Anchor Steam Clone Recipe (All-Grain): 5 to 30 Gallons
An all-grain Anchor Steam Clone recipe you can brew at 5 to 30 gallons: 4.7% ABV and 38 IBU, with the grain bill, hop schedule, yeast and step-by-step process.
In this post
Anchor Steam Clone at a glance: 4.7% ABV, 38 IBU, OG 1.050. A homebrew clone of Anchor Steam, the San Francisco beer that defined the California common style: lager yeast fermented warm, with the woody, minty character of Northern Brewer hops.
Recipe credit: Anchor Steam Clone by Marc Sedam on Zymurgy (via the American Homebrewers Association), one of the 25 most-viewed recipes on HomebrewersAssociation.org in 2024. We’ve put it in our recipe card, scaled to 5 gallons at 72% efficiency, and kept the brewer’s gravity and hop schedule. See the original for the brewer’s own notes and the discussion. This is an unofficial homebrew clone; Bräu Supply isn’t affiliated with Anchor Brewing.
Bräu Supply recipe · All-grain
Anchor Steam Clone
Grain · for 5 gal into the fermenter
| 8.95 lb (4.06 kg) | German Pilsner malt | 86% |
| 1 lb (0.45 kg) | Crystal 40 | 10% |
| 0.5 lb (0.23 kg) | Special roast | 5% |
Hops
| 1 oz (28 g) | Northern Brewer · 7.4% AA | First wort |
| 0.75 oz (21 g) | Northern Brewer · 7.4% AA | 20 min |
| 1 oz (28 g) | Northern Brewer · 7.4% AA | At flameout |
Yeast and water
| 2 pkg | California lager yeast (WLP810 or Wyeast 2112) | |
| Water | Balanced water. | |
Process
- Mash: 148°F (64°C) for 60 minutes
- Boil: 60 minutes
- Ferment: 60°F (16°C) for 7 to 10 days
- Condition: Condition cool for 2 to 3 weeks
- Carbonate: 2.6 volumes of CO₂
Brew it on
Based on 72% brewhouse efficiency and about 5.5 gal after the boil for a 5 gal batch. Adjust the base malt if your system runs higher or lower. Hops scale in a straight line; larger kettles extract a little more bitterness.
About this recipe
California common is fermented with a special lager strain at ale temperatures, which gives a clean but slightly fruity beer with a toasty malt character. Every hop is Northern Brewer. The recipe was published by Marc Sedam in Zymurgy and is one of the most-viewed on the AHA’s site.
How to brew it
- Mash at 148°F (64°C) for 60 minutes. Add the first wort hops as you run off.
- Boil 60 minutes with the hops on schedule, and add the last Northern Brewer at flameout.
- Chill to 60°F (16°C) and pitch plenty of California lager yeast.
- Ferment at 60°F (16°C) for 7 to 10 days.
- Condition cool for 2 to 3 weeks and package at about 2.6 volumes of CO₂.
Tips
- The California lager strain is the key; a regular lager yeast at 60°F will taste fruity and sulfury.
- No lagering fridge needed, which makes it a great “lager” for a basement.
Frequently asked questions
Is California common a lager or an ale?
A hybrid: brewed with lager yeast, fermented at ale temperatures.
Is this the official recipe?
No. It’s a homebrew clone published in Zymurgy.
Related guides
Ale vs lager fermentation, Vienna lager recipe, pilsner vs lager.