Amber Hybrid Beers (BJCP Category 7)
Unlike the Light Hybrid category, the Amber Hybrid Category covers three classic beer styles: two German and one American. Oddly enough, however, it puts the American style between the two Germans!
Altbiers (BJCP Categories 7A, 7C and 23)
History/Comments: These two styles of beer are closely related, differing only in malt character and hopping rates. They are broadly reflective of German brewing traditions before lager beer became the norm, although modern versions of Düsseldorf Alt can only be dated to Mid-19th century.
Northern German Alt is a designation first made by Michael Jackson in his World Guide to Beer and subsequently adopted by the BJCP. No other set of style guidelines uses it. Commercial style descriptions make no distinction between Northern German and Düsseldorf Alt styles, and just refer to the style as “Alt.”
Altbier is typically made using low-temperature fermentation ale yeasts (60-65°F) and is then conditioned at standard lagering temperatures for 4-6 weeks to give cleaner, smoother flavors. Northern German Alts tend to be moderately bitter brown lagers, darker in color and a bit sweet. Düsseldorf Alts are hoppier, lighter in color and a bit drier. Authentic examples, hard to find in the U.S. can be tilted towards the hops.
Düsseldorf Alt is distinctly associated with the German city of the same name, located in Southwestern Germany on the Rhine River. Despite their proximity (Düsseldorf is just down the river from Köln) Altbier is similar to Kölsch only in that it is fermented using ale yeast. The two cities have a centuries-old rivalry; don't ask for Altbier in Köln (or vice-versa)! Despite this, the Düsseldorf drinking traditions are very similar to those found in Köln. The best examples of Düsseldorf Alt can be found in brewpubs in the Altstadt (“old town”), where it is served in narrow, cylindrical glasses (although these can be larger than the 200 ml Stange used to serve Kölsch.
In addition to Northern German Alt and Düsseldorf Alt, which are recognized by the BJCP there are three further variants of Altbier. The Düsseldorf brewers create a seasonal variant of their Alt called Sticke Alt ("secret Alt”) or Geheimbier (“secret beer”). Regardless of the name, these beers are slightly stronger, hoppier, darker, richer and more complex than a regular alt. Sticke is hoppier (up to 60 IBU), usually dry-hopped and is lagered for a longer period.
Some brewers also produce a Doppelsticke (also called Export Sticke) for export to the U.S. market which is even stronger than regular Sticke.
Münster Alt (exemplified by Pinkus Alt) typically has lower O.G. and ABV, is lighter in color, has a slight sourness and can contain up to 40% wheat. It is the truest “old-style” beer - a holdover from days when Northern Germany had dozens of locally-produced sour wheat beers. Like Berlinerweisse, Gose, Grätzer/Grodiszke, Lichtenheimer Alt or Broyhan Alt, these very rare or extinct products.
Sticke Alt, Doppelsticke and Münster Alt are treated as specialty beers, but to make this session more fun, and because they are mentioned in the style guidelines for Amber Hybrids, we will be sampling them along with the beers which are actually in the Amber Hybrid category.
Brewing Altbiers: Northern German Alts are balanced or tilted slightly to the malt or hops, with smooth malt character and touches of roast, biscuit and/or caramel. Bittering is firm, but late hop character is subdued. Some yeast character should be present - this isn’t a lager! Grain bill should be German or Continental Pils malt, with some (8-10%) Munich or Vienna malt. Specialty grains include amber or light roast continental or German grains, such as CaraMunich or Pale Chocolate, to make up about 6-10% of the grist. German Ale yeast is essential to the style, fermented at 60 °F and then lagered at least 4 weeks to get proper character.
Dusseldorf Alt uses similar grist, but with up to 15% Munich malt, no more than ~5% crystal malt and no dark crystal or light roast additions. Hop bittering is higher, but hop flavor isn’t as high (~0.5 oz. noble hops for flavor). There are no aroma hops.
Sticke and Doppelsticke versions of Altbiers add more of everything (up to 60 IBU of bittering, mostly as a bittering charge) and can be dry hopped.
