California brewing company closes on August 1

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Anchor Brewing Company is right up there with companies like Levi Strauss and Wells Fargo as one of the oldest businesses in San Francisco.

The company is also the oldest craft brewing company in the nation, but now, the 127-year-old brewer is closed. However, there is still some steam in an employee plan to purchase the brewery and keep it in San Francisco.

It raised itself from the rubble after the 1906 earthquake and survived the Great Depression, Prohibition and two World Wars. But for now, these are the last kegs of beer brewed by Anchor Brewing Company.

"It's really sad. It's kind of like the end of a tradition or a staple in San Francisco," said Cindy Pan, a resident of South Bay.

Employees expressed interest

People from across the Bay Area made their way to Anchor Brewing and its neighboring Public Taps room for a final chance to buy some Anchor Steam beer and Anchor Brewing merch.

"Anchor Steam. Christmas Ale is one of my favorites. I got one of their taps," said Mark DiGiorgio, a San Francisco resident.

Its owner, Sapporo Breweries, announced on July 12 that it's turning over all of anchor's assets to a liquidator and closing by August 1.

A group of employees expressed interest in buying the company. But, their union rep says sapporo won't share financial records so they can make an educated bid.

"A lot of us feel like we're getting shut out because they didn't take us seriously," said Patrick Machel, a representative for the Anchor Brewing Employee Union.

Deal already struck

A company spokesman told NBC Bay Area, by phone, that the employee bid came too late as a deal was already struck to liquidate everything, from the brand name and recipes to the equipment and buildings.

The spokesman also said the workers will have the same opportunities to bid on all of the assets as other bidders, but only through the liquidator.

"We're weighing our options on what that's going to look like. Ideally, we would like to keep Public Taps and the brewery itself,"

Machel says the workers have hired a legal team and have funding sources, and they have the same fighting spirit that helped Anchor Brewing survive more than a century of hardships.

Customer support

They also have a lot of customers in their corner who want to see the San Francisco staple to live on and brew another day.

"I hope the employees get a chance to match any offer that Sapporo is going to get from any outside bidders. It's only fair," DiGiorgio expressed.

"Hopefully, someone buys them," said Jonathan Pan, another South Bay resident.