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America’s first modern craft brewery is bringing back its iconic look after a woke rebrand fizzled.
San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing Company has won federal approval for new labels that revive the brewery’s classic designs for Anchor Steam Beer and Old Foghorn Ale, featuring the original artwork by longtime designer Jim Stitt, who created Anchor’s labels for 45 years.
“It makes sense that they’re going with the old labels because of that huge backlash when we did rebrand,” former Anchor employee Patrick Costello told KQED.
After buying the historic brewery in 2024, Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya vowed to restore Anchor’s beloved branding. The Turkish-born billionaire also purchased the brewery’s 2.17-acre Potrero Hill campus, fueling hopes that the landmark San Francisco taproom will reopen.
Those rumors intensified two weeks ago when Ulukaya posted an Instagram photo watching a World Cup match inside the brewery’s iconic taproom.
Speculation regarding a potential reopening further intensified after observers spotted staff active within the Anchor’s Potrero Hill facility around two months ago.
After being in business for over 127 years, the beer company had to close after struggling to stay afloat amid declining sales and rising costs of operations.
Critics blamed social activists on socialist activists for driving the labor wage war and loyal fans were angry post the 2021 rebranding efforts that changed the look of the beer cans.
“You schmucks ruined a legacy business,” San Francisco political commentator and former mayoral candidate Richie Greenberg told The Post in 2023. “Your union fought for 25% raises, and now your members are getting 100% of zero. Bravo.”
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