Cali Common / Steam Beer Recipe , Input Needed

[trevc]

Hey guys

I've been doing more and more reading about steam beer/cali common (anchor steam in particular). I think I've finally settled on a recipe for my first attempt. The only thing holding me back now is the US NB hops. I've talked to every retailer, hopco, etc etc... no luck so far.

My goal is to produce something close to Anchor, as I have 2 mates who are huge fans of it, and it's the most popular example of the style.
An advice on recipe tweaks are much appreciated! I also wanted to help push all the XXXX Vs TED type threads out of the "latest" section...


Recipe: Anchor Steam (01)
Brewer: Trev
Asst Brewer: Ali
Style: California Common Beer
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 26.00 L
Boil Size: 35.79 L
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 21.5 EBC
Estimated IBU: 36.3 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.50 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 76.01 %
0.62 kg Caramunich II (Weyermann) (124.1 EBC) Grain 10.47 %
0.50 kg Munich I (Weyermann) (14.0 EBC) Grain 8.45 %
0.30 kg Carafoam (Weyermann) (3.9 EBC) Grain 5.07 %
26.00 gm US Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (60 min) Hops 21.0 IBU
38.00 gm US Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (15 min) Hops 15.2 IBU
38.00 gm US Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (0 min) Hops -
1 Pkgs California Lager (Wyeast Labs #2112)


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 5.92 kg
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 15.98 L of water at 74.2 C 67.8 C

It should end up right around 5% abv.
Ferment @ 18C for 2 weeks, condition @ 3C for 3 weeks in secondary.


Cheers

Trev

 

[razz]

Trev, why not sub German NB hops instead?

 

[newguy]

I think you have the hopping schedule right, but the malt bill is a bit too heavily weighted to caramunich/munich. This style is all about the hops - the malt is kind of an afterthought. If you're trying to clone Anchor Steam, try using a moderate crystal only to get the colour right. If you don't care about cloning AS, then keep your recipe as is. Personally I think that the caramunich/munich will add a nice level of malty complexity that will prevent the northern brewer hops from being too overpowering.

 

[trevc]

Because they're not the same I've had at least a couple of american brewers (and one american mate over here) tell me that you'd end up with a different flavour/aroma profile. From what I've heard, US NB is what really sets it apart.

I will substitute, but only as an absolute last resort. I'll likely try sneaking flowers through quarantine first, if I can't find a supplier of pellets.

 

[trevc]

Thanks for the input newguy. My mate Dave (American) that helps me on brew days is really in to the Anchor Steam, so I'll aim more for a clone first time around. You can't buy the stuff anywhere here.

Dropping the munich 1 and replacing with MO should do it, yeah?

 

[Batz]

Trev, why not sub German NB hops instead?

Defiantly not German NB for a Steam Beer,you need the US hops to be anything like the original

Batz

 

[trevc]

Revised. I think I'll go with this... hopefully it's all balanced enough. Kept in the Munich for a bit of added interestingness and balance with the hops, but cut it back a notch.

Recipe: Anchor Steam (02)
Brewer: Trev
Asst Brewer: Ali
Style: California Common Beer
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 26.00 L
Boil Size: 35.79 L
Estimated OG: 1.056 SG
Estimated Color: 21.5 EBC
Estimated IBU: 35.6 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.00 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 80.39 %
0.62 kg Caramunich II (Weyermann) (124.1 EBC) Grain 9.97 %
0.30 kg Carafoam (Weyermann) (3.9 EBC) Grain 4.82 %
0.30 kg Munich I (Weyermann) (14.0 EBC) Grain 4.82 %
26.00 gm US Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (60 min) Hops 20.6 IBU
38.00 gm US Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (15 min) Hops 14.9 IBU
38.00 gm US Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (0 min) Hops -
1 Pkgs California Lager (Wyeast Labs #2112)


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 6.22 kg
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 16.79 L of water at 74.2 C 67.8 C

Should finish at 1.016 ish, 5.3%abv
Ferment @ 18C for 14 days, condition in secondary @3C for 3 weeks, in bottles for 2 weeks to carb up (2.7 volumes co2)...


I generally fill my 30L fermenters to the 28L mark to gain a couple of extra tallies. Would that be ok with 2112?

Also, there should be lots of US NB to go around sometime "before christmas" according to Hopco.

 

[trevc]

Has anyone heard this before?

US Northern brewer substitutes: German Northern Brewer with a little Pride of Ringwood for earthiness.

From the sounds of it, most Americans can't even get a hold of US NB. I think our chances over here are fairly slim.

 

[Josh]

I will substitute, but only as an absolute last resort. I'll likely try sneaking flowers through quarantine first, if I can't find a supplier of pellets.

Try not to go down this route. I work at the mail centre and they're pretty good at stopping stuff that shouldn't come in. You could wind up just wasting your money.

From the sounds of it, most Americans can't even get a hold of US NB. I think our chances over here are fairly slim.

