Cal Common / Steam Lager

[yardy]

gday all,

having searched the recipes and found TL's, Kai's and Nifty's for their Cal Commons, I was wondering why this isn't a more popular brew ?

The closest I've come to making one was in pre temp control days where it was unavoidable , has anyone had a go at brewing an Anchor Steam Clone ?

If so, look fwd to hearing about it.

Cheers

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I don't know how you came up with this, yardy, but I am glad you did.

It occurred to me today that this might be a fine brew to try soon. You've reinforced with this post.

Ray Daniels reckons that Anchor Steam is probably the best known, but there must be heaps of others that are just as worthy...

 

[fixa]

I brewed on based loosely on Kai's recipe. Was a bloody nice drop. Fos giggles i entered it into beerfest, i placed 10th out of 49 with it being the highest placed cal common... very good!
Nice beer. I still have a bottle if you pm me your addy...

 

[yardy]

I brewed on based loosely on Kai's recipe. Was a bloody nice drop. Fos giggles i entered it into beerfest, i placed 10th out of 49 with it being the highest placed cal common... very good!
Nice beer. I still have a bottle if you pm me your addy...

Spills,
Great minds eh !

Fix,
Wasn't too sure which recipe to try, nice result with the comp :beer: .
Got your brewlog handy ? What yeast and temp did you use mate ?
Hows that kettle btw ? . PM sent.

Cheers

 

[fixa]

Kettle great mate... got a work out today with a triple brew session....
I'll send you the beersmith file if you want.
I think i used US56, mash at 66.....

 

[Stuster]

I did a Cal. common last winter. Got some alright reviews and a placed at Bathurst.

I'd probably scale back the hops a touch, and up the Munich if/when I make one again.

40L batch
OG 1048
FG 1016
EBC 20
IBUs 34

5kg BB ale
2kg JW Light Munich
500g JW Dark Crystal

All Northern Brewer - 20g@FW, 20g@60, 25g@15, 35g@FO

Mashed at 67.5C for 90 minutes
WLP810 San Francisco yeast, fermented at 16C.

 

[fixa]

Ah stuff it.
Here's the recipe...
Let me know how you go with it

View attachment cal_common.xml

Next time (as you can see in the comments) i'd prob mash a little cooler, some more late hops or slide the additions a bit...
Have fun

 

[yardy]

Fix,
would appreciate the File, Cheers.

Stuster,
Would that scale back be the Flameout addition ?

Cheers

 

[fixa]

I'm pretty sure it's almost compulsory to have exclusivley northern brewer in the brew, no other hops...

 

[browndog]

I have an Anchor Steam clone on tap right now. It tasted a bit yeasty at first, but is maturing into a very nice beer. I used a recipe from the BYO mag, but did not have the yeast they recommended and so used S-23. It has turned out well.

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - www.beersmith.com
Recipe: BYO Anchor Steam Clone
Brewer: Tony Brown
Asst Brewer: Jess
Style: American Pale Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 24.00 L
Boil Size: 32.79 L
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 7.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 33.8 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.0 %
Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.90 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 91.6 %
0.45 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 8.4 %
27.00 gm Northern Brewer [9.30%] (60 min) Hops 26.5 IBU
15.00 gm Northern Brewer [9.30%] (15 min) Hops 7.3 IBU
14.00 gm Northern Brewer [9.30%] (0 min) (Aroma HoHops -
1 Pkgs California Lager (Wyeast Labs #2112) Yeast-Lager
1 Pkgs San Francisco Lager (White Labs #WLP810) Yeast-Lager


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 5.35 kg
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 13.94 L of water at 78.5 C 67.8 C 60 min


Notes:
------
Ferment at 18C
Supposed to use Wyeast 2112 Californina Lager or white labs WLP 810 San Fransisco lager.
I used Saflager S-23


cheers

Browndog

 

[Stuster]

Yardy, yes, just a bit less late addition. Although they were nice, I think it would be a bit more balanced with more maltiness and a bit less hoppiness.

 

[yardy]

Thanks fellas, gives me a lot to go from now.
Had my first Steam Lager at St Austell, UK, back in 95, now if I could clone that I'd be a happy chappy...

Cheers

 

[Stuster]

Ahhh, Newquay Steam? I have fond memories of that too. Apparently that company's gone bust. Would love to clone that one too. :chug:

 

[T.D.]

I'm actually thinking of brewing a Californian Common tomorrow. After reading a bit about the history of this beer, and that it was mainly Cluster that was used way back (Northern Brewer is the hop of choice in modern versions), I'm thinking I will do one with some Aussie Cluster hops I have in the freezer. Also in the BJCP guidelines it refers to "toasted malts" so I decided to put a pinch of Amber Malt in (I guess that's kind of a toasted malt???). Recipe is below. Any comments would be greatly appreciated!

