My Adaptation of Kentucky Common Ale

[TasunkaWitko]

Note - This recipe is "in development," so there will be a lot of brain-storming, back-and-forth discussion and mind-changing. Because of that, this post will be modified from time to time, until the final version is settled upon.

Any and all input is welcome, as I am flying a little bit blind, here.

A truly home-grown variety, this beer was intensely popular in Kentucky from the post-Civil-War period until Prohibition. Based on that little there is available (sources below), and extrapolating from the known to the vague, I've developed what I think is a reasonably-plausible adaptation.

This 1-gallon adaptation bypasses the corn-grit cereal mash with flaked corn and employs a 60-minute boil, rather than 120 minutes. The caramel malt that I chose was due to its middle-of-the-road quality, while the hops and yeast seem to be the best compromise between what was described and what is available. Northern Brewer is probably not exactly the right bittering hop, but it seems to be the closest that I can find to "California Gray." I chose Hallertau rather than Saaz as an aroma hop because I believe that the Germans who were doing the brewing would have used this Bavarian variety.

Based on the statistics, this adaptation seems to fit the BJCP guidelines fairly well; not perfectly, by any means, but to the point where the average home-brewer in 2016 can give it a go.

Kentucky Common Ale
TasunkaWitko's Adaptation

1 Gallon, All-Grain

ABV - 5.07%
IBUs - 25.30
SRM 11.42

OG - 1.050
FG - 1.012

Grain percentages:

60% 6-Row Pale Malt
37% Corn Grits
1.75% Black Malt
1.25% Caramel Malt

Based on 10-gallon adaptation, 1 gallon contains 1.825 pounds total grains = 29.2 ounces

Available information converted to 1 gallon:

17.52 ounces = 1.095 pounds 6-Row Pale Malt
10.8 ounces = 0.675 pounds Flaked Corn
0.5 ounces = 0.031 pounds Black Malt
0.4 ounces = 0.025 pounds Caramel/Crystal 60L Malt

Mash - 156 to 158 degrees

60-minute boil

Hops:
Cluster - 1.4 grams = 0.05 ounces @ 60 minutes
Cluster - 2.8 grams = 0.1 ounces @ 45 minutes
Cluster - 2.1 grams = 0.075 ounces @ 15 minutes
Hallertau - 1.4 grams = 0.05 ounces @ Flameout

Irish Moss - 2.5 grams = 0.09 ounces = 1/2 teaspoon @ 15 minutes

Yeast - Safale US-05 - 1/2 package = 5.5g

Sources:

http://www.bjcp.org/docs/NHC2014-kycommon-handout.pdf
http://bjcp.org/docs/2015_Guidelines_Beer.pdf - pg 55
http://brooklynbrewshop.com/themash/hop-of-the-month-ahtanum/
http://brooklynbrewshop.com/themash/hop-of-the-month-cluster-hop/
http://brooklynbrewshop.com/themash/hop-of-the-month-saaz/

 

[Pappers_]

Nice! I've enjoyed a couple of Kentucky Commons and intellectually like that, with Cream Ale and California Common, it is an historic North American beer.

I like your recipe and think think the hop choices are good. Have you brewed it yet? How did it turn out? Also, in the HBT recipe database, in the specialty/historical/etc forum, there are two recipes for Kentucky Common. You can find them by using the pull down menu for Historical Beer: Kentucky Common. If this is a tried and true recipe, or after you have brewed it a few times, you should add it.

Let us know how it turns out!

 

[brewbama]

Looks good! I want to try the style as well. Bama BBQ from Smoked-Meat

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Hi, Pappers, and thanks for the feedback. I'll be sure to check out the other recipes and will see if there's anything in them to help me tweak this a bit.

I have not made it yet due to other projects that are ahead in the line, but plan to get it brewed later this summer, possibly early fall, when temperatures cool down a bit. I did plug all of this into Brewers Friend, and the program seemed to like it; also, the bit of reading on the BJCP guidelines seems to agree with what I've come up with as far as the characteristics.

But, all of that is simply theoretical, until I actually try it. In the meantime, if anyone does feel like giving this a try, I'd be grateful if they posted any feedback, thoughts or impressions.

Ron

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Looks good! I want to try the style as well. Bama BBQ from Smoked-Meat

Hey - good to see ya!

If you do give it a go, let me know what you think about it. I'm eager to try it, but it will be a little while before I can.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Following a discussion on another thread, I am tossing in these notes as part of the "record" -

The suggestion of lower mash temperatures makes sense; the temperatures that I used were just a guess based on the sources I had. One thing that I tried to keep in mind is that tastes back then are were almost certainly different than taste preferences now. I have no way of proving it, but I am sure that in those days before Budweiser, Coors, Miller etc., I am certain that a more full-bodied, robust beer would have been the norm, especially for working men at the end of the day.

I really probably should give it the full 10-ish days of fermentation. Between my reading of the articles and the recent reading I've been doing on Edelweiss beer, I just sort of went along with the 3- to 4-day concept. Going with the more "normal" schedule would not significantly change the beer, and might possibly avoid some pitfalls. I will modify my original post to remove the suggestion of the short fermentation.

