Monday, Aug 24, 2015 @ 06:19 pm
Ampere Amber Ale returns tomorrow at 4PM! Our popular California Common will be available first in the taproom, followed quickly by bombers at retail locations. It's the second rollout of this fall seasonal after rave reviews during last year's fall release.
Ampere is an easy drinking and approachable light ale with a slightly floral nose. At first sip, it has a malty start flowing in to just a hint of mint with a clean, crisp finish. Sounds pretty good, right? At a mild 4.2% ABV, you can certainly have more than one to quench your thirst.
This beer is brewed in the California Common style. It is unique in that it is a 100% American style lager, and is made by brewing a lager yeast at warmer fermentation temperatures. This method dates back to the late 1800's in California during the Gold Rush when refrigeration was nearly non-existant. The brewers had to improvise to cool the beer down, so shallow fermenters were used, which forced the yeast to ferment more quickly. This process developed out of necessity, and the final product was considered to be cheap and of low quality.
Historically a California Common was referred to as a "Steam Beer." Anchor Brewing trademarked this term in 1981, though, and now all modern versions of the beer must wear the more generic label, "California Common."
Anchor Brewing describes the history of the "steam" name, "While the origin of the name remains shrouded in mystery, it likely relates to the original practice of fermenting the beer on San Francisco’s rooftops in a cool climate. In lieu of ice, the foggy night air naturally cooled the fermenting beer, creating steam off the warm open pans. Once a nickname for any Californian or West Coast beer brewed under these conditions." Geek out here.
See you in the Taproom for this much anticipated release!
Slainte!
