Which brings us to the California Common Beer, one of America’s very few homegrown beer styles.
The Basics
A California Common, often referred to as a “Steam Beer,” is one of those uniquely American styles that exists because brewers were forced to get creative. The beer itself sits right in the middle between a lager and an ale, borrowing traits from both and ending up with a personality all its own, due to the fact that It’s brewed with lager yeast, but fermented at warmer, ale-like temperatures.
Today, the term “Steam Beer” is a trademarked term owned by Anchor Brewing, and wit Anchor is currently not in operation and its future status a bit murky the broader, official style name, California Common is what we’re going with. Same beer—just a different label.
Key Characteristics
California Commons have a solid, grainy malt backbone, with plenty of toasty, lightly caramelized notes. It’s not sweet, but it’s definitely malty in a comforting, bread-crust kind of way. The hops play a supporting role, usually coming from Northern Brewer, which give off a slightly woody, minty, almost rustic aroma rather than anything citrusy or tropical.
Visually, it’s a good-looking beer—medium amber to light copper, clear, with a modest off-white head. Despite all that malt character, the finish is surprisingly crisp and dry, which is part of what makes the style so easy to drink. Most versions land in the 4.5 to 5.5 percent ABV range, so it’s flavorful without being heavy.
As for the name, “Steam Beer” comes straight out of brewing history.
The style dates back to the California Gold Rush, when brewers wanted to make lagers but had no refrigeration to keep fermentation temperatures low. Instead, they used shallow, open pans to cool their wort, relying on the cool, foggy San Francisco air to do the job. Fermenting lager yeast at warmer temperatures caused fast, vigorous fermentation—often producing visible steam, which is where the nickname likely came from.
With Anchor Steam Ale no longer in production, California Common beers, have become increaingly harder to find, although several smaller breweries continue to brew both year-round and seasonal versions of the style.
Common Get It – The renowned Russian River Brewing Company’s highly rated modern take on the style. And it’s got a fun name.
Wagon Party – A solid consistent example of the style brewed occasionally by Bauhaus Brew Labs in Minnesota.
District Common – Brewed by Atlas Brew Works in Washington, D.C., and available year round in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Tarnation A – Described as a “California-Style Lager” produced by Baxter Brewing Co. in Maine.
Promised Land – A newer entry from the popular Tree House Brewing in Massachusetts.
Our Take
The California Common is a very niche beer style, that as one of the nation’s very few indigenous brews, holds an important place in American beer history. But in today’s craft landscape, it occupies a very small corner.
In a 2023 beer sampling dataset, California Common barely registered at all, up against today’s overwhelming presence of IPAs, sours, stouts, and lagers.
Talk to brewers, and you’ll hear the same thing: this is a respect-the-roots beer. When it shows up, it’s usually brewed as a tribute rather than a core brand. Most breweries see it as a thoughtful nod to tradition, not something they expect to keep in regular rotation year-round.
Among beer fans, the California Common is widely viewed as underrated—balanced, characterful, and quietly distinctive—but also exceedingly rare. It’s the kind of beer people are happy to stumble across on a tap list, precisely because they don’t see it very often.
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