Altbiers and Competition: Most judges aren’t particularly familiar with the Altbier style, so don’t get too tricky with the ingredients. As long as the beer isn’t overtly hoppy and/or alcoholic, you might be able to get away with brewing the style a bit “bigger” than the guidelines allow. The key to both Alt styles is balance and a relatively clean finish, although hop-heads will appreciate the Düsseldorf style more. Astringency, excessive sweetness or dominant yeast esters are killers for this style in competition.
Also, keep in mind that Northern German Alt is a somewhat ambiguous and open-ended style. If you’re aiming for a Düsseldorf Alt and don’t get the attenuation you wanted, or your Oktoberfest or Vienna comes out a bit hoppy, dark, dry and estery for the style, you might just have a good Northern German Alt.
California Common Beer (BJCP Category 7B)
History: California Common is an American original once known as Steam Beer. It was developed during the California Gold Rush (1849-1855) using German lager yeast adapted to the brewing conditions around the San Francisco Bay area and the primitive brewing equipment available in what was basically a frontier boom-town.
Large shallow open fermenters (coolships) were used to compensate for the lack of ice to cool the fermentation tanks and to take advantage of the cool ambient temperatures in the San Francisco Bay area. The original German lager strains adapted to ferment at higher than normal temperatures.
Originally, Steam Beer was very rough tasting and known for its high carbonation levels. Due to the combination of ale-style open fermenters and poorly-flocculating lager yeast, clarifiers were needed to “polish” the fermented beer and constant skimming of the wort surface was necessary to prevent contamination. The final product was only available on draft and was often left to settle for several days before being shipped to customers.
The origin of the name “steam” is unknown. According to Anchor Brewing, the name “steam” came from the fact that 19th century Bay Area breweries had no way to effectively chill the boiling wort using traditional means, so they pumped the hot wort up to the large, shallow, open-top coolships on the roof of the brewery so that it would be rapidly chilled by the cool onshore breezes off the Pacific Ocean. Thus, as the wort cooled, the brewery had a distinct cloud of steam above the roof.
According to brewing legend, steam beer got its name due to the ferocious hiss of carbon dioxide vented when a keg was tapped, leading customers to jokingly ask for a “glass of steam.” Presumably, the hiss was also accompanied by a mist of gushing beer, further enhancing the metaphor. Alternatively, in the mid-19th century, “steam brewery” or “steam brewed” beer indicated beer produced in a state of the art steam-powered facility.
I think that name comes from the last two origins. Imagine a 49’er with an ironic sense of humor, familiar with good beer from an actual “steam brewery” back East, confronted with an overpriced, foul-tasting mug of San Francisco Gold-Rush era beer, mostly frothy head, fresh from an overcarbonated keg that hissed, sprayed and gushed as it was tapped by an inexperienced barkeeper. Steam beer, indeed!
Once common in American West, before Prohibition Steam Beer was brewed as far inland as Colorado and Idaho. After Prohibition, the style nearly vanished due to competition from light lagers until it was single-handedly revived from extinction by Fritz Maytag. In 1972, Maytag, an heir to an appliance-manufacturing fortune, sold his shares in the family business in order to save his favorite brewery, Anchor Brewing of San Francisco, from bankruptcy. After 10 years of effort and extensive renovations, Maytag turned Anchor became one of the flagships of American Craft Brewing renaissance with its newly trademarked “Anchor Steam” beer as its signature product. Because of the Anchor trademark on “Steam Beer,” brewers now refer to this style by the less evocative name of “California Common.”
While historical steam beers varied in O.G., ABV and character (since “steam beer” referred to a brewing technique rather than any particular recipe), modern California Common is narrowly defined by Anchor Steam Beer: an amber beer of moderate ABV, with slightly caramel malt flavor backing up an assertive Northern Brewer hop flavor and aroma.
Brewing California Common: This beer is similar to an “old school” American Pale Ale - moderately hoppy, amber color with a firm, grainy maltiness, some toast and caramel sweetness to balance the hops. The grist is American two-row pale and perhaps a bit of Munich malt (~10% of the grist), with some 40 °L Crystal (~10%). Northern Brewer - or hops which produce a similar minty, woody or slightly earthy profile - are used for flavor and aroma (about 1.5 oz. each in a 5 gallon batch). California Common yeast is used, fermented at ~62 °F. Carbonation is high, at 2.5-3 volumes of CO2.
