Homebrew Recipe: California Common

BBQ season is approaching and for this occasion, we want to introduce the California Common. This slightly dry beer is characterized by light fruity esters, making it the perfect fit for your grilled delicacies.

Batch size
5 gal (18.9 l)

Specifications
Origin: USA, West Coast
Yeast type: bottom-fermenting
Original Gravity: 1.049 (12.3°P)
Final Gravity: 1.013 (3.3°P)
Alcohol by volume: 4.70%
Bitterness: 37 IBU
Colour: 11 SRM

Malts
8 lb (3.63 kg) Pilsner malt
1 lb (454 g) Crystal malt (40° L)
8 oz (227 g) Dextrin malt
4 oz (113 g) Munich malt
4 oz (113 g) Victory malt
1.5 oz (43 g) Chocolate malt

Hops
0.5 oz (14 g) Northern Brewer, 10.2% AA at 60 min
0.85 oz (24 g) Northern Brewer, 10.2% AA at 20 min
1.25 oz (35 g) Northern Brewer, 10.2% AA at 0 min

Mash Water
66 ppm Ca²⁺, 6 ppm Mg²⁺, 5 ppm Na⁺, 56 ppm SO₄^2-, 95 ppm Cl^-, 15 ppm HCO₃^-
Add 0.5mL lactic acid to sparge water.

Yeast
White Labs WLP810 San Francisco lager yeast, 1.5 l starter

Additional ingredients
1 tablet Whirlfloc at 15 minutes
1.5 Tbsp. yeast nutrient at 15 minutes

Instructions
Mash for 60 minutes at 152°F (67°C), mash out at 168°F (76°C) and sparge at 168°F (76°C).
Ferment at 62°F (17°C) until you reach specific gravity at 1.013 (3.3°P) and set with 2.6 vol. (5.2 g/l) of CO_2.

_{Source: homebrewersassociation.org}