Scratch Beer 32 - 2010 (Keystone Common)
Tröegs Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

Served in a Walter Payton shaker pint glass.

Thanks to Hophead101 for this bottle!

Gotta wonder why steam beers are so rare these days... This one pours a clear sunrise amber-gold topped by a finger of dirty white foam and populated by a nearly dense migration of floaties. The nose comprises soft wheat, very light lemon zest, and light orange peel. The taste really shows what the smell was probably trying to convey: orange peel, light lemon peel, wheat, light caramel, and a touch of sweet flowers. The body is a hefty light, with a light moderate carbonation and a mildly crisp finish. Overall, a nice little brew, one that seems like it's headed downhill, but still has a bit of a way to go before it's gets near bad.

Second scratch beer that Exitmusic00 and I decided opened from the first box in the tasting partners bif. After having the 41, we didn't have too high of expectations.

A- Pours a hazy gold with a thin cap. Some bubbles pop up, but nothing else really.

S- Has the aroma of a generic cheap smelling beer. Sweet corn and some bready malt. A typical sweet aroma you find in malt liquor.

T- Wow, this is just really bad. Similar to a malt liquor with some corn sweetness and malt.

M- Medium carbonation and light body.

O- Thought this tasted like a old malt liquor. Really hard to drink and drain poured after a couple ounces. Guess I did find out that California Common brews should not be aged!

 

 

Appearance: Pours a golden color with a lot of yeast in suspension; two fingers of head with good retention

Smell: Freshly baked loaf of bread with some grassy hops

Taste: Bready, up front, with a slightly lemony, slightly grassy hop profile developing by mid-palate; the sweeter malts build, after the swallow while the bitter flavors fade

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Decent enough stab at the style; I am sure it was much better when fresh

A- Clear golden color topped with an off white head. Head fades quickly to a cap and leaves a lot of lacing on the glass.

S- Mild floral hops and malt.

T- Mild taste of malt followed by a floral note from the hops. Hops leave a slight lingering bitter note at the finish which is clean a crisp.

M- Medium in body and well carbonated. Finish is slightly dry, crisp, refreshing, and clean.

O- Solid beer, decent take on the style and the 5.6% ABV makes is session able. I just wish it was a little more interesting though.

Pour is a yellow golden amber; smallish white head and lacing. Lightly sweet lemongrass aromas, light hops and citrus fruits. Taste is similar to the smell, very light and bready with some nice yeasts, along with some additional golden fruits to the lemongrass. Mouthfeel is light clean and crisp, low carbonation. Very drinkable and enjoyable, would be great on tap as a session beer.

Not one of my favorites but I prefer less bitter and more smooth and slightly sweet. This ale is a bit bitter and grassy with some fruit overtones. A bit of bitter orange. Smooth going down but with a bitter orange and grassy after taste. Prefer something with less bite

Received as a generous extra from akorsak.

A somewhat vigorous pour yields almost no head on the golden copper body. Nice clarity, but not much to look at.

Nose is of sweet hay, bready malts, and honey.

Fairly sweet: mostly grainy cereal and pale malts. Some clean herbal and earthy hoppiness through and through, and yeasty notes. The finish is slightly minerally.

Medium-bodied with medium-low carbonation, making it feel creamy.

I still don't have this style down pat, since every offering I get my hands on is different, but this is an okay beer. Not offensive, but not that impressive either.

Big thanks to womencantsail for cracking this one open upon my arrival to Cali. Served from bottle into a Firestone Walker sampler shaker. Poured a hazy yellow with a minimal white head. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, banana, and citrus. The flavor was of sweet malt, wehat, subtle hops, and citrus. It had a light feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. Very nicely balanced flavor and good aroma going on here. It was surprisingly malty and fruity. Just didn't really like the wheat aspect, but it wasn't the dominate flavor in the brew. This is definitely worth getting your hands on.

Slighty hazy yellow goldbody, though with fairly good clarity. Three fingers of white foam slowly but steadily visually decay. Light lacing.

Main aroma is fresh hay and grass, but some fruitiness lurks around the edges.

Light mouthfeel, good carbonation. Superb drinking for beer drinkers of all kinds.

Excellent crossover beer, though not quite the equal of Anchor Steam.

$12 for the 6 pack at Tröegs tasting room. Consumed fresh, reviewed from notes.

A: Only one finger of foamy off-white head is produced on the pour and it is fairly quick to recede. A persistent film remains on top of a light golden-orange colored body. Impressive clarity. No lacing to speak of.

S: Hearty white bread, cereal and grains, lightly toasted. Enormously hopped with aromas of white grapefruit, grass and flowers. There is a rustic, lightly woodsy character imparted by either the yeast strain, the hop bill or both.

T: Clean golden fruit flavors come through on the palate with notes of peach and pineapple rind. A light sweetness upfront is countered by moderate bitterness throughout and culminates on the finish.

M: Enlivening to the mouth and stimulating on the tongue. Its amazing what Tröegs was able to do with the mounthfeel here. Medium-high carbonation; fine fizzy yet lively, the bubbles promote a body that is full, coupled with a texture that is thick and minerallic. Completely dry on the finish, another sip is requisite to whet the palate.

D: The drinkability rating is only average, mainly because the bill of malts lacks the sweetness it needs to offset the clean hop bitterness. A firmer backbone would have made for a more complete brew. Nonetheless, a wonderful quaff and an excellent interpretation on an altogether lackluster style of beer, one that has been largely ignored by breweres of today.

In my mind, Tröegs Keystone Common is superior to even Anchor Steam, the prototypical California Common. This statement says a lot, mainly because of what a one-off brew from PA has managed to accomplish flavor-wise in comparison to the flagship beer of the brewery that has not only invented Steam Beer, but who also has exclusive rights to the term.

Good lookin out on this brew drew

poured a translucent golden yellow with a thin white cap of head and left a little lacing sticking to the glass. The aroma at first whiff was really bready and malty alongside some honey, grainy, and earthy, herbal, and hoppy notes. There also seemed to be faint citrus notes in the background.The taste was also really big on the sweet malty biscuit bready character with earthy hops but grainy citrusy accents. The brew was medium in body with a moderate amount of carbonation which had a sweet, grainy, slight citrusy, and oily finish. It did go down real smooth but was not really what I expected for a Cali Common but I still was digging that take though; pretty decent.

Thanks to Mike for sending this one to me.

A: The pour is a shockingly clear golden color with a white head to go with it.

S: Starts off with lots of bread and a bit of banana esters. There are some yeasty notes, but not too much else. I guess there might be some honey in there as well.

T: Sweet and almost pilsner-like. There's a nice bready maltiness to it along with some grassy hops. A touch of bitterness from hops and perhaps even some earthiness.

M: The body is medium to full for this sort of beer with a moderate level of carbonation.

D: Not always the biggest fan of steam beers, but this was pretty good. A little bit different for the style, but that's okay with me.