Beer 101: Styles - California Common

For this week's beer style, I decided to do a style that I like very much. It is the California Common, also known as Steam Beer. This is one of the only styles indigenous to the United States. It started when immigrants wanted to make lagers, but didn't have refrigeration to get the beer down to proper lagering temperatures. Therefore, it is a beer that uses a lager yeast strain, but ferments at temperatures closer to those found when fermenting ales. This higher fermentation temperature produces fruitier esters than would normally be present in a traditional lager.

For a twist on the style, and the only beer style indigenous to Kentucky, try New Albanian's Phoenix Kentucky Kommon. Roger told me the whole story one time, but I don't want to get it wrong. If I can get him to type it out, maybe I'll post it here on the site. (By the way, NABC also makes a pretty kickass Common as well, called Mt. Lee) Anyway, here is the California Common. Enjoy.

California Common Beer

Aroma: Typically showcases the signature Northern Brewer
hops (with woody, rustic or minty qualities) in moderate to
high strength. Light fruitiness acceptable. Low to moderate
caramel and/or toasty malt aromatics support the hops. No
diacetyl.

Appearance: Medium amber to light copper color. Generally
clear. Moderate off-white head with good retention.

Flavor: Moderately malty with a pronounced hop bitterness.
The malt character is usually toasty (not roasted) and caramelly.
Low to moderately high hop flavor, usually showing
Northern Brewer qualities (woody, rustic, minty). Finish fairly
dry and crisp, with a lingering hop bitterness and a firm,
grainy malt flavor. Light fruity esters are acceptable, but otherwise
clean. No diacetyl.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium to medium-high carbonation.
Overall Impression: A lightly fruity beer with firm, grainy
maltiness, interesting toasty and caramel flavors, and showcasing
the signature Northern Brewer varietal hop character.

History: American West Coast original. Large shallow open
fermenters (coolships) were traditionally used to compensate
for the absence of refrigeration and to take advantage of the
cool ambient temperatures in the San Francisco Bay area. Fermented
with a lager yeast, but one that was selected to thrive
at the cool end of normal ale fermentation temperatures.

Comments: This style is narrowly defined around the prototypical
Anchor Steam example. Superficially similar to an
American pale or amber ale, yet differs in that the hop flavor/
aroma is woody/minty rather than citrusy, malt flavors are
toasty and caramelly, the hopping is always assertive, and a
warm-fermented lager yeast is used.

Ingredients: Pale ale malt, American hops (usually Northern
Brewer, rather than citrusy varieties), small amounts of toasted
malt and/or crystal malts. Lager yeast, however some strains
(often with the mention of “California” in the name) work
better than others at the warmer fermentation temperatures
(55 to 60°F) used. Note that some German yeast strains produce
inappropriate sulfury character. Water should have relatively
low sulfate and low to moderate carbonate levels.

Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.048 – 1.054
IBUs: 30 – 45
FG: 1.011 – 1.014
SRM: 10 – 14
ABV: 4.5 – 5.5%

Commercial Examples: New Albanian Mt. Lee, Anchor Steam, Southampton Steem
Beer, Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager

Hoppy New Beer!!!!!

Hey all!!! Sorry for the long time since the last post. Things have been crazy with the holiday season. Hope everyone had a great couple of weeks. So, alot of things happened since we last caught up.

First, Todd at The Keg hosted his annual Holiday Beer tasting. A great time was had by all, but there were a few standouts. First, was Three Floyd's Alpha Klaus. This is an Imperial Porter that is hopped to hell and back. This was one very fresh and had a distinct catty quality. Very good, but will probably be better in a couple of months after the hops meld into the beer a little bit more.

The other beer that stood out was an '06 Delirium Noel. Anyone who says that beer doesn't age well needs to only try this beer to be swayed. Complex with lots of candied fruit/sherry qualities, it's one of the best beers I have had in a while.

I also decided to take a couple of bottles from my cellar to share with the fellow geeks that would be attending. First, I took a bottle of Smuttynose Imperial Stout. This one was a pleasant surprise, as it is the rare Imperial Stout these days that is not Barrel Aged. This allowed a sort of dusty cocoa quality to come through. A very nice beer to be sure, and one that I wish I a few more bottles.

The next beer I brought was AleSmith's Winter YuleSmith

offering. AleSmith releases two different versions of this beer. One comes out in the summer for the 4th of July Holiday. It is a straight up Double IPA. Their winter edition is described as an Imperial Red Ale. I had this beer last year in April or so, so it was a few months old. I thought it was good, but nothing too special. Boy, was I wrong. Having this bad boy young is like straight up hop juice. Amber in color and sticky as hell, this beer simply oozes hop goodness. I enjoy sharing new beers with people, but I wish I could have had this one all to myself.

Also, over the break, I had the chance to try what was the last of what I call my "Holy Grail Beers." For the last year or so, this list has consisted of Pliny the Elder from Russian River brewing, and this beer, Westvleteren 12. I was fortunate enough to get a bottle of Pliny a couple of months ago through a trade with a guy on RateBeer.com. My overwhelming thought on the beer was "Eh." I've certainly had worse IIPAs, but it didn't come close to meeting my expectations. So, that experience was disappointing. So, you can imagine my trepidation when my buddy Clay invited me over for a "Westy 12." I wanted more than anything else for this beer to be great. Not just good, but great. I didn't want all of my yearning to be in vain. Well, I am happy to report that it wasn't. Westy 12 earns every one of its accolades as one of the world's great beers. Lots of dried fruit/fig qualities. The beer was amazing. It took me an hour to drink 11.2 ounces of it, because I didn't want it to end. Thanks so much to Clay for the beer. Sorry, Justin. I promise, we'll have one together soon. I don't care what it takes.

I am gonna call it a day for this post. I don't want to bombard you all with too much at once. I have some ideas for some new content this year. Hopefully you all will enjoy it. Happy drinking all. Cheers!