4 kegs of California Common

Johnny was a whirlwind of kegging today - four kegs of California Common, a steam beer, which can't be called a steam beer thanks to Anchor Brewing. Steam beers, historically from California's west coast, are brewed with lager yeasts, but fermented without refrigeration. Steam beers probably originated in the Gold Rush through the inelegance of necessity, but resulted in unexpected delectibility. Though they claim no connection to the original steam beer process, Anchor Brewing trademarked the term "steam beer" in 1981, rendering the rest of us unable to use it.

While researching California Common, steam beer etc, I came across the Beer Judge Certification Program style guidelines, a matrix of ABV%, color and chemical breakdown, Johnny said "What I am trying to do is make something that's good, in and of itself." We're less into the statistics of style and more into just making beer that tastes good.