In 2016, there’s almost no such thing as a traditional beer.

Tracking the history of even one established style can be difficult. Take the “steam beer.’’ In the mid- to late-1800s, settlers flocked to California and other parts of the West. Those who stayed helped create an indigenous style borne out of the conditions. A steam beer was brewed with a lager yeast, but due to a lack of refrigeration, fermented at higher temperatures. Up to 25 breweries in San Francisco made a steam beer, according to the Oxford Companion to Beer, a rough-around-the-edges brew referenced in literature as a beverage less favored than necessary.

In 1981, Anchor Brewing Co. trademarked the term “steam beer,’’ a trademark it still holds. That brewery’s “Anchor Steam Beer’’ is an American classic. But dozens of other brewers have emulated the style, to the point where the judging entities for such festivals as the Great American Beer Fest have come up with a new name for it. Each year, breweries submit entries into the “California common’’ category, with a nod to the steam beers of more than a century ago.

So what do we make of Smuttynose Brewing Company’s “East Coast Common,’’ a modern hybrid that riffs off that tradition? And what do we make of head brewer Charlie Ireland further flipping that already muddled convention?

“Most commons are a little malty and not too bitter, so I decided to switch that a bit,’’ says Ireland. “I went for lighter-bodied and more hop character. I always thought those characteristics, and the lager yeast strains, would be a great combination.’’

It does work, a nose full of melon and a bit of damp laundry that leads the drinker into a dry, enjoyable, highly drinkable beer. At 7.4 percent alcohol and way more bitter, this isn’t a typical “California common.’’ Then again, what does that even mean?

“East Coast Common’’ is the latest in the New Hampshire brewery’s Big Beer Series. The previous release, still widely available, is Rocky Road, named after an ice cream flavor. Smutty calls it a dessert stout, which Ireland admits they pretty much just made up. The beer contains Fluff, a truly New England ingredient.

“It’s just a big, sweet chocolate stout that sounded fun to make,’’ says Ireland.

In ways like and unlike those first Gold Rush pioneers, Smuttynose is constantly inventing. I ask Ireland if the incoming tide of newer, smaller brewers is pushing that creative bent.

“I’d have to say yes and no to that one,’’ he says. “Smuttynose has a strong following, great branding. It is hard to keep up with the smaller breweries that are releasing cool and new stuff on a regular basis, but I think us old timers are keeping up just fine.’’

Gary Dzen can be reached at gary.dzen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GaryDzen.