On that note, I did not put the OG and FG in my "recipe" above, mainly because I simply don't use them in my brewing. I have edited my OP in order to provide those statistics.

As for hops, I was just throwing in some "best educated guesses," so I am certainly open to suggestions. The sources I had definitely mention a noble hop at the end for aroma, but for the bittering hops, it is pretty vague. The only clue I have is something described as "Western Hops (probably California Gray or a variant)" used for bittering with "New York Hops (almost assuredly Cluster)" in the middle for flavor, with an "imported" noble hop at "knockout" for aroma. It seems that there were often substitutions due to availability, as well. I'm reasonably confident about the Cluster and Hallertau usage, but the Northern Brewer was just a guess, following my reading of a few articles dealing with Western/California-style brewing. If I could find something that points to a definite available example of "Western" or "California Gray" hops, that would be awesome.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Hey, guys -

I'll say at the outset that I KNOW I am over-thinking this - however....

Regarding those "Western Hops" that are referred to in the sources as "probably California Gray," I've been trying to do a little research in order to see if I can find any modern, available substitute for what is evidently an extinct or defunct hop.

Here are some varieties that I have come up with in my research:

Northern Brewer (which is the one I am currently considering but losing enthusiasm for)
California Cluster (Extinct or defunct)
Ivanhoe (Child of California Cluster)
Gargoyle (Child of California Cluster)
Galena (Mentioned as a substitute for some of the other varieties)
Eroica (Mentioned as a substitute for some of the other varieties)
Brewers Gold (Possibly the oldest of the available substitutes)

I'm including all of the ones in the list so that if anyone is familiar with them, they might be able to help with a similar hop. I was wondering if anyone might have any impressions on where I could go from here as far as this research goes. My current choices seem to be:

1. Stick with the Northern Brewer, which I decided on originally (before I knew of these others)
2. Simply use Cluster as both the "Western" and "New York" hop
3. Try one of the alternatives in the list.

If using an alternative from the list, it seems that California Cluster appears to be defunct or extinct. Ivanhoe (or perhaps Gargoyle) "might" be the best choice, as they are direct descendants of the California Cluster; however, I can't seem to find it. Galena and Eroica seem to be the most commonly-named alternatives, but Northern Brewer and Brewers Gold were also mentioned as being common in California varieties, and Brewers Gold seems to have a long history. I'm currently leaning toward replacing the Northern Brewer with Brewers Gold, unless someone has a better idea.

Any guidance in selecting one that might be closest in characteristics to the idea of the original "Western Hops" would be appreciated.

Ron

 

[TasunkaWitko]

After a lot of unnecessary agonizing over this business of the "Western" hops, I finally caught the key word - that they were native to America. Since Cluster hops are the only Native American hops that I have available to me, I'll go with those as a substitute for the "Western" hops, and of course also use them as the "New York" hops.

I had nearly settled on Brewers Gold, but to me, using Cluster hops, even if it is not a perfect choice, makes more sense than trying to piece together a bunch of vague (and possibly inaccurate) clues and coming up with a non-native substitute that is probably nothing at all like the original.

This is my plan, unless a better suggestion comes up.

Thanks for bearing with my over-thinking of the project!

 

[ThatVideoKid]

I wouldn't worry too much about the bittering addition, it adds almost no flavor. I think northern brewer would be fine.

 

[jerbrew]

I've recently had my first taste of Kentucky Common at a local brewery and must say I loved it. I think I described it as a festival of flavors. I got some caramel goodness right up front and was then left with a delicious creamy feeling twang from the corn (not sour but twang is the best word I have right now...It's morning time).

Can't wait to hear how all your agony come out I'd love to give it a shot. :rockin:

 

[TasunkaWitko]

G'morning guys, and many thanks for the feedback.

I think I'm pretty well settled in where this recipe is concerned; just for the heck of it, I plugged Brewers hops into the recipe, and assuming I did everything right, it brought the IBUs up just enough to take it "out of style," so I went back to the Cluster, and will call it good.

I think everything else is ready to go - the malts seem good; I settled on Caramel 60 because it is "middle of the road," and based on jerbrew's description it sounds about right. The hops are finally settled, after much unnecessary over-thinking. As far as I can tell, the yeast is a good choice based on what I've read in the sources.

With that, I'll be making this when I can, but if anyone does want to give it a try in the meantime, I will certainly be most appreciative of any reports and feedback.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

And...just when I thought I had my mind made up, I came across this.

I am posting this so I dig a little deeper later. It's American, it's "Western," and it is possibly wrong, but then again, maybe not....

Charles Carpenter didn’t know the legacy he was to create when he planted his first rootstock in 1869 in Yakima County, Washington (now home to the American Hop Museum!). The Ahtanum hop is full of just as much history as it is flavor. The Ahtanum hop is an American hop born and raised, it is commonly seen in American ales, pale ales and lagers.

Due to its low to moderate alpha acid content, the Ahtanum has moderate bittering qualities and is primarily used for its aromatic properties and addition of flavor. It has strong notes of grapefruit and other citrus, as well as floral aromas and tones of pine and earth....

