California Steam
So the beer friend brought back 2 homebrews from her daughter and son-in-law (Sam Adels and Claire Briguglio). Tonight I popped open the California Steam.
First, what is a California Steam anyway? Beer Smith has a great history of Steam Beer,
Steam beer was originally made by dozens of breweries in the California from 1850-1920, particularly around San Francisco. After prohibition, Anchor Steam Brewing Company continued to brew steam beer and eventually trademarked the term “Steam Beer” for use with its famous brew. Since “steam beer” was trademarked by Anchor Brewing Company, brewers adopted the name “California Common” to refer to this unique beer style.
The key distinguishing feature of steam beer is that it is a lager beer fermented at high temperatures (between 60-65F) and often well hopped. The precise origins of California Steam Beer is somewhat ambiguous. Daniels notes that “One Hundred Years of Brewing” provides conflicting information on precisely where the first steam beer was made (Los Angeles and San Francisco being candidates), but says that at least 25 California breweries made steam beer in the period from 1850-1903. The origins of the term “steam beer” are also shrouded in mystery, but one source cites the escaping gas when a keg of steam beer was tapped.
Anchor Brewing started making steam beer in 1894 and was the sole producer of the beer through the 1960′s after prohibition closed its competitors. The original steam beer was cask fermented and conditioned, and often delivered to the saloon in a “young” state.
A historic beer may or may not have used adjuncts, was hopped between 28 and 40 IBUs, and was run through a “clarifier” after a very short fermentation directly into the keg. Krausen was used to carbonate the kegs, often to very high levels of carbonation (as high as 40-70 psi before tapping!). (Ref: Daniels)
So the key to this style is the yeast and temperature. Lager yeast, no refrigeration.
Beer Advocate style guide adds to our understanding of this style,
The California Common, or Steam Beer, is a unique 100% American style lager. It’s usually brewed with a special strain of lager yeast that works better at warmer temperatures. This method dates back to the late 1800′s in California when refrigeration was a great luxury. The brewers back then had to improvise to cool the beer down, so shallow fermenters were used. So in a way the lager yeast was trained to ferment quicker at warmer temperatures. Today’s examples are light amber to tawny in color, medium bodied with a malty character. Mildly fruity with an assertive hop bitterness.
Claire and Sam’s California Steam pours an orange amber colour with a decent off-white head. The aroma surprised me. It is a spice beer! I just was not expecting the amount of spice here. The flovour was more of the same with the spices. I taste, and smell for that matter, cloves, nutmeg, coriander and some orange. This beer is in line with some of the great October or Halloween ales. In fact, I’d love to add a couple bottles to my annual ale tasting Halloween party this year.
If this reaction is not their intention then I would recommend toning down the spices so that the hop character pulls through a bit more. Very tasty, not a session beer. As I’m more of a seasonal beer guy I would probably enjoy this more in the fall.
Ex-Wife IPA
This weekend saw the release of my homebrew, the Ex-Wife IPA (thank you Chris for the great name idea).
The Ex-Wife is more bitter than I expected, but I guess that is what happens when you have four hop additions. Brewed using a True Brew kit but not following instructions (seriously instructions are not my forte) This IPA pours a beautiful golden amber colour and has a big determined head. The lacing stays on the glass like a champ.
The aroma is hoppy with hints of grass, citrus, and rye bread. I say rye because it is a bit harsh but bready. The flavour is more of the same. Hops are present throughout and just never let you rest. This is a BIG beer.
It was a big hit at my BBQ Friday night and I drank it throughout the weekend. There is still some left so get it while you can at my place.
Sam Adams 2010 Longshot Winner Jeremy White’s Lemon Pepper Saison
April 28, 2010 by justin · Leave a Comment
Wrapping up my journey of the Long Shot winners with Jeremy White’s Lemon Pepper Saison.
Well first what is a “Saison” anyway? According to Beer Advocate’s style guide:
Saisons are sturdy farmhouse ale that was traditionally brewed in the winter, to be consumed throughout the summer months. Not so long ago it was close to being an endangered style, but over recent years there’s been a massive revival; especially in the US.
