Scratch Beer 1 - 2007 (California Common)
Tröegs Brewing Company

Scratch Beer 1 - 2007 (California Common)Scratch Beer 1 - 2007 (California Common)
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From:
Tröegs Brewing Company
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
California Common / Steam Beer
ABV:
5%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.82 | pDev: 12.04%
Reviews:
38
Ratings:
43
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 19, 2014
Added:
Apr 29, 2007
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  1
A hybrid beer (California Common Beer), will be released on or about April 26. This is a beer we brewed on the back patio on more than one occasion. It became the inspiration for Tröegs Pale Ale. The simplest explanation of what makes a hybrid beer unique is the brewer is forcing a lager to do something it doesn’t want to do. Scratch 1 uses lager yeast fermented at a warmer temperature. The fermented malt gives an exaggerated fruity undertone to the beer which combines nicely with the citrus flavors of Cascade hops. Balancing out the taste are spicy, earthy flavors derived from Brewer’s Gold hops. Slightly aggressive hops in the front of the mouth give way to a clean, subtle grape-like finish.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jcdiflorio:
Photo of jcdiflorio
Reviewed by jcdiflorio from West Virginia

4.39/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
poured into a nonic glass from 12oz long neck brown bottle with a crimped cap. Generic looking label with Bottling No. 1-2007 on it.

Golden color with a slight amber hue, mostly clear with a slight haze.
1" creamy white head dissapated fairly quick leaving a slight coating.
A few bubbles rising throughtout looked just a bit flat, leaving some scattered bits of lacing.

Good clean inviting aroma,complex earthy,citrusy,slight pine,with some pear-like notes. Nice fruityness,good malty aromas,carmell/toffee/nutty and toasty with some slight burnt notes.

Clean,fresh taste,very well balanced,complex,lots of earthiness,citrusy,grassy with bits of pine.Fruitty,with a very good malty
taste,toasty/nutty/carmelly with a slight burnt edge. Finishes clean with a pleasing citrus feel,some dryness and a fruity tartness.

Has a light mouthfeel,smooth,tangy with a nice juicy feel. Very drinkable and enjoyable. Drank a case of this with my brother-in-law could had finished off a case with ease. Would love to get more of this beer before it's all gone. A great summer beer just qualifies as a session at 5%.
Can't belive more breweries don't make this style of beer,seemed to be popular with homebrewers made a lot of beer with this type of yeast.
One to try before it's all gone. Nothing to really compair this one with other than Anchor Steam. I would prefer this one over Anchor anytime.

Give this beer a try if you can. Highly drinkable and highly recomended.
May 15, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Sep 19, 2014
Photo of orangesol
Reviewed by orangesol from Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%
*First and foremost, this review is for how this is drinking right now, not in the past. My scores reflect the last time I had it but didn't review it.*

Big thanks to John for bringing this one to Campground Brewdown this year. Never thought I would have the chance to try it after so long a time.

A - Pours pale yellow with a decent one finger tall white head, quickly dissipating to a light film, leaving small rings of lace on the sides of the glass.

S - This one just plain smells old. Plenty of oxidation, stale bread, died up yeast, bubblegum, apples and some sugary sweetness.

T - Starts off with some green apple skins and wet cardboard oxidation slowly being joined by the pale malt, bubblegum, old yeast and some light sweetness. Finish is a touch sweet with more oxidation.

M - Medium-Light body with high carbonation. Prickly, sweet feel. The bottle sounded like a gun went off when it was opened.

O - I knew going into this that this one was long gone so I was expecting all of this. If you still have one of these it is for pure novelty at this point.
Aug 19, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

Jun 04, 2013
 
Rated: 2.25 by t0rin0 from California

Mar 04, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Tyrawlings from Ohio

Feb 11, 2012
 
Rated: 2.5 by jophish17 from Georgia

Dec 24, 2011
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

3.13/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
A huge thanks to Mike for sending this one my way. Certainly a tough find for completing the Scratch series.

A: The beer pours a very hazy golden orange color with a large white head.

S: Butterscotch and cardboard are prominent, which is disappointing but not necessarily surprising. Toffee and caramel sweetness with a little bit of bready. Strangely, there is a strong Cracker Jack aroma.

T: A very strange fruity flavor that I can't quite describe. Cardboard oxidation, toffee, butterscotch, honey, and some more Of the Cracker Jack character.

M: Medium in body with a fairly high level of carbonation.

