Of course, the very words “cream ale” mean one thing and one thing alone to a WNYer, and that’s surely Genesee, or Genny Screamers as you might know them. This staple, brewed continuously in Rochester, NY since 1960, is not generally thought of as especially craft-brewed, or upscale, but the cream ale style is an American original that predates all these new American mutants- “Imperial” everything, and “Oak-aged” everything, for example. While the High Falls version of the beer is actually blended from regular Genesee lager and (no longer sold separately) 12-Horse Ale, Cream Ale can be brewed as a single batch, adhering to AHA/BJCP guidelines. In this case, it falls into category 6, Light Hybrid Beer, along with notables like German Kölsh and American Wheat/Rye. What makes it a hybrid style is that, while ale yeast is used, it is treated more like a lager- including lower tempratures for fermentation and as well, a cooler-still temprature for conditioning. Expect none of the esters that usually accompany an ale, but rather, a very clean beer.

Foremost, Cream Ale should have a smooth mouthfeel (hence “cream”), resulting from a combination of high attenuation (few residual sugars, and so what you might call dryness), and medium-to-high carbonation levels. Visually, you’d expect a rather light, crystal-clear, straw-colored beer- and lots of bubbles, naturally. The bouquet should be light overall, and neither dominated by hops nor malt. You will also possibly detect a slight vegetal or cooked-corn odor which is the result of using corn to provide sugars for fermentation. The flavor will be similar to the aroma- a kiss of hops, a hint of sweet malt, and potentially slight dimethel sulphide (DMS; a cooked-corn taste,) though in the main, DMS is considered a flaw. Cream Ales are definitely easy drinking, thirst quenching lawnmower beers, and there is nothing at all wrong with that.

Today, numerous brewers are making the style their own, and I had cause to quaff a bottle of Sirius, the offering from Petaluma, California’s Lagunitas brewery the other day while enjoying a fine Buffalo summer afternoon. Like is so often the case when a classic style is reinvented, Lagunitas has take some liberties with the specs, in this case with the strength: this is a high-gravity (O.G. 1.072) interpretation, coming at 7.6% abv. What I poured into my glass had a middling copper color with only a hint of red and a reasonable head that diminished, but left some lacing at the top. The mouthfeel was less creamy that I was expecting- I suspect that this example is a bit over-attenuated, leaving too few residual sugars to fill out this dimension of the beer. Flavor-wise, Sirius is considerably hoppier than an Genny. The style guidlines max hop bitterness at 20 IBUs, while Sirius packs ‘em in up to 40.63. As a hop-lover, I didn’t mind, but your mileage might vary. I also detected some light corn flavor, perfectly appropriate here, and as well, a hint of that alcohol. Overall, I don’t know how good of a cream ale it is, but it was easy enough to drink.

So, if you’re looking for a traditional cream ale, try a Genny (assuming you didn’t grow up with them!). If you’re feeling adventurous, give Sirius a try (I’ve seen this at both Consumers and Premier). Other cream ales on the market right now include Anderson Valley’s Cervesa Crema (I’ve seen this on tap at Coles), Pete’s Wicked Wanderlust (don’t know where to find that ’round here) and for readers just to the west (and north), Sleeman’s Cream Ale.