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You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> Brewing Forum --> Brewing Discussion --> A Kentucky Common?

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homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


So, thanks to a discussion that has kicked the stupid muse off in my head, I'm becoming fixated with brewing one of these historical beers. I've done a fair amount of reading on the subject, looked at various recipes, and am putting my own spin on things. So far, here is what I am looking at:


Batch size: 5.5 gallons
Efficiency: 74%
OG: 1.050
FG: 1.014
ABV: 4.71%
IBU: 20.3
Color: 15.4 SRM


Grain bill:
5 lbs 8 oz pale malt (6 row) - 52.4%
2 lbs flaked corn - 19%
2 lbs flaked rye - 19%
12 oz C60 - 7.1%
4 oz Black patent -2.4%

Hops:
.75 oz Cluster FWH (7% AA) - 18.3 IBU
.25 oz Cluster (7% AA) @ 10 min - 2 IBU

Yeast:
WLP810 San Francisco Lager

Mash:
single infusion @ 148 F


Plan is to ferment at the top end of the yeast strain, ala steam beer. I can't recall the last time I have targeted a sub 5% ABV beer!

This should yield a malt forward beer with spicy, caramel, and corn notes, and should be an easy drinker.

So... any thoughts?




Posted 34 days ago.

testingapril
Charter Member
Atlanta, GA
595 Posts


No decoction?

No boiling the runnings down?

Less than a pound of caramel malt?

...Are you feeling OK?




Posted 34 days ago.

KidMoxie
Charter Member
San Elijo Hills, CA
405 Posts


Friggin' amateur hour! :P

Keep in mind that corn is pretty sweet. W/ ~20% flaked corn and ~7% C60 you're gonna have yourself one sweet/caramelly beer, though not like that's stopped you before!




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


Har de har har. It's supposed to be an easy beer to brew, from my understanding. All American ingredients and whatnot.

Enough C malt to give some caramel, but the guidelines say low to medium low caramel. I may have too much there right now.




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


I assumed as much. "Moderate grainy-malt sweetness". I mean, I could drop that... a lot of the recipe I see call for ~2 pounds of corn.

I used Revvy's recipe heavily for inspiraton. I'm using less corn than him, more c malt, more rye.




Posted 34 days ago.

KidMoxie
Charter Member
San Elijo Hills, CA
405 Posts


I think 20% flaked corn is fine, it's likely where the sweetness in the recipe comes from. If you have the Aug 2015 BYO I think Gordon Strong has a style profile on KY Common that would be good to reference.




Posted 34 days ago.

testingapril
Charter Member
Atlanta, GA
595 Posts


Here's a recipe from Zymurgy on the topic:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/32335943/kentuckycommon.pdf

But that's more the soured version.




Posted 34 days ago.

testingapril
Charter Member
Atlanta, GA
595 Posts


Also, is 15 SRM dark enough?




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


Well, the specs say 11-20 SRM, so I shot for the middle of the style.




Posted 34 days ago.

brulosopher
Charter Member
Fresno, CA
167 Posts


Rad. I might suggest considering fermenting with 34/70 (or it's liquid equivalent) around 66F... for, umm, myriad reasons.




Posted 34 days ago.

testingapril
Charter Member
Atlanta, GA
595 Posts


Ah, I haven't read much on this style in over a year.

Back when everyone was sure this was a sour mashed beer I was interested, but as the research got better my interest in the style waned.

I'd rather just make a black berliner now.




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


I agree, I'm not really interested in the sour version. But it seems that, more and more (including in the BJCP guidelines), it's become accepted that the beer isn't supposed to start as sour.

So... any other feedback? Is this too much black patent, should I consider something else for color? What about the yeast? I've never used it before.




Posted 34 days ago.

testingapril
Charter Member
Atlanta, GA
595 Posts


I read many of the primary sources on the topic and it does seem that it was not produced sour to begin with. In other words, it wasn't sour mashed originally.

There are numerous descriptions of the beer that describe it as sour though, which would indicate that it did become sour over time. I think the BJCP is being short sighted by saying that it is exclusively a clean beer.

You could use black rye to darken instead of patent. Might reduce the risk of astringency from the patent.

You could use even more rye if you wanted too. Especially if you REALLY want to taste the rye. I find rye to be much more subtle than people make it out to be. I also find it to be more earthy than spicy, so there's that too.




Posted 34 days ago.

Necropaw
Charter Member
Central WI
608 Posts


My brother did a beer that was like...50+% rye. I think he had one that was even 60+%.

I wasnt a fan, but he seemed to like it...




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


I've done a 55% rye (roggenbier) before.

Black rye? Hmm, didn't even know that existed. Time to email the LHBS.




Posted 34 days ago.

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