Steam Engine Lager
Steamworks Brewing Co.

Steam Engine LagerSteam Engine Lager
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From:
Steamworks Brewing Co.
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
California Common / Steam Beer
Ranked #17
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
78
Ranked #26,872
Avg:
3.4 | pDev: 16.47%
Reviews:
98
Ratings:
138
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 19, 2023
Added:
Jul 29, 2005
Wants:
  8
Gots:
  6
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by indiapaleale:
Photo of indiapaleale
Reviewed by indiapaleale from Maine

3.55/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pour - dark auburn in appearance with some lighter shades of orange and yellow being struck by the light. Rather thin head that fades to a ring of white inside the glass.

Aroma - sweet and malty. Sort of reminds me of visiting a brewery on brew day and smelling all those grains being steeped. Also some hints of bread dough and a little bit of lemon or lime zest.

Taste - one sip and it's clear this is a solid lager. Very crisp and balanced. Flavors like honey and caramel stand out on the tongue along with some biscuity flavors. Some faint hop characteristics come into play in the finish.

Overall - well put together lager. Everything seems to be in order and from beginning to end it works well. Very drinkable and quite tasty. Is it possibly the "best American-style Amber Lager in the world?" I don't think we're qualified to make that call but it's certainly a beer worth trying.

Would I buy more of it? - I'd like to try this fresh from the tap at the brewpub out in Durango! Perhaps I'll pick up some cans to go.
Jun 12, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.26 by QuintusHorace from California

Dec 19, 2023
 
Rated: 3.69 by cgrunin from Texas

Jul 22, 2023
Photo of JZH1000
Reviewed by JZH1000 from Colorado

3.93/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Had on tap at the brewery.

On arrival, it looks like they poured away the head as there was less than a finger, but what was present was white. Head dissipates to a ring and scattered "clouds" of bubbles. Body is a clear red amber.

Aroma is clean, but also very light. A slight fruity note sits just above a malty sweetness but not much beyond that.

Taste is very good especially for the style. Take an amber ale and a vienna lager, merge them, and add extra noble flavor and bittering hops and you're at Steam Engine. Sweet and nutty into the finish, with an herbal earthy hop flavor in the beginning.

Feel is drinkable and full with a nearly neutral body, but a dryness creeps in slowly, which isn't bad. Light for the color while maintaining a full body.

Overall this is a pretty good amber "lager" with full flavors, present hops, and a full but refreshing and dry finish. A bit nicer than Anchor Steam, but for a brewpub beer a bit disappointing.
Mar 29, 2023
 
Rated: 3.57 by Silke_Neryn from Sweden

Aug 24, 2020
 
Rated: 1.25 by JLapadura from New York

Apr 28, 2019
 
Rated: 3.69 by 22Blue from Kansas

Aug 30, 2018
 
Rated: 3.56 by denver10 from New Mexico

Aug 04, 2018
Photo of superwho24
Reviewed by superwho24 from Arkansas

4.13/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
I very little experience with this style of beer so I can't really say how it compares with others in that category. But it's a good beer. I love the malt coming through in the smell and taste. Goes great with salted peanuts in shell
Jun 24, 2017
Photo of Wasatch
Reviewed by Wasatch from Colorado

4/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 oz. Bottle

Pours a nice yellow color, nice carbonation, with a pretty nice small off-white head, which leaves some sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, yeasty, hoppy. The taste is malty, yeasty, hoppy. Medium body. Overall, a pretty tasty brew.
Apr 05, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by Luke9 from Iowa

Mar 31, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by Spaceman_Jer from Colorado

May 21, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by jtnord from Colorado

Feb 07, 2016
 
Rated: 3.46 by monk2021 from Texas

Dec 28, 2015
Photo of OrestesMethuon
Reviewed by OrestesMethuon from Montana

3.88/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Off the taps at the brewhouse, I think this is a substantially better steam-beer than its community rating suggests. It's firstly beautiful to the eye: radiant coppery-brown sparkle; furious, tiny-bubble carbonation; nice touch of head. The aromatics are a bit weak, but there's a nice malt bite appropriate to the style, plus a steamy, sticky soft-toasted sugar profile, and the barest of alpha-acids to shroud the finish in cleanliness.

A sessionable steamer, and one which I find preferable to Anchor.
Sep 23, 2015
 
Rated: 4.36 by s3igell from Arizona

Jul 30, 2015
 
Rated: 3.34 by habaceeba from Colorado

Jun 16, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by Determined_021 from New Mexico

May 28, 2015
Photo of wasso67
Reviewed by wasso67 from Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +10.3%
Pours a hazy golden color with a think off-white head. Head retention and lacing are minimal. Malt-roasted toffee overtones and sweetness aroma. Medium mouthfeel and a warm malt taste. Just a hint of roast with some caramel but not too sweet. Balanced by a minimal but just enough hop bitterness. Finishes clean. One of my favorite session beers.
Nov 08, 2014
Steam Engine Lager from Steamworks Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 78 out of 100 with 138 ratings