Sales of Anchor California Lager to benefit Empire Mine State Park

Since May, Anchor California Lager has been available in six-pack cans and a portion of the proceeds are going toward Empire Mine State Park in Grass Valley.

The little-known program stems from a partnership between San Francisco-based Anchor Brewing Co., the California State Parks Foundation and National Parks Conservation Association.

Empire Mine Park Association is one of only three groups selected in California for the grant program known as “Anchor California Lager Grants.” The others are the Coastside State Parks Association at Half Moon Bay and Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks.

In the case of Empire Mine: “Beginning in the late 1970s, staff and volunteers at the Empire Mine State Historic Park recorded interviews with former miners and supervisors to capture some of the history of the operation of the mine.

“Those interviews were recorded on cassette tapes that are now quite aged and fragile. Our grant will allow the Empire Mine Park Association to digitize many of these interviews and materials, including selected text translations and articles on the Association’s website where they will be readily available to the public.”

Anchor Brewing Company’s roots date back to the California Gold Rush, making it one of America’s oldest breweries. “Anchor California Lager is the brewery’s re-creation of the first genuine lager brewed in the Golden State,” according to AllAboutBeer.com. “It is brewed with two-row barley and Cluster hops and is kräusened and lagered in Anchor’s cellars.”

California is home to 280 state parks and 26 of America’s 401 national parks. This year the California State Parks celebrate their 150th anniversary, along with Yosemite National Park.