Anchor Liberty Ale - Anchor Brewing Company

dar482

New York

4.53/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

The beer is a hazy yellow and orange.

The aroma is quite big on fresh grapefruit and then some biscuit malt. A very nice aroma.

The taste is fantastic as it hits you with tons of grapefruit. Then it has a nice amount of malt and a lasting bitterness. It's very citrus hoppy and then a great malt backbone.

I would say this is more of the hoppy American pale ales than truly an IPA. It does push the boundaries though. I was pleasantly surprised by this. Fantastic citrus hoppy pale ale.

It's darn impressive that this was brewed in 1975, before Sierra Nevada's groundbreaking pale ale. This beer is an under appreciated classic.

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2013 20:26:53 | More by dar482

TrappistJohnMD

Mississippi

3.64/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Served in beer flight at Epcot.

Bright golden color with nice thick white head that lingers well and leaves lots of sticky lacing along sides of cup.

Smell is pine and tangerine. Not a hop smack to the face but nice and refreshing.

Taste is also pine and tangerine with malt backbone and mild bitterness. Very refreshing.

Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth. Light medium bodied.

Overall this was good and worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2013 20:19:11 | More by TrappistJohnMD

elNopalero

Texas

3.8/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This pours a clear honeyed golden color with tight foam. The aroma is lightly hopped with some lemony citrus notes. Flavor has more of the lemony zest/Lemon Pledge flavors—that is to say it’s citrusy and lemony with a light bitterness. An easygoing drinker. It’s hard to believe that at one time this was one of the hoppiest beers commercially distributed. It’s so tame in comparison to what’s out there these days.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2012 08:47:49 | More by elNopalero

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

First had: pitcher shared by the folks from Anchor, at Capone's, Norristown, PA

Poured a clearish pale copper color with a thin wispy white head. Very little detectable in the nose, mild citrusy hops and grainy malts. Taste was similarly muted, especially for an IPA, especially for an IPA being showcased by the brewer himself. Very light flavor, pale biscuity malts underneath a citrusy but subdued hop presence. Body is light, the beer, while lacking in flavor overall, is smooth and quite drinkable, but just too bland and thin compared to what I like in my AIPAs.

Serving type: on-tap

09-09-2012 15:40:44 | More by Rifugium

BierStein711

Illinois

2.95/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Why is this an IPA????

This is far from an IPA. Where is the hop???

On tap in pint glass

This tastes more like a Belgian Ale, no bitterness!!!! Where are the hops???

Mouthfeel: Watery

Smells, like sweet malt

I will not have this beer again. It does not fit its style at all.

Serving type: on-tap

07-28-2012 20:00:17 | More by BierStein711

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Amber brew with nice clarity and outstanding head retention. Still sitting at a half-inch after fifteen minutes. 4.5

Malty backbone noticed first and quickly. Sweet bread aromas. Hops are floral and a tad citrusy. Balanced nose. 3.5

Floral/herbal hops with restrained bitterness. Caramel malt flavors bleed through with a few toasted notes. Faint pine in the distance. A little battery acid in the finish. 3.5

Smooth and filled-out. Subdued suds almost creams the feel. 4.0

Decent IPA, or APA, or whatever it is. Finally scored a fresh pour. Cheers! 3.5

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2012 03:58:53 | More by thecheapies

kmatlack

California

3.98/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got layed over for a while at SFO, in my boredom I was literally riding escalators like a child and came across Anchor Brewing in the airport. Money. Huge ass Liberty Ale in a frosty glass (shakes fist in anger). Warmed it up with my hands. Do this to a bud light or some other piece of shit, never frost a glass for real beer.

A- Pours a clear golden yellow color with a good looking creamy white head. As the beer drinks, there is a good amount of lacing on the glass.

S- Extremely floral hop profile, you can smell a good amount of malt in there as well. Lots of bread and grains there. A good swirl gives way to citrus fruits and a small amount of pine.

T- Front end is surprisingly bitter for a single ipa. A good amount of those floral hops are on the front palate. Mid palate is a little bit sweet, lots of grains shining through, and back end is a lingering but clean bitterness.

M- Thin, slick, great mouthfeel here. Good carbonation and no abv present at all.

O- This was a very good ipa. Its kind of nice to have a no-gimmicks india pale ale once in a while. Bravo Anchor.

Serving type: on-tap

03-27-2012 18:26:31 | More by kmatlack

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

3.65/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewery!!

A: very pale yellow color, unusual for ale, almost like blond ale
S: mild, malt backbone
T: a bit lighter than what I remembered in the 80s but still a classic for being originally brewed in 1975
M: light in mouth, needs more malt
O: drinkable, lighter body but good an refreshing

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2012 00:33:19 | More by wisrarebeer

DoreenAndDave

Maine

4.28/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Beer is golden and translucent. Not much head. Aroma is subtle. Break, hops, and some tropical fruit. Taste is clean malt, citrus, lemon hoppy finish with hints of fir. Mouthfeel is excellent. This is very refreshing and very drinkable. It's nicely carbonated. It's crisp and clean but with a nice complexity.

