Kentucky Common Attempt

[Aubie Stout]

I was interested in the style when I saw it. I was going to do an American Brown, but changed it slightly for this style. Here's the recipe:

90% eff. OG: 1.045. 5.5 Gal.
5.5 lbs Six Row
1.0 lbs Flaked Maize
1.0 lbs Special Roast
.25 lbs Crystal 120
.25 lbs Chocolate Malt

.50 oz Chinook @ 60 mins for 19.2 IBU's
.50 oz Chinook @ MH for 4.2 IBU's

Mash @ 154 for 24hrs! Actually, set initial mash temp at 154 and let it rest in MLT for 24hrs with the top on. The goal is to sour the mash. The longer the mash the more sour it gets. 24hrs is to "slightly" sour.


Will advise!

 

[KYB]

Sounds good man. Hope it's as good as the recipe looks. Post up how it turns out. I love how people are slowly starting to become interested and are starting to brew Kentucky Common. It's a great session beer.

 

[Aubie Stout]

I'll sparge and boil this morning. Pitch on a yeast cake of SafAle-05. I'm interested to see how this goes.

 

[Aubie Stout]

Didn't quite get the 90% eff. Looks like I got 85%. Oh well, it's close enough. Had just enough sour in it to notice. We will know for sure in 30 days.

 

[claphamsa]

how do you get the efficiency so high....

 

[scone]

how do you get the efficiency so high....

I was wondering the same thing (I'm planning on brewing a batch as well as soon as semester ends). Apparently it has to do with the 24 hour mash. I think ODaniel doesn't even sparge (is that correct? I'd hate to put words in your mouth).

So 24 hours = slightly sour? I'm thinking I may go longer on the mash when I try since I love sour beers.

Did you sprinkle any malt in the mash after it cooled, or did you just dough in and leave it be? I'm asking since some people have said that mashing would pasteurize the wort and you may not get any lacto growth unless you add some in later by sprinkling dry malt into a cool(er) mash.

 

[Aubie Stout]

I usually get around 68-72% eff depending on the grain bill. O'Daniel cautioned me about an abnormally high eff in doing the 24hr mash. I have no idea why the eff increased, but I sure am glad someone warned me!

 

[claphamsa]

I did a 72 hour mash once... and it was SOUR! I would deff try only a 24 for your first time....

 

[lowlife]

Did you sprinkle any malt in the mash after it cooled, or did you just dough in and leave it be? I'm asking since some people have said that mashing would pasteurize the wort and you may not get any lacto growth unless you add some in later by sprinkling dry malt into a cool(er) mash.

Thats the goal you get the sourness pre boil and it doesnt sour any further.

 

[scone]

Thats the goal you get the sourness pre boil and it doesnt sour any further.

No no I gathered that. What I'm asking has to do with how you sour it during the mash.

Option (1) is to heat mash water, dough in, cover it, and leave it for 24 hours.
(2) is to heat mash water, dough in, wait until it cools to 110 or something like that and sprinkle some left over grains in, and *then* wait 24 hours

The reasoning behind (2) is that you may kill off all the bacteria present in the mash with (1), and then you don't have anything in there to sour the mash. Am I making sense?

 

[lowlife]

I follow what you are saying now. I made a couple kentucky commons (havent settled on a recipe yet) I just mashed, and walked away. I didnt add more grain afterwards.

 

[scone]

I follow what you are saying now. I made a couple kentucky commons (havent settled on a recipe yet) I just mashed, and walked away. I didnt add more grain afterwards.

Right on. Good to know.

 

[Aubie Stout]

I've read where both work fine. I mashed and walked away.

 

[khiddy]

So, I have just now heard of Kentucky Common. What does it taste like?

 

[nicknunns]

Curious to see how this turns out! If you get good results I'm definitely going to put this on my short list.

 

[lowlife]

slightly sour brown ale.

 

[KYB]

I'm not too fond of brown ales but I really like my Kentucky Commons. Brown ales just seem kinda boring usually. It's probably the chocolate malt and corn that makes it different.

