Does anyone have a tried and true Cali Common recipe they would be willing to share? I brewed JZ’s from Brewing Classic Styles and while it came out pretty good, wasn’t very happy with hop profile (Northern Brewer). I want to play around with it but be a great help to see what others have done.
Thanks!
What weren’t you happy about? Northern Brewer is pretty much traditional in that beer. I can’t suggest anything different because that’s what I’m using but you could switch it up with some Cascade or a more citrusy hop. Probably won’t score well in competitions but otherwise, it’s your beer.
Can you describe what you didn’t like about the hop profile? and what would you like to have for a hop profile?
I agree with gmac that NB is traditional for steam beer.
Northern Brewer hops are one of the defining characteristics of the style. For what it’s worth, this very simple recipe won me a gold medal at my first competition:
10 lbs pale malt
1 lb Caramel 60
1 oz Northern Brewer (8%) 60 min 29 IBU
.5 oz Northern Brewer (8%) 30 min 11.1 IBU
.5 oz Northern Brewer (8%) 0 min
40.2 IBU
WLP 810 yeast
Mash at 152-154 for 60 min. Batch Sparge
Ferment 2 weeks at 58 Degrees, keg and lager 1 month at 33 Degrees.
OG 1.052
FG 1.012
I felt it was missing some of the toasty component in this recipe, so I subbed 1lb of the pale malt for vienna on this last batch. I should be sampling it this weekend.
Grrr! effing anchor. alright. I will try to keep the rant in check. This is a great style, simple, easy to brew and super drinkable. The only reason northern brewer is ‘definitive’ is because, until recently anchor was the only one still making this style commercially. I agree that if you are going to enter in comps you probably need to use at least some NB but if you are drinking for yourself branch out! I have made cali common with cascade to great effect. a lovely beer. pretty similar recipe to mtnandy actually 9.25 pale malt .75 c60 but with NZ cascade. I have been planning one useing a hop called ivanhoe which is an heirloom variety that has recently been re-discovered here in northern california. While cascade might be a bit out of style it is really good but any cluster type hop would work well (ivanhoe is a cluster).
The thing to remember with this style is that it was brewed with local ingredients at a time when brewing technology was still fairly low. historically there is some evidence that it was brewed with at least part domestic 6 row. If you look at the temps in the SF bay area they average in the 60’s-70’s and stick pretty close to that average year round. at the time this style was popular refridgeration was only available via big ice blocks or expensive chemical (ammonia based) commercial refridgeration so they were fermented warmish. The yeast was most likely lager yeast brought over to the new world by german immigrants and fermented warm due to the lack of refridgeration.
all this being said, my only real point is to not get stuck in the ‘must have NB’ mindset. It’s true that to win a comp you would probably have to use them but to make a wonderful beer you do not. try any kin dof hop. try citra, or fuggles. (fuggles might actually be really good come to think of it) but keep the grain bill super simple.
Would it not just basically be a pale ale then (other than the yeast, which is a relatively clean profile either way)? To me, what I like about the cali common is the difference between the woody/minty of the NB hops, compared to the grapefruit/citrus of Cascades in pale ale. That being said, anyone know what other hops give the woody/minty character like NB?
I agree with Mort. I was just asking what you didn’t like about it. If you didn’t like the hops, I wouldn’t look for another “woodsy” type hop. My neighbour used to make a lot of Cali Common with Cascade and he loved it. Like I said, probably woulnd’t win any medals but who cares. Try something different and let us know what you think but I agree, keep the malt simple and one hop would be the way I’d start out.
What was it about the hop profile that were weren’t happy about?
That’s only because that’s what anchor uses. the defining characteristic of the style should be the result of using a lager yeast at ale temps combined with northern california ingredients (as much as possible which is not very much granted). Is it not an APA if you don’t use cascade? it is not a hefeweizen if you don’t use hallertauer? I understand why the BJCP did what they did but I would love to see it changed. and in the mean time if you are not brewing for comp I think it’s good to experiment.
Thanks everyone… I am not overly worried about meeting BJCP style just making something I enjoy. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was I didn’t like until someone mentioned “woodsy” flavor. Love the idea of using some cascade and citra.
