To me at least. I don’t know. I can’t decide whether steam beer (sorry, “california common”) is a charming relic of the West Coast’s past, or just a dirty-tasting lager that we can conveniently shelve in the history section of American brewing. I don’t dislike Anchor Steam, but I just think it could be better if it was actually fermented like a real lager.
I recently drank Cismontane’s version called simply, “California Common.” While it was a solid beer and pretty much hit the Anchor flavor profile, the only thing I could think about was the awkward ester profile that would have been better if undetectable. Pretty much ditto with the several times I’ve drank Anchor Steam in the past month. I want to like this style, but the more I have it, the more I think there is a good reason that it isn’t ubiquitous on the West Coast. It just isn’t that great. Hoppy beers fermented with Cal/Chico yeast or similar have become the dominant style out here and fighting that seems more and more futile as time goes on. I still want to do lagers but probably in a cleaner, more traditional style than the steam model.
My, how quickly things can change. Just a few weeks ago I was ready to throw my lot in with an entire line of beers based on the steam model of fermentation. Romanticism is key to the curent brewing renaissance, but we have to remember that flavor has to be king if we are to last.
I like Linden Street’s Steam Beers the last time I had them (which was a couple years ago…). I think they only use that strain for a the few beers they make. They’re up in the East Bay.
I do like Linden Street’s Common Lager. I think there is still a place for this style when done well, but I’m just not sure it’s worth building a brewery on. Linden seems to be doing OK but they really aren’t making much beer when it comes down to it.
I admit that Anchor Steam’s quality suffers at some of the fool’s who sell it …. does anyone read the ‘keep refrigerated’ notations on various brewer’s beer cases? …. at it’s origin it was meant to be drunk quickly …. eight days of ferment and krausen …. as one who has had an Anchor Steam only days old, I can attest to the fact that a bottle sitting for months on the shelf is a far cry from the frothy clean ‘steam’ poured by a true publican, or better yet at it’s source …. the style, derived from Vienna Lagers was never meant to be lagered …. it was a no-fuss workingman’s beer of the time
Brian,
I agree that freshness is important and I’ve had Steam at both reputable bars in SF and at the brewery itself. It’s not freshness issues that I’m talking about here, it’s just the flavor of warm lager fermentation that I am questioning. Of course larger breweries regularly ferment their lagers at elevated temperatures but do so under pressure in order to reduce undesirable byproducts–the exact opposite of the extremely shallow open fermentors at Anchor that actually favor ester production. Anchor’s yeast has famously adapted to making good beer under these conditions, but I just don’t know it it’s for me.
Funny thing happened today though, as Anchor announced that they will be doing another lager called “California Lager” that will be fermented cold as an homage to the first cold-fermented lager in California, supposedly brewed near an ice source in Truckee. I will be very eager to see how that compares.