I do sparge, twice actually. I don't add any extra grains after I mash in. I just mash in, cover, walk away and come back 24hrs later. You can always increase the mash time for more sourness. I think 24hrs gives a slight sourness to still be a session beer. I couldn't drink a real sour beer as a session beer.

As for efficiency, I wonder why you didn't get higher. I assume the 24hr mash along with a small grain bill gives such high efficiency. I have got 98% on all mine so far. Another guy got 94% with a slightly different recipe. Not sure what any other people have got. I get pretty good efficiency on other beers, but no more than 85% on regular beers around 1.050 OG.

 

[ramthebuffs]

I did this a couple of months ago and its still 'conditioning'. To me it tastes like the way ur mash tun smells if you forget about it for a couple of days. Personally I don't like that taste very much. The base is very good tho, if I did it again I'd prob do a normal brew with like 0.10 or 0.15 # acidulated malt instead of a long mash.

I think I got like 90-91% on my 30hr mash.

 

[KYB]

What exactly did you do? My first one I left the lid sitting on it upside down to vent - 24 hrs later it was nassty. Smelled terrible. Once it was beer it was fantastic, smell and taste. I wonder why yours has a funky smell still.

 

[Aubie Stout]

Mine about blew the lid off fermenting.

 

[MVKTR2]

I've been interested in this style since running across it about 6 months back. I also wonder how this process would work with other styles. Hoppy biers vs malty biers. Think soured Pale Ale or Scottish 80... hmmm?

Aubie Stout, care to offer up something for the upcoming IB? PM me, Roll Tide!!!

Schlante,
Phillip

 

[KYB]

Yea I was thinking about trying a sour mash for another style, not sure what.

 

[Aubie Stout]

IB offer? Think I'll be too busy drinking hemlock......


My wife bid on and won (8) tickets, limo ride, and BBQ tailgate to the game. Her and her sister are taking the kids. I think I'll go fishing!

 

[khiddy]

This style does sound very interesting, and I was thinking about it when I emptied out my mash tun from the brewing I did two weeks ago... I kinda forgot about the grains, so when I poured the grains out, I got this nasssssty sour stank that made me think about Kentucky Common. I don't know if I'm ready for the style!

 

[KYB]

This style does sound very interesting, and I was thinking about it when I emptied out my mash tun from the brewing I did two weeks ago... I kinda forgot about the grains, so when I poured the grains out, I got this nasssssty sour stank that made me think about Kentucky Common. I don't know if I'm ready for the style!

Man up and brew this delicious beer :rockin:

 

[MVKTR2]

IB offer? Think I'll be too busy drinking hemlock......


My wife bid on and won (8) tickets, limo ride, and BBQ tailgate to the game. Her and her sister are taking the kids. I think I'll go fishing!

Hemlock... that bad huh? I know the feeling having lived through the era of the 'Mikes'... you know Dumbose & Shula... not to mention the ole perverted Mike! Aub. could make a game of it, but that defense is built like swiss cheese. I'm a big fan, not a fanatic, used to be but it's not worth it to invest time & emotions into it anymore. I get real intense during the games and that's it, win or lose it's over with. I really enjoy the history and spectacle of the college game. Hope the wife and kids have fun, I'd love to make the IB one day, but I can think of better things to do with $500 than spend it on a FB game. I catch the occasional game here and there, MSU last year but when the tickets come up for the games that matter I'm out!

As for the bier anyone have some taste descriptors? How's it compare with other sour ales? Would the process be a better match for hoppy or malty biers?

Schlante,
Phillip

 

[KYB]

It has hints of sour, chocolate, caramel, and nuts. That's the best I can describe it. The only other sour beer I've had was a Saison from 1995. Not sure which type of beer a sour mash would benefit, but it sure does well in this.

 

[Aubie Stout]

Mine finished out at 1.006. Wow. It has a hint (small hint) of sourness to it. No secondary on this beer. It'll go straight to bottles tonight.

 

[claphamsa]

this could be great to do over the holidays... since you can split the brewin in half...........

 

[KYB]

How long was it in primary? I'd leave it 2 weeks at least. You can go real quick with this beer if you need to, but it is better with more time.