I'm making a Cali Common tomorrow substituting Perle for bittering and Cascade for flavour and aroma. Not necessarily the minty woody character I'd get from the NB, but should still be a nice beer.

 

[Kai]

I think the crystal is still a little high in your revised recipe, unless you find your system does produce quite dry beers. Nonetheless it is still a good-looking recipe.

US Northern brew does indeed seem to have vanished off the radar, I'll echo my suggestion from your hop screen thread and say consider trying a mix of German NB and Pacific Gem. Put the pac gem in at around 10-15 minutes before end-boil and you'll drive off most of the aroma and keep the woody undertones that are fairly similar to US NB. The aroma on pacific gem is pretty volatile in my experience, smells like a blackcurrant explosion when you hop in the kettle but vanishes post-ferment.

This is my one and only attempt at a steam. Definitely too malty, side by side with Anchor Steam it was a much bigger, maltier and hoppier beer but very similar in flavour profile. Of course, my fellow Adelaide BJPCers may chime in and wax less eloquent (if they remember it).

Good luck with this one, I think you'll nail the fundamentals of it, it's just capturing that hop character that will be the tricky part.

 

[newguy]

I think the crystal is still a little high in your revised recipe, unless you find your system does produce quite dry beers. Nonetheless it is still a good-looking recipe.

Ditto regarding the proportion of cara- and munich; seems a bit too high for me, but it will still be a tasty beer nonetheless. Regarding NA Northern Brewer hops, would you consider "cheating" to get the minty quality they're known for? Anchor Steam, to me, is very very minty in nature. Why not use German NB hops and try a very small amount of mint leaf in the boil? You'll have to experiment on your own to try and come up with the optimum amount of mint - I have no idea how much would be right. Maybe try boiling a mint leaf or three in a cup of water for a few minutes, then add say a ml at a time from a medicine dropper into 500ml of beer until it seems right, then scale that up for a full batch.

 

[WildaYeast]

Speaking of "cheating", did you think about the Hop extracts Ross has?

From talking to him, they are actually a pure extract, despite controversy. Not sure where they are made, but I don't think they are an Australian product. If he has a NB extract, it might just be from US hops...

 

[THE DRUNK ARAB]

trevc,

I too agree that Pacific Gem is a reasonable sub for US Northern Brewer, it certainly has a woody characteristic and along with the blackcurrant aroma I get some nectraine type flavours.

I brewed this last month and have to say that the 2112 does bring out maltiness. The flavour on mine is quite aggressive(probably due to all being late hopped) but there is enough malt present to back it up. I would perhaps be adding hops at 60 and 15 minutes and keeping the IBU's at around 30 with Pac Gem hops.

Anyway, it's your beer and you can always brew it again with alterations if the first one doesn't turn out as you hoped .

NZ Steamer


Batch Size: 23.00 L
Brewer: Mark Rasheed
Boil Size: 30.33 L
Boil Time: 90 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.0

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.90 kg BB Ale Malt (6.0 EBC) Grain 94.2 %
0.20 kg Bairds Medium Crystal Malt - 80L (157.6 EBC) Grain 3.8 %
0.10 kg TF Amber Malt (100.5 EBC) Grain 1.9 %
20.00 gm Pacific Gem [17.80%] (30 min) Hops 21.2 IBU
5.00 gm Pacific Gem [17.80%] (25 min) Hops 4.2 IBU
5.00 gm Pacific Gem [17.80%] (20 min) Hops 3.5 IBU
5.00 gm Pacific Gem [17.80%] (15 min) Hops 2.8 IBU
5.00 gm Pacific Gem [17.80%] (10 min) Hops 2.1 IBU
5.00 gm Pacific Gem [17.80%] (5 min) Hops 1.7 IBU
5.00 gm Pacific Gem [17.80%] (0 min) Hops -
1 Pkgs California Lager (Wyeast Labs #2112) Yeast-Lager

C&B
TDA

 

[therook]

trevc,

I too agree that Pacific Gem is a reasonable sub for US Northern Brewer, it certainly has a woody characteristic and along with the blackcurrant aroma I get some nectraine type flavours.

I brewed this last month and have to say that the 2112 does bring out maltiness. The flavour on mine is quite aggressive(probably due to all being late hopped) but there is enough malt present to back it up. I would perhaps be adding hops at 60 and 15 minutes and keeping the IBU's at around 30 with Pac Gem hops.

Anyway, it's your beer and you can always brew it again with alterations if the first one doesn't turn out as you hoped .