This is a very complex style; many are very fruity in the aroma and flavor. Look for earthy yeast tones, mild to moderate tartness. Lots of spice and with a medium bitterness. They tend to be semi-dry with many only having touch of sweetness.
So now a bit of the backstory. Jeremy White, is actually on the Information Technology staff at Boston Beer Company. I read about this at beernews.org and beerpal.com. The way the Long Shot thing works, I first thought we had a nepotism case on our hands here, is that there are actually 2 contests. Contest 1 is the general public, contest 2 is just for BBC employees. Jeremy won the BBC employee bit. (see more about this as Jim Koch talks about it in the Here for the Beer video below.)
Anyway, onto the beer. The saison style description you see above is kinda vague. Many people who have been reviewing this beer say that it is not a saison, that it does not fit the “style”. If you read the vague description this beer fits in just barely. It is slightly citrusy and though I didn’t notice the pepper at first I did as I kept drinking, it can be found at the end of a sip if you let the beer sit on your tongue. It is not the most drinkable beer I’ve had but it might be nice with some grilled salmon. I paired it with a butternut ravioli mixed with fresh garlic, basil and olive oil topped with a healthy amount of Parmesan cheese.
But what about all of the people saying it’s not to style? Well, it’s not! The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP), which certifies and ranks beer judges through an examination and monitoring process defines a saison as follows: “A refreshing, medium to strong fruity/spicy ale with a distinctive yellow-orange color, highly carbonated, well hopped, and dry with a quenching acidity.” There is also a lot more on their website under style category 16, the Belgian and French Ales.
The problem is that while Jeremy’s ale is ok it does not come close to even the overall description set out by the BJCP. There is no way it comes close to being medium/strong on the fruit or spice notes. Nor is this beer highly carbonated or well hopped.
Overall for me, it is ok but I must agree that since this was a contest based on style, it does not fit the style. Try it and tell me what you think.
Sam Adams 2010 Longshot Winner Ben Miller’s Mile High Barley Wine Ale
This is so much better than the Old Ben I tried yesterday! Ben Miller’s 12% Mile High Barley Wine is beautiful, tasty and balanced. This is a very drinkable Barley Wine. Miller won both the GABF Pro-Am Competition and the Samuel Adams LongShot, impressive. He is the first to do that, according to Beernews.org!
This barley wine pours a ruby colour with a decent head and an aroma of figs and some citrus notes. The flavour is similar, malty, with a fig sweetness and hop finish. This is a big beer with a light alcohol hint throughout, more pronounced at the end. Very tasty, pass me another!
Thanks to Jon at The Spirit Shop!
Sam Adams 2010 Longshot Winner Michael Robinson’s Old Ben Ale
Thanks to Jon at The Spirit Shop on Cole Ave. in Williamstown for supplying the next three beers. Jon got a hold of a limited six pack of the 2010 Samuel Adams Longshot winners for me. These six packs are comprised of the winners from the 2009 Samuel Adams® American Homebrew Contest®. Tonight is the first of the 3 winning brews.
Michael Robinson’s Old Ben Ale pours an orangish cooper colour with a small tan head. The aroma is faintly smokey more of a brown sugar malt. The flavour is more of the same with some hints of figs and dates. It is interesting cause I rarely eat dates and today I just so happened to pick up a pack of date rolls at Wild Oats. When I first sipped this beer I noticed the date right away. The old ale was brewed by Michael Robinson of New Hampshire. According to beernews.org,”This was actually Robinson’s second trip up to the finalists podium in two years (perhaps another first?). Robinson’s Espresso Oatmeal Stout came up just short of a chance to be in the Longshot package last year. The year before that, Robinson contributed entries to the Samuel Adams Patriot Homebrew Competition. Again, he was a finalist with two of his beers making it to the final group of five. The winner of that competition won cash and the opportunity to pour beer at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots.”
With 9%ABV the sweetness can make you not realize how strong this beer is. I did notice the alcohol as I drank it but I can see how the more upfront sweetness could throw someone off. The finish is rather dry. Overall, nice old ale. Well done Mr. Robinson.