Stratford Common
Stratford Brewing Company

 

 

On tap at The Press Club. Red-tinged amber-coloured body with a cream-white head. Decent retention and lacing.

Smells of toasty dark caramel, earthy hops and dark fruitiness. Pretty nice nose, actually.

Good graininess, mild roast and slightly too-sweet malt. A bit of earthy hops and estery fruitiness linger on the finish. A touch of alcohol shows. Mostly well-balanced; the fruitiness is nice but could be turned down slightly.

Medium-to-full body with moderate carbonation. Nice feel.

Overall this is a pretty solid beer; flavourful and fairly drinkable. I would potentially drink this again. Possibly the best tap at The Press Club on this given visit.

On tap at Volo. Pours a golden orange colour with a finger of white head that doesn't dissipate at all, with lacing over most of the glass. Smells of fruity hops and some caramel malt. Flavour actually has a lot more bitterness than I expected, quite delicious. Carbonation seems to be spot on for the style. I was expecting just an average beer and this far exceeded my expectations.

On tap:

Puts a copper-amber 'lagale' in the glass, weak head goes to a ring. Aromas of caramel, some toasty malts, hop grassyness.

Tastes like a typical English amber except low on fruity tones, sweetish, malty, light bittering.nothing really out standing but a good clean steam beer.

I'm glad a local brewer decided to take on this underestimated style. Calif. Steam beer needs a more tuned in audience before it is appreciated. This was a fair representation of the stle. Lacked some fruitiness and the sharp mouth feel.

On-tap at Volo.

This beer appears a clear dark orangish-brown colour, with no head, and some sparse lacing remaining around the glass. It smells of white biscuit malt, caramel, and a bit of weedy hops. The taste is bready caramel malt, and some grassy, earthy hops. The carbonation is moderate, the body smooth and fairly full, and it finishes bready and dry.

A nice malty lager - a rarity across this land of ours.

A pint - greatly enjoyed - on tap at BarVolo, in Toronto.

Dramatically sagging lacing but only a thin, receding sheet of head. Perfect clarity and a steady golden tawny auburn coloured body that, regardless of angle, refused to compromise its lovely looking tone.

This is trademark (literally, legally speaking) Steam beer! A whole bunch of malt and hops that give off dry, green, lightly effervescent notes. Very light in equal parts spicy and fruity. While the yeast seems to be out of the picture, I suspect it's doing more than I know behind the scenes...

The mouthfeel has a low but cutting bitterness; very crisp. Quite sessionable. The malts stick with you and the flavours never quite escape the mouth even minutes after your last sip. The taste has a boatload of lightly caramelized malts. The hops (German hop-esque) notes of dry, green, and light in equal parts spicy and fruity. Tasty lager.

The 'Steam' is a curious creation: it's an ale yet it's a lager. It's simple yet complex. It's sessionable yet satisfying. It's quenching yet full of character. I could enjoy this anytime! Stratford has really nailed the 'California Common' style. A real kudos to them for a beer tremendously well done.

A: Copper-bronze with a white head, little retention, some lacing.

S: Spicy grass, plenty of bread & a little caramel.

T: Spicy, grassy, slight metallic earthyness & citrus, pale malt, slight caramel; good bitterness.

M: Light to moderate body & carbonation with some hop acidity.

D: Quite drinkable.

On-tap in secret stash at The Magpie. Two pints and a sample. The best was, unusually, the colder serving. The least, the room temperature. Pale coloured with some white head, and observable etchings of lace. Hoppy aroma (in the cold)to neutral aroma (warm). Creamy mouthfeel (when colder) that drinks really well. Warmer, distilled water qualities. Overall pilsner qualities. The afterbite doesn't hit metallic, but it is the least of a pleasant quaff when warmer. A good one, and surprising breakthrough for the brewery.

A - Slightly reddish and clear with lots of white head.
S - Coppery/iron smell mostly with a bit of hop hints.
T - Mild hoppy taste with some caramel notes of malt. Very mild tasting overall.
M - Watery and thin, but pleasant for the style.
D - Very sessionable beer.

This new offering from the Stratford Brewing Company is a California Common - a style not seen much in these parts considering California is 3000 miles away. Pours a nice deep amber with a medium creamy white head, which lasts all the way down. Fruit and grain in the nose. Taste is also grainy, with a fruity maltiness to back it up. Bit of metal mixed in there as well. Very smooth mouthfeel, almost like a cream ale. This is the defining characteristic of the beer for me. Seems like a very decent rendition of the style, with high drinkability.