Steam beer facts for kids
Steam beer is a special kind of beer that fizzes a lot! It's made using a type of yeast called lager yeast, but it's fermented (which is how sugar turns into alcohol and bubbles) at warmer temperatures, similar to how ales are made.
There are two main ideas when people talk about steam beer:
- Historic steam beer: This was made a long time ago in places like California and Richmond, Virginia, from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s.
- Modern California common beer: This is what we call steam beer today, like the famous Anchor Steam beer. It's a specific style used in beer competitions.
Historic steam beer was very popular in San Francisco and the U.S. West Coast. It was brewed without modern refrigeration (like ice or machines). This brewing method was created out of need, possibly as early as the California Gold Rush around 1860. Back then, it was seen as a simple, affordable beer.
Modern steam beer is also known as California common beer. The Anchor Brewing Company started making this modern version and even trademarked the name Steam Beer in 1981. While Anchor Brewing has been around since the 1890s, their current Anchor Steam beer is a modern, carefully crafted lager. They don't claim it's exactly like the old steam beer from the early 1900s.
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Why Is It Called Steam Beer?
There are a few ideas about where the name "steam beer" came from.
Steam from Cooling
One idea, from Anchor Brewing, says the name came from how they cooled the hot liquid (called wort) after boiling it. They didn't have modern cooling systems. So, they would pump the hot wort onto large, flat, open trays on the brewery roof. The cool air from the Pacific Ocean would quickly chill the wort. As it cooled, a lot of steam would rise from the roof, making the brewery look like it was steaming!
High Pressure Bubbles
Another idea is that the old-fashioned way of making steam beer created a lot of carbon dioxide gas, which made the beer very fizzy. Brewers might have needed to release some of this "steam" (pressure) before serving the beer.
German Connection
It's also possible the name came from a traditional German beer called Dampfbier (which literally means steam beer). This German beer was also fermented at unusually warm temperatures. Many brewers in America in the 1800s were from Germany, so they might have known about Dampfbier. However, Dampfbier is an ale, while steam beer uses lager yeast.
How Steam Beer Is Made
In the 1800s in California, brewers found a special type of lager yeast that could work well even at warmer temperatures.
The taste of beer is greatly affected by the type of yeast used and the temperature during fermentation. Lager yeast usually works best in cooler temperatures, around 48 to 58 degrees Fahrenheit (9 to 14 degrees Celsius). Traditional lagers are stored for weeks or months at very cold temperatures, about 37 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius). On the other hand, ale yeast prefers warmer temperatures, from 55 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (13 to 24 degrees Celsius), and makes beer with a stronger flavor.
Steam beer is unique because it uses lager yeast (which usually likes cold) but ferments it at warmer temperatures, similar to ale yeast. This creates a very special taste that has qualities of both ales and lagers.
Today, steam beer is seen as a special, craft-brewed beer. But originally, it was an inexpensive beer made for blue collar workers. An old brewing book from 1902 described California Steam Beer as "a very clear, refreshing drink, much consumed by the laboring classes." While most modern California common beers are made only with barley malt, older versions often used other ingredients like corn grits, raw cereals, or sugars to make them cheaper. Sometimes, roasted malt or sugar coloring was added to give it an amber color.
Steam Beer in Books
Steam beer was mentioned in books from the late 1800s and early 1900s, showing it was a common part of life back then.
The writer Jack London talks about steam beer in his book John Barleycorn.
In Frank Norris's 1899 novel McTeague, which is set in San Francisco, steam beer is mentioned right at the beginning. The main character, McTeague, often bought a pitcher of steam beer from a saloon. Later in the story, his wife tries to get him to change his habits, including drinking bottled beer instead of steam beer.
California Common Beer Style
The term "California Common beer" is mainly used to describe beers that are similar to the famous Anchor Steam beer. Other breweries make beers in this style, such as Skyscraper Brewing Company Lug Nut Lager and Moab Brewery Rocket Bike Lager.
This style of beer often features a type of hop called Northern Brewer hops, which give it woody, rustic, or minty flavors. It's made with a lager yeast that works well at the cooler end of ale fermentation temperatures. Traditionally, these beers were fermented in open containers.
Other "Steam Beers" Around the World
The name "steam beer" has been used by different breweries over time.
For example, the Lincolnshire Steam Beer Co. in Britain got its name because it uses steam-powered machines for brewing.
In Canada, when Sleeman introduced a beer called Steam Beer in 1999, Anchor Brewing sued them because Anchor had trademarked the name "steam beer" in Canada earlier. However, Canadian courts decided that Anchor's trademark wasn't valid there because they hadn't sold their beer in Canada at that time. Sleeman later stopped making their Steam Beer.
There was also a brewery in Richmond, Virginia, called David Yuengling Jr.'s James River Steam Brewery. And in 1859, an advertisement in St. Louis mentioned the J.F. Boyd & Co. St. Louis Ale, Porter and Lager Beer Steam Brewery.
In New Orleans in 1865, the Old Canal Steam Brewery advertised itself as the "First Lager-Beer Steam Brewery in New Orleans."
More recently, breweries like Port City Brewing Company in Virginia have made "steam beer" by accident! After a big storm in 2012, they lost power, and one of their beer tanks fermented at warmer temperatures because the refrigeration stopped. The result was a beer very similar to steam beer, which they then decided to release as "Derecho Common."
It's even thought that a similar beer style might have developed in North Korea. Because electricity is scarce there, a beer that doesn't need refrigeration (like steam beer) has become common.
Many homebrewing shops also sell kits and recipes for people to make their own Steam Beer or California Common beer at home.
