Brewery Still at Anchor

More than a year after Anchor Brewing’s purchase by Hamdi Ulukaya – originator of Chobani and behind expansion of La Colombe Coffee – the 495 De Haro Street facility remains silent. A recent visit to the brewery, tucked inside an Art Deco building that looms quietly over the street, went unrequited.

“The building manager says that we do not give interviews to the public,” said the security guard, in reply to the View’s query, essentially the response given by various public relations firms associated with Ulukaya.

According to Anne Yalon, San Francisco Planning Department public relations manager, Anchor Brewing can sell alcohol on its premises. An application for an Alcoholic Beverage license was requested and approved by the City and County of San Francisco in 2024 for “Potrero Hill SF Brewing LLC,” operating as “Anchor Brewing Company.” The address is listed as 200 Lafayette Street, Seventh Floor, New York, NY, the location of Shepherd Ventures, a holding company associated with Ulukaya.

Before Ulukaya purchased Anchor, Mike Walsh inspected the brewery as part of a separate attempt to purchase it. Walsh noted that Anchor’s amenities were aged; “inefficient” compared to modern operations. While for long term use the facilities needed repair, “there is no reason [Anchor] couldn’t be making beer now,” Walsh said. 

Since acquiring the plant Ulukaya removed a wastewater system that emitted a foul odor and installed modest signage on exterior gates.

“I have not heard anything directly after the initial announcement and meeting with the new owners,” said J.R. Eppler, Potrero Hill Boosters Association president. “I am still excited at the prospect of a revival, and hope that we hear of progress soon.”