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 17.00 L
Boil Size: 22.08 L
Estimated OG: 1.050 SG
Estimated Color: 15.1 EBC
Estimated IBU: 35.2 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.00 kg Joe White Export Pilsner (3.2 EBC) Grain 94.1 %
0.20 kg Joe White Crystal (141.8 EBC) Grain 4.7 %
0.05 kg Joe White Amber Malt (45.3 EBC) Grain 1.2 %
35.00 gm Cluster [5.00%] (60 min) Hops 26.2 IBU
15.00 gm Cluster [5.00%] (20 min) Hops 6.8 IBU
15.00 gm Cluster [5.00%] (5 min) Hops 2.2 IBU


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 4.25 kg
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 11.08 L of water at 74.4 C 67.8 C 60 min

 

[Kai]

I don't know how you came up with this, yardy, but I am glad you did.

It occurred to me today that this might be a fine brew to try soon. You've reinforced with this post.

Ray Daniels reckons that Anchor Steam is probably the best known, but there must be heaps of others that are just as worthy...

I had the pleasure of tasting mine alongside anchor steam. The profile was quite similar but mine was more malty and more hoppy. More beer all round, I guess.

 

[yardy]

Ahhh, Newquay Steam? I have fond memories of that too. Apparently that company's gone bust. Would love to clone that one too. :chug:

Stuster,

You got it, Newquay Steam in a beer garden in a Cornish Pub on a summers day :chug:

cheers

 

[yardy]

I'm actually thinking of brewing a Californian Common tomorrow. After reading a bit about the history of this beer, and that it was mainly Cluster that was used way back (Northern Brewer is the hop of choice in modern versions), I'm thinking I will do one with some Aussie Cluster hops I have in the freezer. Also in the BJCP guidelines it refers to "toasted malts" so I decided to put a pinch of Amber Malt in (I guess that's kind of a toasted malt???). Recipe is below. Any comments would be greatly appreciated!

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 17.00 L
Boil Size: 22.08 L
Estimated OG: 1.050 SG
Estimated Color: 15.1 EBC
Estimated IBU: 35.2 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.00 kg Joe White Export Pilsner (3.2 EBC) Grain 94.1 %
0.20 kg Joe White Crystal (141.8 EBC) Grain 4.7 %
0.05 kg Joe White Amber Malt (45.3 EBC) Grain 1.2 %
35.00 gm Cluster [5.00%] (60 min) Hops 26.2 IBU
15.00 gm Cluster [5.00%] (20 min) Hops 6.8 IBU
15.00 gm Cluster [5.00%] (5 min) Hops 2.2 IBU


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 4.25 kg
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 11.08 L of water at 74.4 C 67.8 C 60 min

T.D & browndog,
Thanks for the Info & Recipes, T.D please post notes on how it turns out.

Kai,
Did you try Anchor Steam in the states ?

Cheers

 

[Korev]

Hi Guys,

Slightly off topic - FYI as a former native of Newquay.

The beer called Steam before Newquay Steam beer which came and went - was Tuborg Gold Label!

My Version of Cal Common under

Anchor Steam Clone V2

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (L): 25.00 Wort Size (L): 25.00
Total Grain (kg): 5.93
Anticipated OG: 1.052 Plato: 12.89
Anticipated EBC: 24.0
Anticipated IBU: 33.5
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70 %
Wort Boil Time: 70 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential EBC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
90.7 5.38 kg. Bairds Maris Otter Pale Ale M UK 82.23 6
9.3 0.55 kg. Bairds Crystal 145EBC UK 73.58 145

Potential represented as Yield, Fine Grind Dry Basis.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
25.00 g. Northern Brewer Pellet 10.00 27.7 60 min.
10.53 g. Northern Brewer Pellet 10.00 5.8 15 min.
18.42 g. Northern Brewer Pellet 10.00 0.0 0 min.


Yeast
-----

Fermentis Yea US-56 SafAle US Ale @ 20C


Mash Schedule
68 C for 60 mins

Cheers

Peter

 

[Kai]

T.D & browndog,
Thanks for the Info & Recipes, T.D please post notes on how it turns out.

Kai,
Did you try Anchor Steam in the states ?

Cheers

I tried it here, purchased from the international beer shop iirc as part of some bjcp "study". Maybe it had lost a little strength of flavour in transport, but it was still a stunning beer. Several months down the track I know mine lost so much of its original flavour it ended up more like a dunkel.