California Common California UnCommon

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plankpusher

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2012
Messages
7
Reaction score
3
Location
Oak Park
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
WL810 San Francisco Lager
Yeast Starter
Yes
Batch Size (Gallons)
5.25
Original Gravity
1.060
Final Gravity
1.014
Boiling Time (Minutes)
90
IBU
45
Color
10
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
14 days @ 60
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
28 days @ 36
Tasting Notes
Warm, toasting malt dominated beer with a nice hop presence.
A slight variation from the classic California Common, but nothing too radical. This is a malt forward recipe. But, the hops come through pretty well and balance the beer out nicely. I like to brew this beer for parties, guests, etc. because it is a beer everyone enjoys.

Grain:
8 lbs US Pale Malt (2-Row)
2 lbs Vienna Malt
1 lbs Carmel/Crystal-60L
.5 lbs Victory Malt

Mash: Single Infusion
60 min @ 150 degrees F
10 min @ 168 degrees F

Boil:
.8 oz Northern Brewer @ 90
.5 oz Northern Brewer @ 15
.5 oz Cascade @ 15
.5 oz Northern Brewer @ 0
.5 oz Cascade @ 0

Fermentation:

14 days @ 60
28 days @ 36 +12psi
 
Photo

IMG_0494.jpg
 
Your timing is impeccable! My husband and I are gearing up for our next run. We'll use an Amber Ale recipe for two simultaneous batches and ferment one normally and the other in the CA Common style so we can compare the differences side by side. This recipe looks like a good base for that.... Any suggestions? I was probably going to use the standard American Ale (1056 or US-05) yeast for one batch and follow your directions precisely for the other with the exception of bottling both of them rather than kegging. What does the refrigerated bottle conditioning do for it and would I do that for the Ale yeast also or would that inhibit carbonation?
 
California Common is a good brew to make. I love the style myself. That Wyeast 2112 is good yeast. I'm sure the White Labs 810 is too. There is a keg of Cal Common in my beer fridge that is going way too fast. I'm going to have to brew another one. 3 weeks of cold conditioning smooths it out nicely, but it seems to peek at about 6-8 weeks.
 
Your timing is impeccable! My husband and I are gearing up for our next run. We'll use an Amber Ale recipe for two simultaneous batches and ferment one normally and the other in the CA Common style so we can compare the differences side by side. This recipe looks like a good base for that.... Any suggestions? I was probably going to use the standard American Ale (1056 or US-05) yeast for one batch and follow your directions precisely for the other with the exception of bottling both of them rather than kegging. What does the refrigerated bottle conditioning do for it and would I do that for the Ale yeast also or would that inhibit carbonation?

Once you bottle the beer give it at least 3 weeks to carbonate at room temperature, before putting the bottles in the refrigerator. They won't carbonate at the lower temperatures. I know many brewers that don't lager there californian commons, so you may not find it to be necessary. I have brewed this one a few times and do enjoy it with a month or so of lagering.

The side by side with 1056 should be interested. 1056 has a higher attenuation than the WL SanFran Lager, so you may want to mash a little higher to compensate.
 
That's a Sam Adams glass. I think you can buy 4 packs online (amazon). It is a great all purpose beer glass.
 
I just brewed the Common recipe from Brewing Classic Styles, with 2112. I've never used any kind of lager/hybrid yeast.

It is in my fridge set at 61F. What does it look like when fermenting? Does it generate krausen? How is it different from the common ale strains people use?
 
Found out the answer with this batch, I'll post what I found just in case anybody else ever reads this thread.

I pitched three smack packs yesterday around 4pm (5 gallons of wort), this morning at 7:30 it is pretty active, inch or two of krausen, looks pretty much like any ale fermentation I've brewed.
 
If you ferment cold, you will probably want to do a diacetyl rest at the end, before bottling/kegging.
 
I chill my wort with an ice bath. I don't have a chiller, and with my tap water being warm in SoCal, I don't know if I could use one without ice to get wort down to low 60's. So I just get a 20lb bag of ice and use that to make an ice bath.

Yesterday was pretty warm outside and I wanted to get this beer even lower, so I bought 40lbs of ice and chilled the wort down to 50. I pitched the yeast around 55, and the beer has risen up to 60/61 since yesterday.

I don't know if this yeast works the same as many ale yeasts that most recommendations say to pitch at lower temps to keep the flavors clean in early stages, but that is what I was aiming for. I wondered if it would be too cold, but the fermentation started in about 12 hours, so it seems good. My fridge should keep it reliably at 61. I'm really excited about this beer.

Also, I have a carboy of ESB next to it in my fridge, which just got to FG, so it'll get a little cold conditioning since it is with the common at 61. I'll see how it clears up that way.

I like trying the hybrid yeast, but it makes me want more refrigerated fermenting space. I thought I was good with a fridge, but now I want more. Probably two more and I'd be good...

... but you're never good really with equipment, are you?
 
Wyeast 2112 is what I use for California Common. It works great at 58 - 60F. I have a Cal Common the fermentor now. I can hardly wait, I but never rush it.
 
It has been a week since mine started actively fermenting (krausen forming, motion in the fermentor, airlock bubbling slowly).

Temp set at 62, fermentation was vigorous for 3-4 days, started to slow on Thursday - less bubbling, slower motion, krausen shrinking. I let it warm up to 65, where it has been since Friday.

All through the weekend and up to this morning, it is still fermenting, slowly. It looks about like it did on Monday last week, half a day after pitching - thin layer of foam/krausen, airlock bubbling every 10-20 seconds, slow motion inside the fermentor. I think the top layer of beer, about an inch deep, is pretty clear, there is no yeast in that layer. So it looks like it is 'dropping', to me.

Anybody else who's brewed a common with WLP810/Wyeast2112, how long have your batches fermented? How long did you let them sit afterwards?
 
My current batch has been in the fermenter for 8 days now. It took about 36 hours to start, but was mostly done 4 days later. Usually I leave my Cal Commons 2 weeks in primary, holding at 58-60F until fermentation slows, then slowly warm up to 63-64F. Then 2 weeks in secondary around 60F the 1st week . The 2nd week I slowly reduce the temp down to 48-50F, then keg and start lagering at 35F. It may sound complex, but it works great for me. Don't rush your lagers, even Cal Common, you'll be rewarded.
 
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