Commons Ale
Bandwagon Brewery
- From:
- Bandwagon Brewery
- New York, United States
- Style:
- California Common / Steam Beer
- ABV:
- Not listed
- Score:
- 81
- Avg:
- 3.26 | pDev: 14.72%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 6
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jun 27, 2017
- Added:
- Jul 07, 2010
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
81
Good
81
Good
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by mikeinportc from New York
3.67/5 rDev +12.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.67/5 rDev +12.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Had it on draft ( 4oz sample, x 2) at Homer Winterfest,1/28, and now a bottle at home 2 weeks later. (Bottled 1/27)
Pours a deep , barely-cloudy see-through amber. Moderate, off-white head quickly dissipating to a little foam in the center.
Aroma is of slightly sweet caramel. A hint of fruitiness.
Taste is barely-sweet caramel breadiness, with a touch of bitterness on the finish, that lingers on the tip of the tongue. Thin, slightly oily feel, with fine carbonation that lingers with the bitterness to give a slightly drying finish.
Overall not a "Wow" beer, but pleasant, and worthwhile. Well-balanced. Would be perfectly happy drinking this all day. (If the ol' monkey curiosity had nothing else to try. : ) )
Feb 12, 2017Pours a deep , barely-cloudy see-through amber. Moderate, off-white head quickly dissipating to a little foam in the center.
Aroma is of slightly sweet caramel. A hint of fruitiness.
Taste is barely-sweet caramel breadiness, with a touch of bitterness on the finish, that lingers on the tip of the tongue. Thin, slightly oily feel, with fine carbonation that lingers with the bitterness to give a slightly drying finish.
Overall not a "Wow" beer, but pleasant, and worthwhile. Well-balanced. Would be perfectly happy drinking this all day. (If the ol' monkey curiosity had nothing else to try. : ) )
Reviewed by HorseheadsHophead from Colorado
3.4/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.4/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
On tap in a flight at the Bandwagon Brewpub in Ithaca, NY.
Comes in a cloudy amber, with a fluffy white head that leaves sheets of lacing.
The nose is biscuit, caramel, with some balancing orange pith and pine.
The palate follows with biscuit, caramel, a touch of butterscotch and toffee, and then finishes with orange peel and pine.
The mouthfeel is medium-minus, almost light, with lingering mixtures of sweetness and piney and orangey bitterness.
Apr 22, 2016Comes in a cloudy amber, with a fluffy white head that leaves sheets of lacing.
The nose is biscuit, caramel, with some balancing orange pith and pine.
The palate follows with biscuit, caramel, a touch of butterscotch and toffee, and then finishes with orange peel and pine.
The mouthfeel is medium-minus, almost light, with lingering mixtures of sweetness and piney and orangey bitterness.
Reviewed by akorsak from Pennsylvania
3.26/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.26/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The first beer at Bandwagon. I like the vibe of the place. A steam beer.
A: The ale is light, pale golden. A thin band of head is all that can be mustered up. Very transparent.
S: The nose is creamy, buttery even. Hops aren't that big of a factor here.
T: Chewy, light and sweet. The steam beer seems more like a blonde ale, accentuating its biscuity provenance at the expense of everything else. I'd call this one a big seller because of that blonde background. Hops are light, balancing only, and generally stay hidden behind that chewy sweetness. I found that it tasted a whole lot better than the nose let on.
M: Steam is a hybrid, right? So this beer seems to fit in as a hybrid blonde ale. A good taste although the nose was not so hot.
Aug 01, 2011A: The ale is light, pale golden. A thin band of head is all that can be mustered up. Very transparent.
S: The nose is creamy, buttery even. Hops aren't that big of a factor here.
T: Chewy, light and sweet. The steam beer seems more like a blonde ale, accentuating its biscuity provenance at the expense of everything else. I'd call this one a big seller because of that blonde background. Hops are light, balancing only, and generally stay hidden behind that chewy sweetness. I found that it tasted a whole lot better than the nose let on.
M: Steam is a hybrid, right? So this beer seems to fit in as a hybrid blonde ale. A good taste although the nose was not so hot.
Reviewed by zeno27 from New York
2.16/5 rDev -33.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
2.16/5 rDev -33.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Had this on tap mid-March 2011. Nice light amber color, if a bit cloudy. Serious diacetyl problems, though. So much that my girlfriend (who is not a beer geek) took one whiff and exclamed, "This smells like butter!" I'm not saying every California Common has to be an Anchor Steam clone, but the diacetyl was really overwhelming. It seems like the brewers need to control pitching rates and/or fermentation temperatures a little closer.
Apr 13, 2011
Reviewed by Hojaminbag from Colorado
3.8/5 rDev +16.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.8/5 rDev +16.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Commons ale is made with all regionally sourced ingredients, which I thought was interesting. It has a hazy yellow/orange body and an airy white head that manages to leave a little bit of lacing in its wake.
The aroma has lots of pale sweet malts, a distinct fruitiness and a little bit of a hop presence underneath that.
The flavor is more of the same as the aroma. A good dose of pale malts that are lightly sweet and bit grainy is followed by some generic fruitiness. The finish has a good hop bite, with citrus and bitterness from cascade hops.
Mouthfeel is appropriate for the style; more importantly, there are no carbonation problems.
Good drinkability. There aren't a whole lot of common/steam beers floating around, and it's nice to have access to one that is local and always fresh.
Dec 17, 2010The aroma has lots of pale sweet malts, a distinct fruitiness and a little bit of a hop presence underneath that.
The flavor is more of the same as the aroma. A good dose of pale malts that are lightly sweet and bit grainy is followed by some generic fruitiness. The finish has a good hop bite, with citrus and bitterness from cascade hops.
Mouthfeel is appropriate for the style; more importantly, there are no carbonation problems.
Good drinkability. There aren't a whole lot of common/steam beers floating around, and it's nice to have access to one that is local and always fresh.
Reviewed by plaid75 from New York
3.5/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured a light hazy copper hue with a thin white head. There was decent retention and lacing.
The smell featured a light grain and herbal hop.
The taste was well balanced and featured light malts and a utilitarian hop.
The mouthfeel was typical of the style.
Overall a decent, easy enough to drink ale.
Jul 07, 2010The smell featured a light grain and herbal hop.
The taste was well balanced and featured light malts and a utilitarian hop.
The mouthfeel was typical of the style.
Overall a decent, easy enough to drink ale.
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