Anchor Brewing, the Oldest Craft Brewer in the U.S., Will Close After 127 Years
“The stake through the heart of Anchor was the pandemic,” a company spokesman said.
Four bottles of Anchor Brewing Co. beer with colorful labels.
Founded in 1896 in San Francisco, Anchor Brewing Co. is the oldest craft brewer in the United States.Credit…Craig Lee/San Francisco Chronicle, via Associated Press
Livia Albeck-Ripka
By Livia Albeck-Ripka
July 13, 2023, 5:30 a.m. ET
It survived San Francisco’s devastating 1906 earthquake, Prohibition and both world wars. But recent economic pressures proved too much for the oldest craft brewer in the country: After 127 years, Anchor Brewing Company is shutting down.
In a statement released Wednesday, the company, founded in 1896, said that the impacts of the pandemic, inflation and a highly competitive market left it “with no option but to make this sad decision to cease operations.” Employees were given 60 days’ notice and promised severance packages, the company said. Anchor added that although it had stopped brewing, it would continue packing and distributing beer while available. It will be sold on draft while inventory remains, it said. READ MORE