Cali Common
Lucky Hand Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tulip glass.

A: Pours a medium-light golden with a bit of off white head, receding quickly to a thin ring which lasts for a bit and then clears to headless. Not much lacing. Superb clarity.

S: Light rustic hops and pale malt. The hops are the centerpiece but not aggressive.

T: Woodsy/earthy hops, pale and maybe some sweetish crystal and caramel malt, some fruitiness, crisp and with a nice mild dry bitterness on the lengthy finish.

M: Medium body and medium-high, firm, cola-like carbonation.

O: Pretty easy drinking with good woodsy hop flavor and supporting malt. Nice balance.

 

Into a lager glass with three fingers of head on a clear, straw colored body. With the bubbles floating up, it looks nice.
The aroma is crushed grain with a hint of lemon.
The taste has a smooth malt to start, then a bright lemon bitterness and finishes with a dry bitter note.
The texture is crisp with moderate carbonation and medium body.
Pretty good overall.

A - Clear light honey, good near white head, some cling lace.

S - Nice honest clean malt. Not much hop in this.

T - Nice and malty, malt is quelled very deftly by the hops.

M - Medium to light body, good carbonation and balance.

D - Not a big light lager drinker, but I like this one.

The second bottle which I received from Lucky Hand to assest. Thanks again guys! On to the beer:

Looks a paler orange color with a small and creamish head and yellow hues. There is an interesting aroma, rather dry with a dry citrus and biscuit note and on the subtle side.

Right on the mark. Dry, fruity esters, a good biscuit maltiness, There's a mineral accent that adds a little extra character to the beer. It's medium bodied with moderate carbonation, and a late hopping in the aftertaste.

Short and sweet. And good. That's enough, don't you think?

 

 

Bomber picked up from Whole Foods in Soma, San Francisco.

Pours a pleasantly hazed but relatively light golden colour with a solid foamy, lagery white head. Lacing is full, sheeting and precocious. Lovely fine carbonation. It looks a treat.

Nose is crisp and dry, with a clean, leafy, slightly herbal hop fragrance, giving a slightly European aroma to the style. Some mild grainy sweetness comes through as well, but it's subtle: it doesn't overwhelm the clean crispness, which is certainly the dominant character. Not bad.

Taste is a bit flat, and a little un-nuanced, but still pleasant enough in its way. That grain character comes through as a husky, slightly dusty note, very much like a German pilsener, with a light phenolic bite on the back, with a hint of those leafy hops. It has a brightness to it, however, and there's a pleasant, very mild effervescence added by the judicious carbonation—the feel is one of its strongest points.

Pretty decent drop, this one. It's actually difficult to fault it, and in the end it delivers a pretty clean, drinkable package. I mean, it's not even that dull, which would be the only thing I can think about criticising about it. It doesn't really excite me, but it's very solid.

I'm just going to enjoy it.

A: Pours a medium light yellow amber, with a fair amount of dense white head. Most of the head dissipates quickly, but some surface foam and a ring around the edge of the glass retains and leaves decent lacing.

S: Light sweet grains, mild citrus fruit.

T: Mildly sweet, somewhat grainy again, nice balance. Finishes slightly hoppy, with a sweeter lingering aftertaste.

M: Medium body, medium carbonation.

Very drinkable; the solid mouthfeel and relatively light (but not bland) flavor make this a good session candidate.

This is overall a good, solid, characterful beer and a nice addition for this uncommon style, but it ultimately is a little too sharply and assertively bitter for the character and is fairly simple, leaning to a peppery-citrus pulp bitterness.

Pale golden amber, it has a medium off-white head steadily shrinking to a foamy ring.

Aroma is toasty grain, hint of caramelised bread crust, some citrus - lemon and grapefruit but gentle, with some herbally spicey leaf. It is very nice.

Taste is mostly citrus (bitter lemon with at most a faint hint of grapefruit, which is strong in the aroma), plus some pine and peppery leaf. It has light toasty malt sweetness underneath the somewhat sharp, vaguely leafy-peppery-citrus-rind bitterness that dominates fully from start to finish, but not aggressively. It is good, but the bitterness is just too sharp and lingering enough to throw off the balance and reduce drinkaiblity.

Toasty, bready, or even donuty, mildly carbonated, with a nice hoppiness. In contrast to the soft, cloudy, strawberry blond / grapefruit color, the foam is hilariously, giant and bright white. A fun blend of organic malt, hops and yeast, it can be complex if you want it to be, but never in a way that interferes with your ability to enjoy your food or company. It's more robust compared to a steam beer / California common like Anchor Steam. My favorite part of this beer is the wonderful fresh-baked bread smell. Or maybe it's the hops! It has a pleasant bitterness to it and a really great sweet grassy finish that's short, but bold. Cali Common would be a great dinner beer for hearty vegetable dishes, pastas, beans, or big salads with whole grains.

22 oz bottle from Whole Foods, Berkeley. Bottle says it's brewed by Linden Street in Oakland. Pours with a huge rocky white head. Straw in color with some haze. Nobel hop bitterness in the nose, with clean, light malt too. Lots of Noble hop character, plenty of drying bitterness, and some underlying doughy, honey-sweet malt. Fairly robust for a light lager. A nice drinking beer, would hit the spot on a hot day or a camping trip.