California Common Beer ( Steam Beer )

[RobboMC]

I've found a solution to my problem of not being able to brew ales in winter in Sydney. Last year temps fell to 15 deg and ales were too difficult to keep warm. The problem was first experienced in California in the mid-1800's, the result was California Steam Beer. Using the ale ingredients but lager yeast, the brew could ferment properly without danger of getting too cold.

Yes I could use a heating pad, but this style can be brewed without any worries about what the temp is.

I have one fermenting now;
comments and suggestions welcomed as I try and learn about this new ( to me ) style of beer.

 

[warrenlw63]

Robbo

A great style IMO. Very tempted to have at another myself soon.

Here's a good article on the style which will help you.

California Steaming


Enjoy the beer.

Warren -

 

[Steve]

Robbo - I had kind of the same problem but the other way around. I wanted to brew a lager but I couldnt get cold enough temps for a lager yeast. I was put onto Wyeast 2112 which brews to the highest range for lagers and spot on ale temps.

2112 California Lager Yeast. Particularly suited for producing 19th century-style West Coast beers. Retains lager characteristics at temperatures up to 65 F, (18 C) and produces malty, brilliantly clear beers. Flocculation - high; apparent attenuation 67-71%. (58-68 F, 14-20 C)

This style, I was told is the same as you are making - a steam beer.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Stuster]

I wanted to brew a lager but I couldnt get cold enough temps for a lager yeast.

Not cold enough for lagers. In Canberra! Come on, Steve. :lol:

I have one of these fermenting away. Must say it tasted nice when I took a sample a few minutes ago (just to check how it's going, honest). In fact, it has been cold enough to brew 'real' lagers in Sydney this winter as well, though perhaps not this week. I'm using White Labs 810 which is the equivalent of the Wyeast 2112 Steve is using.

Nifty's recipe for this style is in the recipes section and very nice it was too. :chug:

 

[Steve]

I wanted to brew a lager but I couldnt get cold enough temps for a lager yeast.

Not cold enough for lagers. In Canberra! Come on, Steve. :lol:

I have one of these fermenting away. Must say it tasted nice when I took a sample a few minutes ago (just to check how it's going, honest). In fact, it has been cold enough to brew 'real' lagers in Sydney this winter as well, though perhaps not this week. I'm using White Labs 810 which is the equivalent of the Wyeast 2112 Steve is using.

Nifty's recipe for this style is in the recipes section and very nice it was too. :chug:

Stuster this was ages ago when summers were summers and winters were winters
Cheers
Steve

 

[Steve Lacey]

Robbo, thanks for the opening to give my little horn a toot :unsure: I have been wondering how to work it into the conversation

A few months ago I had the same situation that Steve describes, coming out of winter with ambient temps around 15 or 16 with only a lager yeast on hand. The solution: a California Common grain and hop bill. Grain as for a pale ale (mostly Powells malt) with a tad less crystal, and hops mainly Northern Brewer but with judicious touches of Amarillo and Cascade. Fermented with WLP German Lager. It was brewed in early spring as the cherry blossoms (sakura) were coming into full bloom, so I called it Sakura Steam Beer.

Anyway, it came out nicely and when I discovered a home brew comp here in Japan, I entered the thing. Lo and behold it picked up the Yokozuna (sumo reference) or beer of show prize. I was mightily chuffed, not just for the bragging rights and bling, but because part of the prize will be to have the recipe brewed at a local micro (probably in September). Some photies on this blog post. I also hasten to add that my main motivation to enter the comp was to meet the local home brewers, as in my five years here they have proven elusive. The prize was a most unexpected bonus.

So I certainly have a soft spot for this beer style.

p.s. Good article, Warren.

 

[Mr Bond]

Good on Ya ! Thats soooo...Cool.

Love that trophy,by the way.

:beerbang:

 

[warrenlw63]

p.s. Good article, Warren.

No worries Steve oh Japanese champion san. Steam beer is an under-appreciated style.

BTW Checked yer bio mate (love the trophy). How can you be the same age as me and manage to look younger? I'm not talkin' to you anymore. :lol:

Warren -

 

[Steve Lacey]

BTW Checked yer bio mate (love the trophy). How can you be the same age as me and manage to look younger?
Warren -

:lol:

Well, based on that avatar Warren, I reckon it is either the beard or the hat .. maybe both. Actually, the beard isn't anywhere near as grey as mine

 

[warrenlw63]

OMG! That ain't me on the avatar Steve. He's off the cover of the Keith Dunstan book "Amber Nectar". I ain't that good lookin' :lol: :lol:

Warren -

 

[RobboMC]

I tried a lager in mid-June, but the wort temp never really got below 15 deg even though it was a pretty cold week in Sydney. It won't be a true lager at that temp. but it'll be too thin and light in colour to be a steam beer. Even with overnight minimums of 4 deg there was enough heating during the day to keep the wort at 15 deg. This week it's been 19 deg every day so soon back to Pale Ale.

