Common – a.k.a “okay”
A bit of an oddball beer, the California Common is effectively an Anchor Steam clone and is defined largely by its specific hops. Obviously there’s the temperature tolerant lagerish yeast, too, but that’s more of a procedural thing. The fermentation is expected to be clean with minimal yeast flavors. Ours was built on just under 8# of American two row, with a pound of Munich and 3/4# of caramel 40 and six ounces of biscuit. Two ounces of pale chocolate nudge the color into the correct range. That’s proving to be a useful ingredient when something like midnight wheat is overkill for the color change required. The requisite Northern Brewer hops went in three doses: half an ounce at sixty, one at fifteen, and one more near flame out. We missed our target gravity with pre-fermentation at 1.044. The San Francisco Lager yeast (WLP810) finished a tad dry at 1.008. Missing the style ranges at both ends put the ABV in the correct range at least.
I think I just don’t get this one. It tastes like it’s supposed to taste so far as I can tell. It’s very clean and finishes dry with a lingering bitterness. Fruity or citrusy definitely doesn’t enter the picture at all. I know the principle flavor is the hops but in a blind tasting I doubt I’d describe this a hoppy. It’s not especially bad but at the same time it doesn’t seem markedly different from other amber ales and lagers. I guess it’s blandly well-executed at best.