Homebrew Recipe: Kung Fu Panda California Common

Kung Fu Panda California Common (Extract)

For the past few glorious weeks, the MLB playoffs have been consuming the evening airwaves. For that past couple weeks, I've had the pleasure of explaining to people here on the East Coast why San Francisco Giants fans are frequently seen wearing panda hats. It is certainly a valid question. It's not like pandas are indigenous to the Bay Area. The panda paraphernalia came about after one of the Giants' fan favorites, Pablo Sandoval, was awarded the moniker of "the Kung Fu Panda". Sandoval is a bigger guy, yet he is astonishingly nimble in the infield and quick around the bases. So, there you go, connect the dots and pandas abound.


As a west coast transplant, the Giants are the team to which I've affixed my fanhood. Is this entire post merely a farce to write about the Giants? Definitely not. The choice of subject matter is completely unrelated to the fact that they just won their third world series in five years. At any rate, if you'll allow me to add one more dot to be connected, we'll wrap up the rationale behind the name of this recipe. The California Common or "Steam Beer" style is best exhibited in the public conscious by Anchor brewing in San Francisco. Therein lies the tie between the beer, the team, the panda. I set out to brew this beer as an early experiment with lagers. The California Common yeast is actually a lager yeast that performs well at higher temperatures (around 68F as opposed to the mid 50s). So, I followed my inner mad scientist and here's what went down.

Recipe

Grain Bill

3.3 lb Pilsen Light LME

3.3 lb Golden Light LME

1 lb Extra Light DME

1 lb crushed Caramel 20L

1 lb crushed Victory

Hop Schedule

1 oz Nugget (60 min)

1 oz Nugget (20 min)

1 oz Centennial (5 min)

Yeast: White Labs San Francisco Lager Yeast (WLP810)

Procedure: Steeped specialty grains for 30 minutes between 160-165 degrees F.  Added one can LME, brought to a boil, and followed hop schedule.  With 20 minutes remaining in the boil, added remaining LME and DME.  Cooled using an ice bath and pitched yeast. Primary fermentation lasted 10 days, then transferred for secondary fermentation for another seven.

Tasting Notes: This turned out great. It was really crisp, light and easy drinking, but had a good deal of complexity to go along with it. The lager yeast gave it a much dryer finish and the absence of fruity undertones from the ale yeast was certainly noticeable. Because of this, it had a little bit more hop bitterness than the style would typically exhibit, but it turned out a lot like the IPLs (India Pale Lagers) that  have become more and more popular in recent years.

Improvement/Tweak Ideas: As noted above, it was a bit hoppy for the style, so it would be interesting to back off a bit on the bittering hops. On the flip side, it might be fun to just add a ton of finishing/dry hops and turn it into a bona fide IPL.