California Common - Tasting Notes

I brewed up this California Common (Steam Beer) back in July.  A California Common is sort of a Ale/Lager Hybrid in that it uses lager yeast but ferments at Ale temperatures.  The brewing process, in and of itself, likely doesn't do much to differentiate it from a typical Lager (which the beer tastes like to me).  What really makes the style is it's exclusive use of Northern Brewer Hops.  The style is really a bow to the Anchor Steam brewery which was a pioneer of craft beer.

I've been drinking this for a month and a half at least at this point.  The hops were a very strong presence initially and they have continued to be a strong portion of the flavor through today.  It may be that some of the aroma has fallen off but it still is maintaining a very nice balance.

I've wanted to make one of these beer for quite a while.  I've used Northern Brewer hop before but I've never given it such a prominent role in a beer.  It is interesting to get a more intimate showing of its flavor contributions.  It isn't a sexy hop by any means but it does impart a bold flavor which I think is quite pleasant.

Really happy that I finally found the time to do an official tasting.

Tasting Notes:

• Aroma:
• Sweet malt aroma is prominent.  Smalls of bread and a bit of caramel.  Herbal tea-like aroma from the hops comes through pretty strongly as a secondary smell.  Also get a bit of the typical "lager" yeast aroma.  No alcohol comes through.
• Appearance:
• Light brown/dark copper in color.  Clear with a bit of particulate matter floating.  Pours with a 1 finger head - this dissipates down to a thin layer after a few minutes.
• Flavor:
• Sweet and slightly toasty malt flavors form the backbone and then a pretty pronounced set of grassy and herbal hop flavors provide a nice balance to this.  The beer finishes with a fairly pronounced that lingers for some time.  The flavors are quite bold.
• Mouthfeel:
• Medium bodied.  Light sweetness.  No astringency.  Smooth and easy drinking.
• Overall:
• This is a really nice tasting beer.  It has a nice complex flavor profile and is very easy to drink.  I think it's quite like Yuengling Lager actually (which I like quite a bit) but with a bit more hop presence