Beer Styles

California Common is the city's own style, and the name has a backstory. Because Anchor held the term Steam as a trademark, other brewers used the alternative name Common. The BJCP competition guidelines now list the style as 19B, with 4.5 to 5.5 percent ABV and 30 to 45 IBU.

In the glass sits an amber-colored, clear beer with a firm, white head. It smells of bread crust, some caramel, and wood. On the palate it's medium-bodied, round and crisp, finishing slightly dry. Those who only know pilsner will find it fuller. Those who know ale will find it cleaner.

The difference from a standard lager lies in the fermentation temperature: the same yeast, but 16 to 24 degrees instead of 8 to 12. Compared to an English ale, on the other hand, it lacks the strong ester note and is crisper. California Common stands exactly between the two families, belonging to neither.

Alongside this, the Bay Area helped shape the West Coast IPA, the style known in the US as American IPA. It's golden to copper-colored, dry, noticeably more bitter, with plenty of hop aroma ranging from citrus to pine. The range spans 5.5 to 7.5 percent ABV and 40 to 70 IBU.

Both styles share an attitude: clear in structure, without frills. Steam Beer is the quiet counterpart, the IPA its louder sibling. A brewer who masters both shows just how differently the same craft can sound.