bottling area. Shades of Laverne and Shirley. I wanted to put a glove on one of the bottles and wave it goodbye... The best part is getting to taste the different beers that Anchor Steam offers at the end of the tour. I partook in half a glass cause I was the driver but my friends seemed to enjoy a full glass of each beer. They have a little bar area where you can sit, relax and sample to your hearts delight. I believe they do one tour a day at 1pm. I took the day off for it but hey I'm sure some of you with lax work schedules can make it during your extended lunch break. You'll enjoy the tour and beer and best of all, it's free!!!! How can you beat that?

    (5)

  • A L.

    Fantastic tour. Guide was knowledgeable, kept it open by allowing many questions, and the beer sampling was generous. Porter was my favorite.

    (5)

  • jeramy g.

    Having been a fan of anchor steams flagship brew for some time now, i was extremely excited in given the opportunity to attend the Anchor brewery tour last week. The facility was charming and very clean, with lots of classic beer artifacts to look at in the main lobby area. Our tour guide Andrew was informative, professional and didn't once tell a lame joke , like many other tour guides ive seen..do. Aside from the the actual tasting, the most impressive part was getting to see the large copper brew kettles, it was certainly surprising to see the actual scale of the pots. The tour itself ends with a sampling of 6 of the company's beers. i believe all that was left out from the tasting was there seasonal beers, specifically the Christmas brew. All of the beers were fantastic, i especially like the summer beer. A word of warning though, you will be offered a 8oz glass of each of the 6 beers in succession ;if drinking in the late morning is not a appealing thought , then id use discretion. The only downside i found with my experience, was that unfortunately the brewery was unable to sell all of there products at the premise at this time, apparently Anchor has produced a rye whiskey , in which i was interested in trying but was unable to sell it there in there shop. All in all, it was a lovely time..id highly recommend going.

    (5)

  • Gourmet G.

    A San Francisco institution dating back to 1896. Visitors can take a ninety-minute tour that explains how beer gets brewed and then sample a bit at the end. I found it fascinating, and I don't drink beer. Very popular, so reserve a few weeks in advance.

    (5)

  • Drue C.

    Tonight I had the pleasure of experiencing the brewery tour with a private group. No, I dont mean I booked ahead and went at 1 (which is still a great tour, if you can ditch work to do it)...I mean I got to go on a Friday night, compliments of a fantastic individual named Cliff, who made the brewery cave to their normal schedule and let us in for a special tour. What does this mean? It means we got to drink my favorite beer before the tour, durring the tour AND after the tour. We had a wonderful guide, Tom, who was surly and witty and fun. I love the history of this place, thier brewing methods and their beer. You should go. Really.

    (5)

  • Gabe L.

    One time when I was abroad and very homesick I got a 6 pack of anchor and was oh so happy. To have this here in the city that I live means so much to me. The tour is fantastic and opens your eyes to what tradition means. Go 49ers, go Giants and go Anchor Brewery. Fritz Maytag has saved an amazing part of SF (Plus the beer absolutely rules!!!)

    (5)

  • roger b.

    this was a great way to spend my day off. i didn't get some of the perks others before me got like 12oz pours but mine were a still respectable 6oz. hell if i had consumed that much beer i might not have made it back home. nor did i get beer before the tour. so inconsistencies aside this was informative tour with a knowledgeable guide. at the end he poured all the beer i wanted. not much else to say other than i learned and i drank beer. good beer. can't wait to go again and again. excellent experience!

    (5)

  • Stephen P.

    Its amazing. GO! Its one of the things that make a Native like me proud in my City. Love love love this place and take people here any chance I get. GO!

    (5)

  • Laura C.

    The tour here is the most fantastic way to spend a day off from work. You get to learn about beer and see the brewing process in action followed by a tasting session where they give you generous amounts of six different kinds of their beer...all for free! The tour guides are friendly and informative and the beer, well, it's not only free, but it's delicious too!

    (5)

  • rachel p.

    if you haven't yet toured anchor steam and you live in SF then you should call and make a reservation immediately. not only will you be supporting our local beer, but you'll will have one of the coolest brewery tours ever. this is because it's small, homey even. they only do group tours during the week, so you'll need to call in sick. but it's worth it. you get to see the whole operation, and it's very laverne and shirley. we watched two guys in jumpsuits take broken bottles off the conveyer belt and feed others through. this is old school brewing. this beer has integrity. after you finish the tour--which gives you a history lesson on the beer and how it's made--you get to go to the tasting room where you'll sample all their varietals. don't miss the barleywine. it's astonishingly good.

    (5)

  • Alured P.

    Even if you don't like the normal anchor steam, the tour is worth it to try all the special beers they make of which I found I liked several. Oh, and there is the tour... yeah.. that's good too. Plus the wonderful smell. If you live/work near Potrero Hill then what are you waiting for..

    (5)

  • J T.

    im not sure what its like usually as i was there for a private christmas party with a bunch of Secret Service and FBI folks. we all had a good time, enjoyed drinking a brew and watching the next batch being made. ive drank anchorsteam for years and its great to finally be on the west coast to visit the brewery in person!

    (4)

  • Laurel B.

    Anchor Steam is in my great neighborhood, but if that's not enough, their tours are extraordinary with, as everyone said, free beer. But they also are good citizens (a big thing with me) and do charitable events there (great venue) (meaning, if you are a non-profit, they'll pour beer for your party for free) (needs to be some kind of charity event, I think). And the other products of the owner -- Fritz Maytag -- are pretty killer. Maytag cheese: yum. Junipero gin: double yum, and no grains here, just herbs and such. (No grains means no carbs. Not that I care. Because I don't. Love carbs. But it's drinkable over Passover. Or if you are on the Atkins diet.) I haven't tried his Old Potrero rye whiskey yet (even though I am a big rye fan), but I understand it's very authentic, as in, 18th century authentic.

    (5)

  • Adrian D.

    What can I say that hasn't been said. Awesome brewery. Friendly people. AND FREE BEER!!!

    (5)

  • Irene F.

    I haven't been on the tour (I know, I know, and I will, next time I'm in SF and can spend a while getting tanked in the middle of the day, that is) but I love me some Anchor Steam. So glad we can get this on the East coast...Boston, it's way harder, but NYC likes Anchor too! Awesome. Keep on brewin'

    (5)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :9:00 am - 5:00pm

Specialities

  • Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Parking : Street
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes

Anchor Brewing Company

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