Last year, the venerable Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco announced it would be closing its doors after 127 years in business. The brewery had several owners over the decades including Sapporo, the Japanese company that bought Anchor in 2017 and initiated the shutdown. There was a sadness among beer fans who had come to see the brewery’s flagship Steam Beer on the same iconic level as Rice-A-Roni and the Golden Gate Bridge. The beer’s loss will be felt and its signature style is in a kind of limbo.
Anchor Brewing still owns the trademark on “Steam Beer,” but similar beers have been brewed over the years by other brewers who call it by its official style name: California Common.
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The style has never been widely popular, often lost in the shadow of India pale ales, but well-done versions have a nostalgic charm and are often a good pairing to pub dishes. The beer is fermented at ale temperatures with a lager yeast, giving it a slightly fruity flavor. The malt bill should have pleasing caramel and toast flavors, and the hops rooted in the Old World, with earthy, grassy and herbal flavors.
Brewers will often release a California Common as a small batch or limited-edition run. Last year, Connecticut’s Black Pond Brews was one of a handful of breweries nationwide that released a collaboration with the Anchor SF Cooperative, a group of former employees who banned
This Article was originally published on Wine Enthusiast
