22oz bottle. Botled May 2012. Batch 1. Bottle count of 1296. Used a taster glass, because that’s all we had. Very murky amber/ brown color. Very Earthy lightly hopped taste at first, then slowly mellows to a sweetness. The yeast is noticeable with lots of roasted grain. Reminds me a lot of a German lager. Different mouthfeel and body. Hard for me to describe what I taste with this beer. This “steam” beer is very interesting. I wonder if they used an open fermentation process with this? I’m going to buy another bottle and explore this some more. I’m intrigued.

Pours a slightly cloudy deep reddish copper color with a stingy off white head that dissipates quickly, but manages to stick some lace to the sides. The smell is rich dark caramel, burnt sugars, and melanoidin with a toffee like sweetness. Nice dark dried fruits like raisins and prunes in there as well with a bit of a floral earthy edge. Honestly this smells more like a nice scotch ale than a cal common. The taste is sweet and malty with lots of bready and dark sugar flavor. There’s a bit of prune and raisin in there as well as some earthy bitterness to balance some of the sweet. Medium body with a light to moderate level of carbonation and a sweet smokey mouthfeel. I did enjoy this beer, its very flavorful and well made. Cal common is a stretch for what is in my glass.