The recipe changed after the acquisition by Sapporo. Fans of the original Anchor Steam didn't like the new taste and stopped buying. So it faded into the background with the other ~3-5 domestics being served at a given bar.
Lots of people talking out their ass here, clearly none of them spend any time in SF dives talking to other patrons.
Do you have proof that they changed the recipe/process. My wife and I have long suspected this, but I believe officially they denied any change.
The rebrand was an absolute disaster of marketing. You have a 125 year old brewery with an old-fashioned looking logo, and you throw that all out for a more modern design that looks like every other beer on the shelf that got their designer off of fiver.
Lots of people talking out their ass here, clearly none of them spend any time in SF dives talking to other patrons.