NZ Steamer


Batch Size: 23.00 L
Brewer: Mark Rasheed
Boil Size: 30.33 L
Boil Time: 90 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.0

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.90 kg BB Ale Malt (6.0 EBC) Grain 94.2 %
0.20 kg Bairds Medium Crystal Malt - 80L (157.6 EBC) Grain 3.8 %
0.10 kg TF Amber Malt (100.5 EBC) Grain 1.9 %
20.00 gm Pacific Gem [17.80%] (30 min) Hops 21.2 IBU
5.00 gm Pacific Gem [17.80%] (25 min) Hops 4.2 IBU
5.00 gm Pacific Gem [17.80%] (20 min) Hops 3.5 IBU
5.00 gm Pacific Gem [17.80%] (15 min) Hops 2.8 IBU
5.00 gm Pacific Gem [17.80%] (10 min) Hops 2.1 IBU
5.00 gm Pacific Gem [17.80%] (5 min) Hops 1.7 IBU
5.00 gm Pacific Gem [17.80%] (0 min) Hops -
1 Pkgs California Lager (Wyeast Labs #2112) Yeast-Lager

C&B
TDA

TDA, so what your saying you would change this hop schedule to just a 2 hop addition?

Rook

 

[THE DRUNK ARAB]

TDA, so what your saying you would change this hop schedule to just a 2 hop addition?

Rook

Yeah rook, that's correct. I reckon it would make it a more approachable beer for the masses.
You could add some at flameout too as well for some aroma.

C&B
TDA

 

[trevc]

Try not to go down this route. I work at the mail centre and they're pretty good at stopping stuff that shouldn't come in. You could wind up just wasting your money.

I tracked down a supplier of US NB flowers in America. 8oz for a pretty reasonable price. You're right though, "Quarantine" will just steal them anyway. Not a good option.

Speaking of "cheating", did you think about the Hop extracts Ross has?

Great idea, but I didn't see any NB in stock.

Why not use German NB hops and try a very small amount of mint leaf in the boil?

I would be a bit paranoid about measuring a suitable amount. It seems like it would be a fine line between a minty character, and going overboard. I'd worry about it becoming more (or less?) minty as the beer conditioned. Appreciate the suggestion, though Have you tried the mint thing before, or know anyone that has?

Thanks to all for the suggestions and guidance. I'm working on a revised recipe that will feature Pacific gem/German NB. I wasn't able to place my order yesterday, so I have a few more hours to work on it. I'm modifying the grainbill as suggested, to hopefully bring it more in line with Anchor.

I love malty beers myself, so I'm aiming for a solid base recipe to build upon. I don't want to stray too far just yet. I'd like a good example of the steam beer style.

 

[newguy]

[snipped portion regarding mint]
I would be a bit paranoid about measuring a suitable amount. It seems like it would be a fine line between a minty character, and going overboard. I'd worry about it becoming more (or less?) minty as the beer conditioned. Appreciate the suggestion, though Have you tried the mint thing before, or know anyone that has?

Sorry, never tried it myself; it just came to me out of the blue. I don't think the character would either increase or decrease over time, though.

I love malty beers myself, so I'm aiming for a solid base recipe to build upon. I don't want to stray too far just yet. I'd like a good example of the steam beer style.

Don't get too caught up in trying to copy Anchor Steam. It's a good beer, but I don't think that I could drink more than 2 even if I was so dehydrated that I farted dust. I think that the munich and a small caramunich addition will be very good in that it will cut the rather intense NB hop character. It's just that my personal experience flagged the caramunich proportion as being too high. FWIW, I know quite a few homebrewers that feel the same way about AS - it's a nice treat every now and again, but it's not an everyday drinking beer. Don't be afraid to put your own spin on the style to make it more drinkable/enjoyable.

 

[trevc]

Noted.

I know at least one guy that drank the stuff quite often, as his session beer. Must be an acquired taste.

I'm really enjoying the recipe formulation side of things, but still have a lot to learn.

 

[trevc]

Ok. Here's the new grainbill and hop schedule. I think it looks pretty good (but I'm not expert..)

Any last minute advice or suggestions?


Recipe: Anchor Steam (04)
Style: California Common Beer

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 26.00 L
Boil Size: 35.79 L
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 20.5 EBC
Estimated IBU: 33.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.28 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.3 EBC) Grain 88.00 %
0.52 kg Crystal Malt Medium (Bairds) (145.0 EBC) Grain 8.67 %
0.20 kg Carafoam (Weyermann) (3.9 EBC) Grain 3.33 %

13.50 gm Northern Brewer [7.60 %] (60 min) Hops 9.7 IBU
6.50 gm Pacific Gem [15.70 %] (60 min) Hops 9.6 IBU
20.00 gm Northern Brewer [7.60 %] (15 min) Hops 7.1 IBU
10.00 gm Pacific Gem [15.70 %] (15 min) Hops 7.4 IBU
10.00 gm Pacific Gem [15.70 %] (0 min) Hops -
20.00 gm Northern Brewer [7.60 %] (0 min) Hops -
5.00 gm Pacific Gem [15.70 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops -
10.00 gm Northern Brewer [7.60 %] (Dry Hop 3 days)Hops -
1 Pkgs California Lager (Wyeast Labs #2112)

I might increase it to about 35 ish IBU's. It came up a bit short since I was in a hurry.

Cheers

Trev