O: I was happy to try this just because of what it is in terms of the series, but it's really not worth drinking.
May 30, 2011
Photo of kkipple
Reviewed by kkipple from South Carolina

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Massive Mega Scratch Beer Tasting @ the Meat Meet, 8.21.2010. Thanks Unclejedi!

Still carbed, low head, pale gold. Not much head, specks of lace. Sweet estery nose, dryish, okay. Tastes fine, still, dry-pale with a hint of pear, elderflower, nicely, and oddly... huh... past its prime, still pretty good!. I'd drink mine sooner rather than later as I don't see this improving.
Aug 21, 2010
Photo of HopHead84
Reviewed by HopHead84 from California

3.58/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
7/4/2010

Thanks Alex! The beer pours vibrant golden with fluffy white head and good retention. The aroma is interesting, displaying grassiness and toasted malt notes, along with a subtle sweetness. I get a little honey as well. The flavor is toasted malt with a light grassy/floral hop profile and a little sweetness. A nice refreshing craft beverage.
Jul 05, 2010
Photo of MasterSki
Reviewed by MasterSki from Canada (ON)

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Huge thanks to HopDerek for hooking me up with the elusive (and somewhat ancient) Scratch 1. Served in my Surly pint glass while crunching numbers.

A - Two fingers of fluffy egg-white foam that dissipates to a solid cap with lots of chunky lacing. Hazy golden peach color with some suspended solids in there. Looks pretty amazing for an old steam beer.

S - Toffee malts, lemon zest and spice, some floral and grassy hops. Smell is pretty intense, without any obvious off-flavors. Derek must take good care of his cellar brews. It's not super complex (most steam beers aren't!), but it's still quite pleasant.

T - Lots of toffee and biscuit, with some spice and a touch of citrus hoppiness. Clean aftertaste with a touch of grain to it. Not the most interesting brew - maybe a touch better than Anchor Steam - but still quite enjoyable. There's a peppery aftertaste that builds up that I'm not totally digging. However, I'm actually a little shocked this has held up so well.

M - Lively carbonation (maybe even too lively), medium body, pretty easy drinking.

D - Other than the mildly odd lemon-pepper aftertaste this is a great summer brew, even after 2+ years in the cellar. I'm glad Derek sent me two bottles!
Jun 29, 2009
Photo of ClockworkOrange
Reviewed by ClockworkOrange from Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into my shaker glass. Appears a cloudy bright golden yellow color with around a finger if fluffy bone white head. The foam fades quickly into a thin layer. Smells of grassy hops and toasted grains. Tastes of lightly caramelized malts, and bready grain followed by a pleasant citrus hop kick (mostly grapefruit) and mint. Medium in both body and carbonation. Rather quenching, glad I still have a few more to enjoy.
Mar 14, 2009
Photo of Bierguy5
Reviewed by Bierguy5 from Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
12 oz. bottle. Pours a hazy light gold color. Lots of sediment. White fluffy head disappears quickly, leaving a few spots of lace.

Nice gentle fruity aroma. Hints of peach, and lemon. A slightly sour note, that doesn't seem too out of place.

Light malt character with some fruit. Some smooth citrusy and earthy bitterness.

Light body with ample carbonation. Very easy to drink. This has somehow held up very well, or morphed into something that is still pretty darn good.
Jan 25, 2009
Photo of mcallister
Reviewed by mcallister from Ohio

4.19/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A pale musty piss color with a small white head and still good carbonation considering this was bottled in '07.

Loving the nose on this beer. A pale malt with hints of toffee and a blast of flowery hop aroma. A hint of citrus reminiscent of a pale ale really.

Good balance obviously not big or complex but to the point and very sessionable. Very good amount of carbonation that lends well to the overall body of the beer. Pale malts with a bit of breadyness and that same floral hoppy chracter that was in the aroma. Sessionable as hell.
Jan 18, 2009
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

4.12/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
In my eternal quest to try everything, I went through the garage fridge and cleared out the rest of the scratch series I had not gotten to try. I was amazed to find 6 more of them! So with that being said, let us start at the beginning. Served cold and poured into a pint glass, this one was consumed on 12/21/2008.

the pour was nice enough, golden amber with a slight tint toward the yellow side. Some light haze in it with noticable carbonation bubbling up through the glass. A small white head graced the top for a few moments, but then settled down quickly into a small broken crown.