 

[Stuster]

If you want to do lagers, then just put the fermenter in a bigger bucket of some sort, water at the bottom and a towel draped round the fermenter. Just drops the temp 2-4 degrees. This kept my lagers at 10-12C until this warm spell. Have a Cal. com. in there now at 15. Have a bitter near it (not in the water) at 18.

 

[PostModern]

I've found a solution to my problem of not being able to brew ales in winter in Sydney. Last year temps fell to 15 deg and ales were too difficult to keep warm. The problem was first experienced in California in the mid-1800's, the result was California Steam Beer. Using the ale ingredients but lager yeast, the brew could ferment properly without danger of getting too cold.

Yes I could use a heating pad, but this style can be brewed without any worries about what the temp is.

I have one fermenting now;
comments and suggestions welcomed as I try and learn about this new ( to me ) style of beer.

I always thought that the style was started by German brewers in California who couldn't get the brew cold enough for lager temps, but tried. Hence the large flat shallow fermenters traditionally used in an attempt to get the fermentation temperature down.

We may never know.

My one (so far) brew of this style came out hazy despite 6 weeks of CCing. I was disapointed but am not put off as it tasted fantastic. Will be giving this another go next Winter. I used Northern Brewer hops exclusively. Nice piney, earthy flavour and aroma. Mmmm special.

 

[warrenlw63]

My one (so far) brew of this style came out hazy despite 6 weeks of CCing. I was disapointed but am not put off as it tasted fantastic. Will be giving this another go next Winter. I used Northern Brewer hops exclusively. Nice piney, earthy flavour and aroma. Mmmm special.

PM

Did you use Wyeast 2112 Cal Lager? My previous experiences with it are a yeast that drops brilliantly clear without too much effort. Great yeast in general that leaves a good, clean malt profile.

Perhaps protein haze?

Warren -

 

[PostModern]

My one (so far) brew of this style came out hazy despite 6 weeks of CCing. I was disapointed but am not put off as it tasted fantastic. Will be giving this another go next Winter. I used Northern Brewer hops exclusively. Nice piney, earthy flavour and aroma. Mmmm special.

PM

Did you use Wyeast 2112 Cal Lager? My previous experiences with it are a yeast that drops brilliantly clear without too much effort. Great yeast in general that leaves a good, clean malt profile.

Perhaps protein haze?

Warren -

I honestly can't remember what yeast. It was definately protein haze and not yeast coz it cleared as the beer warmed.

 

[RobboMC]

After 2 weeks in primary I'm still getting the odd bubble out of the airlock. OG was 1052, FG is now 1015 so apparent attentuation is 71%.
The recipe was 100% malt extract, no sugars, so this might be as low as FG will go.

Where is the gas coming from? I don't think it's expansion as it happens at night when wort is cooling as well as in daytime. Bubbles come about every 60 seconds. Peak CO2 production on days 2 and 3 was a bubble every 2 to 3 seconds.

Is this still slow fermentation, and how long should I let it go on for? So far it's been 6 days at this almost constant slow rate?

 

[hendo1963]

<_< Mmmm, I think you've got the wrong end of the stick, Robbo; Steam Beer (now trademarked by Anchor Brewing Co., btw, and owned by Fritz Maytag of washing machine fame) or California Common Beer was actually developed not because it was too cold to brew an ale but because it wasn't cold enough, without decent refrigeration, to brew lager beer, which was rapidly usurping ales as the preferred style of beer on the West Coast. So, the San Francisco brewers found a lager yeast that worked at 15/16C and used large shallow fermentation vessels to better control the temperature, thus producing what is generally classed as a hybrid beer - a lager brewed at ale temps. Not that all this matters to your end product, just correcting the history. Anchor Steam IS a fantastic beer though, and well worth emulating. :beer:

 

[AngelTearsOnMyTongue]

Following on from reading the thread today "Hop of the week 1/11/06 - Northern Brewers" I looked up "Steam Beer" as it was mentioned by quite a few brewers.

I googled it and search AHB. I am now amazed to find that, whereas I am an avid Lagerer (So I Thought), probably half my brews are actually classed as Steam Beers.

I am very curious now and will immerse my self in a bit more research on the topic.

cheers and Beers

ATOMT

 

[Stuster]

I am now amazed to find that, whereas I am an avid Lagerer (So I Thought), probably half my brews are actually classed as Steam Beers.

How come? :unsure:

 

[Dunkel_Boy]

Stuster, I'm guessing he means a fairly loose categorisation. And I'm also guessing half of his lagers ferment at 15-16C.

In all seriousness, I know that's warm, but I thought steam beers were brewed warmer than that; 18-20C, I thought. Nice lager temps being 10-13C of course.