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2011 05:08:40 | More by DoreenAndDave

bump8628

Oklahoma

3.88/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dirty blonde with a thick, solid white froth. Signature flavor and aroma of Cascades- sharp grapefruit and flowers. The hops run up against grainy malt with a buttered biscuit softness. Yeast adds more of an English slant with some fruit and woodiness. An old school hoppy American ale, though not so hoppy by today's standards. Some might find the more English malt/yeast combo at odds with the American hopping, but a pint now and then makes me appreciate a beer that has withstood the test of time.

Serving type: on-tap

11-06-2011 19:10:23 | More by bump8628

ThaCreep

Belgium

3.28/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

So-called beer that introduced the American Cascade hops. What can I say except that the beer in question is too small and does not compare with his alleged reputation.

It has a nose moderately flavored, slightly floral and lightly hopped. The taste is just average, between bitterness and dryness on the palate, biscuit and hop oil on the palate but still without much conviction. And not transcend anything.

Just an average APA with Cascade hops just friendly.

Serving type: on-tap

10-25-2011 21:29:07 | More by ThaCreep

IronCitySteve

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy orangish golden color. Provides a thick off-white with moderate retention. There is small amounts of lacing.

S: There is some citrus hops along with a caramel and bready malt profile.

T: Starts off with a nice amount of orange and grapefruit hops. This lasts throughout the tasting but on the back end there is a small amount of malt character that comes through in the way of caramel and yeast.

M: A little lighter bodied than expected. Leaves a slightly dry bitter taste on the palate.

O: A decent pale ale. I prefer the Humming Ale over the Liberty but this is still tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2011 18:17:52 | More by IronCitySteve

emerge077

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

20 oz. draft at the Anchor Brewing Bar in SFO, review from written notes.

Hazy brassy golden orange, with a thin layer of white foam that has a creamy surface texture. Spotty lace sticks to one side, as it is sipped there's a collared edge to the edge ring and a thin unbroken skim across the surface. Good retention on display.

Aromas of softly sweet shortbread, citrus rind, pale malt.

Flavors are similar, pale malt, mild citrus, lightly floral. Shortbread sweetness at first, with an easygoing bitterness in the finish. A little bit of herbal hop spice and fruity apple from the yeast. Overall easy drinking, simple and flavorful.

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2011 02:31:03 | More by emerge077

TheRealBigC

Nevada

4.2/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at St. James Infirmary

Pale golden body, great head retention

Smell was bready and what not. Definitely not a beer I'm smelling every time I sip, but an appropriate smell nonetheless. In fact, the little hint I get from going in for the sip compliments the flavor without forcing me to take in a huge sniff.

Taste and feel are excellent. It's light but flavorful. That breadiness is there with a great hop balance. It's very drinkable and tasty! Is this really an IPA? I've never had one like it!

I am taking a half point from my overall score because my burbs from this one tasted terrible!

Serving type: on-tap

09-11-2011 23:59:44 | More by TheRealBigC

nickd717

California

4.15/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Tap at the brewery - review dated 6/26/2009.

Mostly clear golden-orange color with a white head.

Nice piney hop aroma balanced by sweet caramel malt and some grains.

Flavor is somewhat sweet pale and caramel malts and fresh piney/citrusy Cascade hops (was dry-hopped according to the person serving it).

Palate medium with medium-high carbonation.

A really nice APA. I feel like this is a beer that is much better fresh than even after a couple months.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2011 20:31:24 | More by nickd717

morebeergood

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Ducali Pizza in the North End. Served in an Anchor branded pint glass. Muted orange color, with just a minor amount of head. Smell was of pine and citrus. Nice amount of hops on the palate for an APA. Well balanced though, so it was a smooth beer to drink. Mouthfeel was enjoyable, except I thought the abv was a tad high for a pale ale. A tasty beer to drink, and a nice alternative to Anchor Steam, which is what I usually see on tap everywhere instead.

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2011 23:47:11 | More by morebeergood

afksports

New York

4.33/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Who knew my first Anchor Brew in a while would bring such a smile? On tap at Amity Hall in Greenwich Village, Liberty Ale puts a heady and hazy light orange gold. An American pale ale with 6% alcohol by volume, Liberty Ale is... Freeing.

It smells of bready malts, citrus and floral hops, and cascades the mouth with an easy complexity. Ultimately drinkable because of its balance, but still hoppy enough so not for the feint of heart, Liberty is a perfct example of the category.

In fact I think that it's B+ rating on this site might have something to do with it's distribution, because this brew has tons of positives, even if it might get knocked for being widely available.