The aroma was light grain and some small citric hops. Light touches of oraneg and pineapple, with a hint of biscuity malts, all in a very light profile. The taste was clean, crisp, and refreshing. A classic steam beer here. Light grains and biscuit malts made up the base, with a nice touch of hops dancing around inside of it. Smooth carbonation in a wonderfully light bodied beer. Easy drinakbility and a smooth overall presentation just rounded it out wonderfully.

Overall a very solid offering here and a nice way for me to kick off my afternoon. I would love to see this one come back around again!
Dec 21, 2008
Photo of Wasatch
Reviewed by Wasatch from Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Thanks goes out to Kegatron for this brew.

Pours a cloudy pale yellow color, nice carbonation, nice little fizzy off-white head, with some minimal sticky lacing. The nose is malty, bready. The taste is malty/bready, with a grapefruit tone. Medium body. Drinkable, not a bad brew, but no Anchor Steam here.
Sep 03, 2008
Photo of udubdawg
Reviewed by udubdawg from Kansas

4.18/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
12 oz bottle, thrown in on a trade for the recent Scratch beers. What the heck, we'll give it a shot.

upon pouring this bottle into a pilsner glass a sizeable creamy off-white head quickly formed, slowly receded, and left a smooth cap for the last half of the glass, clinging to the edge of the glass and leaving excellent lacing. Color is a pale yellow gold, streams of slow rising bubbles scattered throughout, but is overall more cloudy than I expected. A very good start.

Aroma isn't as strong as it could be, but considering the age on the bottle, surprisingly good, and some subtleties are still evident. First impression is that of a spicy brew, a little grassy. Grainy malt undertone. Pleasant, and I again wonder about the age.

I really was blown away by how good this beer tasted. I'd have loved to have had it fresh, but I can't really find fault here. The grains are a little toasted and a little minerally, quite fruity. Sweetness is low, bitterness astonishingly high for the age but perfect for the style. Somewhat dry, pleasant citrusy hop bitterness in the finish, which lasts quite a while.

Body medium, could be a little more crisp, but there's nothing to truly not like here. Make this a year-round beer and send more of it my way. Very pleasant surprise.
Jul 26, 2008
Photo of flexabull
Reviewed by flexabull from California

3.18/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle courtesy of warriorsoul, thanks again!

Pours a hazy light gold color, with a small white head.

Aromas are dusty, floral, with some tart fruits. Aromas seem odd for the style...

Taste is crisp and tart. Some lemon citrus like flavors, a touch of creamy sweet malts, and not much else. Finish is dry, with crisp bite. Much like the aromas, this just tastes kind of odd.

Mouthfeel is ok, seems a bit thin, but not bad, with decent carbonation.

Drinkability is average. This just seems off... it's not a bad beer, but not something I would go back too. Well Troegs, I can see why this was scratched. This is just not that great.
Apr 25, 2008
Photo of CrazyMacHarris99
Reviewed by CrazyMacHarris99 from Pennsylvania

3.67/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Poured a murky light orange with a thin white bubbly head that dissipated into a thin layer. The smell was sweet and citrus with some straw and hops. The taste was more of the straw and bitter hops with a hint of lemon and honey sweetness in the finish. The carbonation was ample and made this one very refreshing. Overall a great start to a great series. One down, seven to go...for now.
Apr 11, 2008
Photo of ffejherb
Reviewed by ffejherb from Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
12oz. bottle into shaker pint glass on 3/17/08.

A - Hard pour yielded a cloudy golden/straw-colored body with ample effervescence and a petite white head that quickly transformed into a thin film and some nice lacing.

S - Very subtle nose with hints of lemon, bread grains, and grassy hops akin to Sunshine Pils, as well as light citrus fruit and a sweet honey aspect.

T - Slight toasted malt with bready and grainy attributes paired with grassy hops and some lemon rind bitterness. Faint honey sweetness balances it all out.

M - Smooth, creamy mouthfeel with a short, semi-dry finish and a crisp hop bite on the tongue.

D - Aaah... the first and certainly one of my favorites from the Scratch series! Thanks to Kegatron for hooking me up with this. I wasn't sure how it would hold up, but man, this is one tasty beer... probably the best Cali Common I've ever had. I almost forgot how much I enjoyed this when it was released last year. Cheers!
Mar 17, 2008
Scratch Beer 1 - 2007 (California Common) from Tröegs Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 43 ratings