If you wanted to go really crazy you could use some… other… fragrant herb popular in northern California :
actually kind of an interesting idea… hmmm he says while checking his wallet for the magic card. ;D
Now that WOULD be interesting ;D you know staying local and all… :
Point of information: SF is a little cooler than suggested above. “Temperatures exceed 75 °F (24 °C) on average only 28 days a year.[63] The dry period of May to October is mild to warm, with average high temperatures of 64–71 °F (18–22 °C) and lows of 51–56 °F (11–13 °C). The rainy period of November to April is slightly cooler with high temperatures of 58–64 °F (14–18 °C) and lows of 46–51 °F (8–11 °C).” (Wikipedia)
I am on my second batch of Cal Common. My recipe is huskier than Anchor Steam, but still has that yeast/hops profile.
Didn’t Mark Twain say “the coldest Winter he ever spent was a Summer in San Francisco”? My understanding is that the Bay area is quite chilly all the time. To me the climate makes the beer possible as convention/history allows.
And I think Anchor Steam tastes pretty awesome, but wouldn’t hesitate to use other hops. I can see a bit of perle in this style if you like earthy woodsy flavors.
I think anchor is a really good beer. I just get grumpy about the hop thing and the trademark thing. business is business but…
Yeah the bay area is weird. I lived in oakland not SF but it is true SF can get chilly even in the middle of summer. which is a shocker when you take BART under the bay wearing shorts and a tee and come out in the mission where it’s 50*.
My first Cali Common is actually in the fermentor as we speak. As such, I can’t offer much in the way of advice but I’ll share the recipe I used anyway! The grain bill is a bit odd for a Cali Common in the current sense, but I am trying for more of a pre-prohibition era steam beer. After reading the chapter on Cali Commons in Designing Great Beer I was smitten with the idea of a less attenuated, mouth filling beer which was made in that time period. I ended up using NB anyway, even though I don’t believe that was used at the time. I don’t intend on lagering this batch, as according to his account the beer was sold “fresh” having been given only 3 or 4 days from the end of fermentation to the bar. I omitted any crystal malt and used a good deal of raw sugar as the yeast is designed to be a low-medium attenuator.
1.051 OG
5.5 gallons
39.5 IBU
5.4% ABV
90 minute boil
6.6 lbs Pilsner LME
4oz pale chocolate malt
12oz special roast
.5oz Northern Brewer 90 mins
.5oz NB 60 mins
.5oz NB 15 mins
1/2 irish moss 10 mins
1/2 tsp yeast nutrient 10 mins
1lb raw sugar 10 mins
.5oz NB at flameout, steeped 20 mins
Pitched a 2L starter with 3 smack packs Wyeast 2112 on a stir plate (it was pretty old yeast)
Aerated with O2 for 30 seconds
Currently fermenting at 59-60 F. It was fermenting so vigorously the night before last that it actually popped the top off of my fermenting bucket. Thankfully it was inside a fermentation chamber or I would have had a real mess on my hands!
I will taste it once fermentation is done and evaluate the need for a rest period before bottling. I’ve got high hopes for this one!
Just had to look up Northern Brewer Hops. Those were developed in England in 1934, but no idea when those were introduced to the USA. So the beers brewed pre-prohibition or in the Gold Rush days used different hops.
The chapter on Cal Common in Designing Great Beers is (like the rest of the book) great reading. Daniels says there is little to go on, but that historically, the hops were U.S.-grown, and “probably California-grown Cluster hops.” In the NHC second-round beers he analyzed, Cascade was the most popular hop, followed by Northern Brewer.
Cluster was about 75-80 of the US hop crop until the early 70’s.
California used to grow a fair amount of hops. There were hop fields in the SF and Sacramento areas until the land became more valuable for real estate. The North Bay area also grew hops, untul the land became more valuable for grapes. The hop kilns from one farm are still standing and are the visitors area for the Hop Kiln winery.
if you cruise around the back roads here in the sacremento/north bay area you see alot of ‘hop kiln’ roads and the like. It’s like back east and in the midwest where there are tons of ‘hemp’ names. you can tell alot about historical agricultural practices by looking at old street and town names.