Serving type: on-tap

03-03-2011 01:17:27 | More by afksports

atsprings

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Tyler's Taproom served in a keep the glass Anchor pint glass a crisp pale orange with a thin off white head that diminishes to a ring. Aroma is crisp citrus hops and mild sweet pale malts. The taste is a nice balance of sweet malts and citrus hops. The beer is quite light, crisp, smooth and refreshing. This is a very enjoyable pale ale, just as good as I remember it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-23-2010 01:24:01 | More by atsprings

Yojimbo1941

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

poured from the tap into a sam adams glass.

A- straw-like golden and pale with a thick white head.

S- grassy hops with some spice, slight honeyed-malt, hint of malt.

T- Citrus, lots of orange cream, lemon, tangerine, hint of banana, creamy malt flavor, this one is hard to pin down for some reason.

M- mediuum with light carbonation

D- I think after 3 of these I would be done.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2010 22:22:19 | More by Yojimbo1941

Gobzilla

California

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: poured a pale straw yellow with yellow highlights that had a thin head a left a little lacing sticking to the glass.

S: right off the bat I got big bready malty notes with slight hop and citrus notes. There is also a little cream aroma as well in the mix.

T: I guess there is some cream characters cause its also on the taste buds which was quite surprising on a pale ale. Along with the cream notes I got a malts, citrus, and very slight hop notes.

M: the brew was medium body with a moderate amount of carbonation that had a sweet creamy and very slight hoppy finish.

D: this beer really drank quite welll but was a little too sweet for a pale ale, don't get me wrong it was still a tasty beer.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2010 21:16:26 | More by Gobzilla

KickbacksSteve

Florida

3.78/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewery in San Francisco. Poured into a small 6 ounce fluted glass. This beer is dry hopped but I'm not picking up a huge hop aroma. Taste is crisp, nice bitterness, nice flavor. Nothing too outstanding, but pretty tasty. Wish this one was just a touch hoppier.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2010 21:21:47 | More by KickbacksSteve

ToasterChef

Maine

4.45/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Reviewed from my notes. Poured from high above into the center of a 16 ounce fluted glass at the Lion's Pride. Liberty has a dirty, tarnished gold color. The gravity pour gave it a huge white foam head that has created a mountain of foam on top of the glass. As it settles, it leaves behind lots of patchy lace. The liquid is translucent and there isn't too much carbonation rising within. The aroma is very good, with lots of grassy and citrus hop scents. It's a little earthy as well. It isn't exceptional, very very solid for the style. The beer, once I finally taste it, makes me think of a hoppy graham cracker. It's a little bitter, a little sweet, and there are pleasant hops throughout. This is a excellent hoppy pale ale. It has a medium body. The carbonation is at a level where I can really feel it, especially when I swallow. It leaves behind a bitter and sticky coat. It isn't overly sweet though. I find Liberty to be exceptionally drinkable. It could very well be the textbook example of a drinkable hoppy pale ale (even moreso that Sierra Nevada Pale). This beer is good in any situation where craft beer is welcome, in any amount.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2010 14:58:55 | More by ToasterChef

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

@ The Old Spot, Salem MA. Felt sneaky drinking a quintessential American pale in an English pub.

Clear straw color with a thick and creamy white head. Peppery skim retention puts up the most impressive display of lacing that I have ever seen on a pale.

At first whiff I smelled freshly vacuumed carpet. Has a metallic tones clinging to the malt which I find in a lot of Cal ale yeast beers when really cold--mellowed out to a pleasant biscuit when warmed up. Cascade-ish grassy, spicey hop. Crisp and refreshing with fruity malt balanced by a grassy spicy hop. Dry, fizzy, champagne-ish carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2010 21:51:05 | More by donkeyrunner

Stigs

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on tap at Fat Head's Pittsburg...ping glass

A - very light straw with about a finger of bright white foam, minimal lacing.

S - not too much here, touch of grass and piney hops is about it.

T - crisp piney hops with some sharp biscuity and grainy malts that flash towards the end. a perfect example of this hop characteristic.

M - bright and clear, well carbonated. good for the style.

D - pretty drinkable, but the one-sided hop display starts to wear near the end of the first one. two is definitely my limit.

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2010 03:30:10 | More by Stigs

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.53/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the Moan & Dove into a shaker pint.

A: Clear pale amber body with one finger of creamy foam. Good retention and a bit of lace. Straightforward and appealing.

S: Light grains, maybe some grassy hops hiding in the background. Underwhelming.

T: Rich and balanced, with toasted malt, floral hops, and a bright, fruity finish. Dry, astringent aftertaste, though.

M: Fairly light bodied with abundant, assertive carbonation.

D: Flavorful, balanced, and eminently sessionable.

Notes: Nothing too exciting, but a very drinkable session brew.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2009 00:45:06 | More by woosterbill