Found myself in Beltramo's one day and saw these Best of Beer Camp cases from Sierra Nevada. I had been getting a bit burned out on all the heavy stuff I'd been drinking (stouts, porters, brown ales, malt-bombs) so some solid lighter ales sounded awesome. It's only appropriate that I start off the pack with the California Common. I don't drink Commons very often, mostly because Anchor is only so great and there simply aren't that many others out there. Since I don't have a lot of experience with this style, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. If it were just another Anchor, that would have actually been ok with me tonight.
I felt some noticeable weight in the pour and the head died quickly so that was interesting. I gave it a sip and was blown away. This was like a solid pale ale with malts taking stage over the hops. Up front, it was sweet and more intensely so than its appearance would indicate. It gave way to some citrus and grass before kicking in just the right amount of hop bitterness on the finish. Carbonation was refreshing and held up through the glass. The body was noticeably thick, if you think about lagers or ambers. It held itself together well despite the carbonation level, and it imparted almost a creaminess to the sweetness. This is a great beer, and I would be perfectly happy to have a summer picnic dinner off the grill and drink nothing but these all night.
- Appearance: Clear, golden straw, scummy head, steady bubbles.
- Smell:
- Taste: Sweet, light malts transition into some citrus and faint grass, hop bitter on the backend.
- Mouthfeel: Surprisingly heavy for such a light-colored beer. Refreshing carbonation level. Body has jsut enough weight to hold itself together, resulting in a pretty smooth drink.
- Drinkability and Overall: Killer, full-flavored, great taste density, refreshing.
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