Entrepreneurial brewers, especially German emigrants bought their knowledge and techniques for brewing lager and adapted to the conditions of California and the result is Steam beer. As time moved on and refrigeration became widely available lager became more dominant until steam beer became a thing of the past. Anchor Brewing which has existed and nearly disappeared multiple times introduced Anchor Steam in 1971 which was based on the pre-prohibition recipes of the late 1800s. Showcasing Northern Brewer hops and fermented with lager yeast at ale fermenting temperature Anchor Steam is a truly unique beer.