Church Brew Steam Hammer

Formerly brewed at Church Brew Works
Style: California Common
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in Lager glass

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Enjoyed on tap in a pub glass. The beer pours a medium to almost dark semi-translucent brown color, with a smallish off-white head. The aroma is fairly restrained, showing little in terms of hops, and trending a little more toward English character malt; though the latter is ultimately also rather faint. The flavor is an interesting in that it seems almost exactly balanced, with neither malt or hops seeming to predominate over the other. However, this seems less the result of both showing their individual characters in tandem and more a general difficulty to detect the residual evidence of either in any truly meaningful way. However, the general flavor profile is refined, and lacking any sort of real off-flavor or noticeably displeasing character. Truly a quaffable session beer. The finish brings forth some interesting fruity notes, making the beer seem to be almost closer to an ale than a lager. Overall, a very drinkable beer that shows some interesting, if slightly too restrained, flavors.

Tap @ CBW. This was a nice traditional steam style beer. Dark in color with minimal head and lacing. A nice malty body, with a slight hoppy finish.

Sample at Church. Pours clear amber with a thin off-white head. Aroma is malt, caramel and some hop. Caramel malt flavor with earthy hops through and through.

On tap at the CBW. Color is caramel with off white head. Aroma is malt, grass. Flavor is malt, tangerine, caramel, vanilla, slight peat.

Ubiquitous pale yellow lager color and appearance. Thin head. Slight aromatic alky aroma. Odd and interesting plastic palate. Earthy tones abound. Not a whole lot of bitterness but certainly there is a malt or hop bitter bite present. Mild carbonation. That bitter bite keeps building thru the session until the finish is left with a medium strong hop bite that lingers for a while.