Beer Parched Common Good California Common

California Common isn’t a style you see very often any more, but it has a cool story. So gather round and let me tell you a tale…

In the 1850s, when German immigrants in America got it into their minds to head west for the California Gold Rush – as many people did – they came ready to brew lagers. But it turned out ice wasn’t readily available out west, so they couldn’t achieve the cold temperatures they’d usually turn to when making lagers. Instead of letting that stop them, the brewers adapted: they’d put the hot wort in large, shallow pans on the roof and let the cool San Francisco air bring the liquid down to the fermentation temperature of ales. And since they could’t store it cold as they’d normally do with their lagers, all that was left was to get it into people's hands (and mouths) as quickly as possible. Thus the California Common was born.

Like I said, it’s not a style you see often. But Parched make a mean Cali Common; using San Francisco Lager yeast from White Labs (fermented at 15 degrees) and Northern Brewer hops from Germany, they’ve cooked up a toasty little number that rings with a soft orangey resonance. Imagine an orange cake fresh from the oven with a sticky brown crust, and you’re halfway there.

Sure, Parched may have proper refrigeration available, and they don’t cool their beer on their rooftop. But don’t hold that against them. Just get Common Good into your hands (and mouth) as quickly as possible.

Mick Wüst