Brew Brain Blog

Anchor Steam Beer is a California Common beer that happens to be the only remaining “Steam” beer. Why is it the only one remaining? Well, because they trademarked the term, of course. There are others of the style, but they are officially called California Common. California Common/Steam beers are lagers, but are brewed at higher temperatures than other lagers.

Appearance: This beer is beautiful in the glass. It is a deep copper/amber color and is crystal clear. I poured about half the bottle down the side of my mug and the rest right down the middle, my standard pour. I ended up with a dark white head about an inch thick. It dissipated a bit more quickly than I would have liked, but that’s a nit. Fresh bubbles rose from the bottom of the glass after every pull.

Smell: The beer smelled mostly malty, the bready grain scents dominating. There were also some floral hops scents evident.

Taste: Given the smell, I was expecting bold, well-balanced complex flavors. I got the well-balanced, but not so much of the bold and complex. The beer starts off with the malts dominating, and finishes with a light hoppy bitterness. However, I wasn’t “wowed” by any of the flavors. It was a very pleasant, balanced, and somewhat mild beer.

Palate: This is a very crisp beer. The carbonation is on the higher side, but definitely within reason for me. It actually “bit” my tongue a bit. I would consider this a medium-light body beer that goes down easy.

Overall: This beer is definitely drinkable any time, anywhere. The flavors are well-balanced, but not overly memorable. This would be an excellent every day beer and would likely satisfy a wide range of beer drinkers’ tastes.

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