Steam beer

Historically steam beer came from Bavaria, Germany, and is associated with San Francisco and the West Coast of the United States.

[1] It was an improvised process, originating out of necessity,[1] and was considered a cheap, low-quality beer, as shown by references to it in literature of the 1890s and 1900s.

[2] Modern steam beer originated with the Anchor Brewing Company, which trademarked the term in 1981 (and ceased operations in 2023).

So they pumped the hot wort up to large, shallow, open-top bins on the roof of the brewery so that it would be rapidly chilled by the cool air blowing in off the Pacific Ocean.

Jack London refers to steam beer in his "alcoholic memoir", John Barleycorn, in a passage explaining how he started drinking in late-1880s San Francisco: As a budding writer, "a wild band of young revolutionists invited me as the guest of honour to a beer bust" and was challenged to a drinking contest.

Frank Norris's 1899 novel McTeague, set in San Francisco, sets the stage with a reference to steam beer in its opening paragraph: When he marries, his wife convinces him to adopt more refined habits: Apart from Anchor Steam, other commercial examples include Skyscraper Brewing Company Lug Nut Lager, Moab Brewery Rocket Bike Lager, Southampton West Coast Steam Beer, Old Dominion Victory Amber, Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager, Schlafly's Pi Common, Linden Street Common Lager, Eagle Steam Beer, 33 Acres Brewing Company California Common, Cosmic Brewing Company Plead the Fifth, and Mare Island Brewing Company War Bond.

[11] Derecho Common was issued by the Port City Brewing Company of Alexandria, VA after the power outages related to the June 2012 North American derecho resulted in a tank of Port City's beer fermenting as a steam beer due to loss of refrigeration.