One of my favorite beers is Anchor Steam beer. After my first glass I was not exactly sure what caused me to fall in love with it? Given some time a few qualities stood out. First, I enjoyed the piney hop character which was different than beers I had sampled in the past. Second, was the unique way this beer is fermented. It utilizes a lager yeast strain that is fermented at low end of ale temperatures. For me this provide the best of both worlds in that I could enjoy the fruity notes of ales, while getting the clarity and clean smooth flavors of a lager. Lastly, I thought this was the most well-balanced with a great malty body and hop presence.

Last Spring I wanted to enter the Sam Adam’s Longshot competition so I began thinking of a beer style that would be fun to make. I was drawn to the Amber Hybrid category that California Common beers fall under. I took my time on this beer in order to produce the best product I could. I sanitized like no one’s business, took great care at every step, and the end result was the best beer I’ve brewed thus far. Below are my ingredients.

• 3.3 lbs Briess golden light LME
• 3.3 lbs Briess sparkling amber LME
• .5 lb Crystal malt (40L)
• .5 lb Vienna malt (10L)
• 1.5 oz Norther Brewer leaf hops (bittering)
• .5 oz Willamette leaf hops (finishing)
• San Francisco lager yeast (WLP810)

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It tasted great and pretty damn close to the original if I don’t say so myself. While the hop notes did mellow over time, lagering the bottles in my fridge helped to produce a clean, crisp beer. After all, home brewing is about your tastes and I got close to what I was wanting to produce.

Going into the competition I had very low expectations as a newbie brewer. Upon receiving my feedback in the mail I was pleasantly surprised. I was given a 35.5 out of 50 and during the judging it went into a second heat. Not what I expected, but it certainly felt good after tending to each detail meticulously. Among the comments received in critique were:

“Well balanced, could use more carb, finishing hops lacking, low aromatic hops, clean, low esters, light toasty malt aroma, slight creaminess, could use more malt and hops; an attractive beer.”

The feedback was free and really helpful for growing as a home brewer. Yes, it hurt the pride a little, but in the end humility and a teachable attitude are key.

The average grade from the two judges came out a C- which I’ll gladly take. Personally, I gave this a solid B, but I’m biased and have much to learn about this style. Looking forward to brewing this again…