Kentucky Common

[Tony B]

I listened to an episode of Brülosophy several months ago discussing this style. It sounded interesting so I put together a recipe in Brewfather and then kind of forgot about it until today when I was trying to decide what my next batch should be. I am going to go for it. In my original recipe I had Nova lager as the yeast. I don’t recall why I chose that and now I’m curious as to what might be the best option. A little internet search seems to lean towards a clean ale yeast, like Chico or a Kölsch yeast. I have some Nova lager. 05 and K97.
Do any of you have experience with this style and maybe some insight to a good yeast choice?

 

[hottpeper13]

For mine I use 2565, and also employ a cereal mash with corn grits and rye malt.

 

[Miraculix]

I've brewed one according to the original dude who found out about this almost forgotten style. There's a thread here on hbt that actually became the very foundation for the reintroduction of the style to the home brewers universe. The bjcp kindly forgot to mention this when introducing this style to their rule book. But anyway, rants aside, mine was brewed with us05 if I remember correctly and it was really nice.

 

[Frank Nobrega]

I have made it with NovaLager and it worked great.

 

[kevin58]

There is a brewery in California called Ten Mile Brewing who's owner, Dan Sundstrom, talks with Drew Beechum at Experimental Brewing about his recipe: https://www.experimentalbrew.com/2018/12/05/episode-81-uncommon-common-with-ten-mile/

Then there is our own forum guru, Revvy, who posted a recipe here in the Historical Beer section that contains a very extensive discussion about her recipe: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/kiss-yer-cousin-rye-kentucky-common-ale.290419/

I've made both and remember them as good but not exceptional. I also featured both on my YouTube channel. For what its worth here they are:

 

[AlexKay]

I would think about Kolsch yeast, because Kolsch yeast is wonderful for many things that are not Kolsches. Now that Lallemand has broken our hearts, I don't know of any actual dry Kolsch yeast, so to get close we want something that is clean and crisp but still keeps a bit of character.

Between Novalager, US-05, and K97, I'd use the Novalager for this beer, and save the 05 for an APA and the K97 for a gose. If you don't make gose, throwing out the K97 would be a good option, too.

If you were thinking about other dry yeasts, you could try Nottingham fermented quite cold (58-60 F). 34/70 would of course work, too. You could think about fermenting either 34/70 or the Novalager warm, though honestly, I think you're unlikely to notice the difference. An out-there choice would be Mangrove Jack M54, though I find it makes so much sulfur that it needs at least a couple of months before it's pleasant to drink. But after that it's quite pleasant.

If you're willing to use liquid yeast, pick your favorite Kolsch strain.

 

[Miraculix]

There is a brewery in California called Ten Mile Brewing who's owner, Dan Sundstrom, talks with Drew Beechum at Experimental Brewing about his recipe: https://www.experimentalbrew.com/2018/12/05/episode-81-uncommon-common-with-ten-mile/

Then there is our own forum guru, Revvy, who posted a recipe here in the Historical Beer section that contains a very extensive discussion about her recipe: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/kiss-yer-cousin-rye-kentucky-common-ale.290419/

I've made both and remember them as good but not exceptional. I also featured both on my YouTube channel. For what its worth here they are:

Thank you! I was trying to find that thread. That's the one and only!

 

[dmtaylor]

I listened to an episode of Brülosophy several months ago discussing this style. It sounded interesting so I put together a recipe in Brewfather and then kind of forgot about it until today when I was trying to decide what my next batch should be. I am going to go for it. In my original recipe I had Nova lager as the yeast. I don’t recall why I chose that and now I’m curious as to what might be the best option. A little internet search seems to lean towards a clean ale yeast, like Chico or a Kölsch yeast. I have some Nova lager. 05 and K97.
Do any of you have experience with this style and maybe some insight to a good yeast choice?

Any of those should be fine. My default would be S-04 which is pretty clean. US-05 would also do nicely here. And even K-97 which I so often poo-poo will work well in this style as it will add a little tartness and breadiness which seems appropriate for this style, although it might be permanently murky and take 6-8 weeks to ferment instead of the 72 hours that this style is famous for. And NovaLager... I haven't used it enough yet to know for sure what it does but it seems like a perfect fit. Any of these. Suggestion: Split the batch and try 2 or 3 of these to compare and see what YOU like best. I would typically reach for S-04 or maybe Notty, but... I'd also use whatever I had sitting in my refrigerator rather than buying anything special.

 

[Tony B]

I appreciate all the input and will check the links you’ve shared on my lunch break today. I actually have more yeast options. I have a frozen yeast bank but was trying to go the lazy route and use dry. Maybe I will make a starter of some 029 and give that a go for the initial batch.

 

[Tony B]

My take on a KC grist for V1.

 

[Miraculix]

My take on a KC grist for V1.
View attachment 876954

Where's the rye?

 

[Tony B]

Where's the rye?

The rye is most likely still at the LHBS. Haha
I wrote this recipe a few months ago and if I remember correctly, rye is considered optional. I just read a bit on it and see that using rye can tend to compliment and add complexity to the grist. I have not brewed this style before, but if those of you that have recommend using some rye, I’ll modify this recipe. How much? 10%? I haven’t purchased the grains yet. Planning to do that on Friday night and brew over the weekend.

 

[Miraculix]

The rye is most likely still at the LHBS. Haha
I wrote this recipe a few months ago and if I remember correctly, rye is considered optional. I just read a bit on it and see that using rye can tend to compliment and add complexity to the grist. I have not brewed this style before, but if those of you that have recommend using some rye, I’ll modify this recipe. How much? 10%? I haven’t purchased the grains yet. Planning to do that on Friday night and brew over the weekend.

I recommend the exact same amount I've used at the original thread that was linked to above..... I do not remember. It wasn't that much but I think it belongs into the original ingredients list, if I remember correctly.

I did not do anything extra for the rye regarding mashing regime, if I remember correctly but I biab which tends to make the sparge easier.

 

[Tony B]

The modified version including rye malt and WLP-029

I have this recipe set at 68% BHE. I have been getting 70+ lately, but I’m going to run with this and be pleasantly surprised if I get a few more points in the OG.

 

[kevin58]

The rye is most likely still at the LHBS. Haha
I wrote this recipe a few months ago and if I remember correctly, rye is considered optional. I just read a bit on it and see that using rye can tend to compliment and add complexity to the grist. I have not brewed this style before, but if those of you that have recommend using some rye, I’ll modify this recipe. How much? 10%? I haven’t purchased the grains yet. Planning to do that on Friday night and brew over the weekend.

FWIW... I collect a lot of historical recipes and when I transcribe them into Beersmith I always do it as they were written. Then on brew day if I want to make a change whether it be by necessity or on a whim I do so in my brew day copy of the recipe. Beersmith is good for this because each recipe is its own entity. I can copy the primary recipe into my brew log to use on brew day and any change I make in that copy will not affect the original. I also copy and paste a link to the recipe/article/video etc. in the notes tab so I can return to it later or refer it to someone else.