California Common and Competition: Most judges aren’t that familiar with the style. If they are, they’re probably only familiar with bottled Anchor Steam, sometimes in less than fresh condition. This means you want to stick to the guidelines and produce a beer which is “more like Anchor Steam than Anchor Steam.” Make the hop character noticeable in flavor and aroma, but not so much that it starts to come across like an American Pale Ale. Possibly bump up the malt character a bit, but not so much that it gets so dark or malt-focused that it shifts into American Amber Ale territory. Balance and freshness is the key for this style.
7A. Northern German Altbier
Aroma: Subtle malty, sometimes grainy aroma. Low to no noble hop aroma. Clean, lager character with very restrained ester profile. No diacetyl.
Appearance: Light copper to light brown color; very clear from extended cold conditioning. Low to moderate off-white to white head with good retention.
Flavor: Fairly bitter yet balanced by a smooth and sometimes sweet malt character that may have a rich, biscuity and/or lightly caramelly flavor. Dry finish often with lingering bitterness. Clean, lager character sometimes with slight sulfury notes and very low to no esters. Very low to medium noble hop flavor. No diacetyl.
Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium body. Moderate to moderately high carbonation. Smooth mouthfeel.
Overall Impression: A very clean and relatively bitter beer, balanced by some malt character. Generally darker, sometimes more caramelly, and usually sweeter and less bitter than Düsseldorf Altbier.
Comments: Most Altbiers produced outside of Düsseldorf are of the Northern German style. Most are simply moderately bitter brown lagers. Ironically “alt” refers to the old style of brewing (i.e., making ales), which makes the term “Altbier” somewhat inaccurate and inappropriate. Those that are made as ales are fermented at cool ale temperatures and lagered at cold temperatures (as with Düsseldorf Alt).
Ingredients: Typically made with a Pils base and colored with roasted malt or dark crystal. May include small amounts of Munich or Vienna malt. Noble hops. Usually made with an attenuative lager yeast.
Commercial Examples: Long Trail Ale, Otter Creek Copper Ale.
7B. California Common Beer
Aroma: Typically showcases the signature Northern Brewer hops (with woody, rustic or minty qualities) in moderate to high strength. Light fruitiness acceptable. Low to moderate caramel and/or toasty malt aromatics support the hops. No diacetyl.
Appearance: Medium amber to light copper color. Generally clear. Moderate off-white head with good retention.
Flavor: Moderately malty with pronounced hop bitterness. The malt character is usually toasty (not roasted) and caramelly. Low to moderately high hop flavor, usually showing Northern Brewer qualities (woody, rustic, minty). Finish fairly dry and crisp, with lingering hop bitterness and a firm, grainy malt flavor. Light fruity esters are acceptable, but otherwise clean. No diacetyl.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium to medium-high carbonation.
Overall Impression: A lightly fruity beer with firm, grainy maltiness, interesting toasty and caramel flavors, and showcasing the signature Northern Brewer varietal hop character.
History: American West Coast original. Large shallow open fermenters (coolships) were traditionally used to compensate for the absence of refrigeration and to take advantage of the cool ambient temperatures in the San Francisco Bay area. Fermented with lager yeast, but one that was selected to thrive at the cool end of normal ale fermentation temperatures.
Comments: This style is narrowly defined around the prototypical Anchor Steam example. Superficially similar to an American pale or amber ale, yet differs in that the hop flavor/aroma is woody/minty rather than citrusy, malt flavors are toasty and caramelly, the hopping is always assertive, and a warm-fermented lager yeast is used.
Ingredients: Pale ale malt, American hops (usually Northern Brewer, rather than citrusy varieties), small amounts of toasted malt and/or crystal malts. Lager yeast, however some strains (often with the mention of “California” in the name) work better than others at the warmer fermentation temperatures (55 to 60˚F) used. Note that some German yeast strains produce inappropriate sulfury character. Water should have relatively low sulfate and low to moderate carbonate levels.