Land and Sea Brewing Co.- Comox Common

Land and Sea Brewing Co.- Comox Common Review

Tessa Gabiniewicz, veteran head brewer at Land and Sea Brewing, knows what she is doing. For example, let’s have a look at the Comox Common.

California Common, also called Steam beer, was the very first and one of the few beer styles to originate in North America. The prototypical Cali common is Anchor Steam Beer, which was saved from extinction by Fritz Maytag in the 1970s and, many believe, kick-started the craft beer revolution. One of its defining features is that it uses lager yeast but is fermented at ale temperatures, usually creating a nice amount of fruitiness that you won’t find in other lagered beers. How does Land and Sea Brewing’s take on this historic style match up?

Comox Common is golden copper with an off-white head that lingers very well. It is highly carbonated and medium-bodied. The nose is pleasantly peachy with other fruit notes from the hops. There is also a hint of caramel and toasty malts. The flavour again has a nice fruit and floral hoppiness, totally different from the tropical hops you find in modern IPA’s, and a cookie-like maltiness. There is some light bitterness. It finishes well with a fine balance of clean hops and toasty malts.