An amber lager brewed with lager yeast at warm ale temperatures, fermented in wide shallow open vessels. San Francisco's native beer style, invented during the Gold Rush.
California Common, popularly called steam beer, originated in San Francisco in the 1850s when Gold Rush brewers fermented lager yeast at the only temperatures available without ice, on wide shallow rooftops cooled by Pacific fog. Anchor Brewing on Mariposa Street, founded 1896 by Ernst Baruth, registered Steam Beer as a trademark and preserved the style for over a century. Anchor ceased production in July 2023; Chobani founder Hamdi Ulukaya bought the brand in 2024 and a relaunch is in the works but the Potrero Hill brewery has not resumed brewing. SF craft brewers including Fort Point and Magnolia still pour the canonical California Common style.
3 editor picks for California Common (Anchor Steam) in San Francisco, ranked by editorial score. All San Francisco signature dishes · California Common (Anchor Steam) across every city.
Cellarmaker House of Pizza ★ 4.8
Bernal Heights · 3193 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Cellarmaker House of Pizza on Mission Street pours the SF craft brewery's tap list alongside Detroit-style pies with caramelized cheese crust.
Fort Point Beer Company ★ 4.6
742 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Fort Point Beer Company in San Francisco is the Presidio-born brewery with a Valencia Street beer hall, a strong KSA Kolsch and a sharp west-coast pilsner.
Magnolia Brewing ★ 4.4
1398 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
Magnolia Brewing in San Francisco is the Haight-Ashbury brewpub since 1997, with a British-leaning ale lineup and the city's longest-running cask programme.