OnTap Magazine

CALIFORNIA COMMON If there’s one neglected style among South African homebrewers, it’s the humble California common, or steam beer, as it’s also known. California common falls into an in-between category of beers known as hybrids. Neither ales nor lagers, other hybrid styles include the Kölsch and cream ale. Here’s why you should try out this style in your next brew: O ne of the great joys of homebrewing is the vast number of beer styles it gives you access to. From no-fuss, easy- drinking blonde ales to chewy Baltic porters, the options are pretty much endless. But of course, not all beer recipes are created equal. In teaching homebrewing over the years I’ve often been surprised by how some of the most manageable and (relatively) foolproof beer styles are overlooked by homebrewers while other, more complicated styles attract beginners, like moths to the homebrewing flame! So for those new to the homebrewing hobby, or for more experienced brewers that fancy getting back to basics, I’ve come up with three easy styles that are well worth trying out. WHAT DOES "EASY" MEAN? Before we start studying specific styles, let’s explore this notion of “easier” beers. What is it that makes a certain style easier to brew? I’d argue that to qualify, a beer needs to meet a few basic criteria: Because Cali commons work well with full-flavoured crystal malt additions, they are relatively forgiving of slight errors. The California common is best fermented at room temperature (18-24°C), despite requiring lager yeast. When simple German lager yeast strains are fermented at room temperature, they produce subtle and very crushable fruity flavours. For homebrewers who have a yearning to work with lager yeast but who typically lack the temperature control that is required during fermentation, this is a perfect style. Although not the most familiar style on the craft beer block, several breweries (including Aegir Project in Cape Town and Friar’s Habit in Pretoria) have dabbled in steam beers, meaning you can try before you brew – and again afterwards. BEST BITTER Best bitters are super-quaffable, relatively simple beers to brew and give far more in terms of flavour and drinkability than they demand from the homebrewer. The best bitter is the workhorse of English pubs the world over, and is meant to be the kind of ale that you can have many a pint of while scoffing some hearty pub food like a steak pie with chips, or a Ploughman’s platter loaded with mature cheddar. Here are some of the reasons why bitters are excellent, easy beers to brew: Best bitters are extremely kind ales to brew. Why? Because not only do they have a relatively robust hopping schedule (usually very tasty varieties like East Kent Goldings and Fuggles), but they also do well with some adjuncts added (mostly Golden Syrup). For even more flavour-enhancing action, steam some oak chips and add them to the fermenter. Given that you’ll be using classic English ale strains of yeast, room temperature will be just fine for fermentation. Also, because a certain measure of diacetyl is acceptable in this style, a few brewing errors along the way are unlikely to stymie the beginning brewer completely. E A S Y S T Y L E 02 E A S Y S T Y L E 01 It is forgiving By this, I mean a beer style that easily hides basic brewing errors. Styles that require a reasonably complex malt bill and some robust hopping tend to fall into this category. Styles that don’t, like light lagers, tend to showcase every little mistake the brewer makes – not so great for beginners who are still perfecting their craft. Wide and warm temperature ranges Perhaps the greatest bane of all homebrewers’ lives is maintainingstableand(relatively) cool fermentation temperatures. Since most homebrewers won’t have a dedicated, temperature controlled fridge or jacketed fermenter, keeping the fermentation of their homebrew at a constant temperature is a real pain. So, beer styles that allow for a wide range of fermentation temperatures (because of the yeasts they require) are preferable to those that don’t. Also, beer styles that can ferment to completion at room temperatures (i.e. anything from 18-25°C) are far easier than beers – such as most lagers – that need temperatures below 12°C to do the same. Accessibility Finally, I’d argue that for a beer to be easy, it has to have at least some easily accessible commercial examples available. Obscure styles, like that cask- aged roast coconut American porter, are tough to find outside of artisanal liquor stores (or indeed, at all). Why does this matter? Because if you can taste thebeer before youbrew, it will help with recipe development and of course you can gauge how close your rendition comes to a classic example of the style. Although somewhat underutilized in the commercial craft industry locally, ontapmag.co.za | Spring 2021 | 59