1. Origin

Ahtanum Creek Valley in Yakima County, Washington. Cultivated first by Charles Carpenter who started the first hop farm in the United States in 1869.

2. Characteristics

Strong grapefruit aroma, along with floral, piney and earth tones. Not as bitter as other hops, and used primarily for its aromatic properties.

3. Vital Statistics

Typical Use: Aroma
Alpha Acid: 5.7%-6.3%
Country: United States
Styles: Pale Ales, American Ales, Lagers
Flavors: Grapefruit, citrus, pine, earthy and floral
Similar Hops: Cascade, Amarillo, Centennial, Simcoe

This appeals to me, because it is an "historic" hop, which could be fitting for an "historic" beer. I'm liking it....

 

[ThatVideoKid]

And...just when I thought I had my mind made up, I came across this.



I am posting this so I dig a little deeper later. It's American, it's "Western," and it is possibly wrong, but then again, maybe not....







This appeals to me, because it is an "historic" hop, which could be fitting for an "historic" beer. I'm liking it....

I've thought about using that hop a few times. Sounds interesting

 

[jerbrew]

And...just when I thought I had my mind made up, I came across this.

I am posting this so I dig a little deeper later. It's American, it's "Western," and it is possibly wrong, but then again, maybe not....



This appeals to me, because it is an "historic" hop, which could be fitting for an "historic" beer. I'm liking it....

Great info. I have half a pound of these in my freezer. I was going to go for it and use all 8 oz in an IPA Friday but I think i'll save an ounce just in case this turns out good for you.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Hey, guys -

I think this will be the hop I am looking for. I will do a little more research, but unless something changes drastically, I plan on using this hop.

More later!.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Alrighty - my OP has been edited to reflect my thinking so far on this project I think it is pretty well set the way I want it to be, and it looks like I will be putting out a nice beer when I am finally able to brew this.


Note - The AA for the Ahtanum hops are just a "guesstimate" until I am able to actually have some in my possession.


The only thing I haven't looked deeply into is the yeast. It was suggested that I use SA05, and I am liking it as it seems to me to be a good, all-around American yeast that, if I am reading correctly, has the medium-low flocculation that seems to be described in the source material. I could be wrong about this, as it might simply be that the "slightly-cloudy beer" I read about is simply due to being a young beer; however, this seems like a good choice, so far, and unless I hear anything to the contrary, I'll go with it.

 

[Aristotelian]

Sorry to jump back in if you have already made the decision. I haven't used Ahtanum before but based on the description I would not use it in this beer. Even if it is an old hop, "Grapefruit" is not the first flavor I would want in Kentucky Common.

Check out this guy's hop calculator. At the bottom you can see a chart with the main hop varieties laid out according to their dominant hop oils. As you can see, Ahtanum (consistent with the description) looks like a more extreme version of Cascade, Citra, etc.

http://scottjanish.com/hop-replacement-calculator/

I say don't overthink this and go with Cluster...or if not Cluster, something in the same family--Galena, Columbus etc. Otherwise what you end up may be good but I don't think it will be Kentucky Common. Literally every recipe I have seen for this beer uses Cluster.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Hi, Aristotelian - thanks for weighing in on this. Since you've brewed this beer before, I am definitely interested in your judgment, and appreciate it.

I'd settled on Ahtanum mostly because it was native, Western and "old; but hadn't considered the implications that you mention. If I am reading the chart from your link correctly, it also looks like Brewers Gold (another one that I had been considering), would be off, as well.

Ultimately, I want to get as close a representation of Kentucky Common as possible.. If those won't fit with the intended flavor profile, then I agree that they shouldn't be used.

I considered Galena for a while - I don't know much about that hops, except that if I remember correctly, it came along much later that the time period we're working with here.

Every turn since the beginning has led me to Cluster, in spite of my attempts at finding something different. It'skind of like the old song, "Lookin' for Love, in all the Wrong Places." I need to stop looking! Unless some old-timer comes up to me and says, "Here's some California Gray Hops, Give them a try," I'd better stick with Cluster.

Thanks for steering me straight on this - sometimes it is easy to get bogged down in the details, especially when a person is trying to fill in holes with hundred-year-old clues. It's easy to go off to the side and forget the goal.

 

[ThatVideoKid]

How much grapefruit would it really provide as a bittering hop?

 

[dkennedy]

My $0.02, since I love to see this style gaining traction.
I brewed a similiar recipe (60% 2 Row, 34% Flaked Corn, 4% Caramel Rye, 2% Black Patent (for color). Bittered with Cascade (16 IBU's), Cluster @15 (12 IBU's), Saaz at Flameout. Next time I plan to bump the Cluster back to bittering and axe the Cascade entirely- the kiss of rye + strong bittering = more of a bite than is appropriate for the style (and my palate ). I also messed up in the Beersmith config and wound up with 1.060 OG, finished at 6.1%...oops!

All that said, it won a ribbon at the state fair, so I can't complain (the keg also emptied extremely fast). Should be spot on when I re-brew for lighter body (mash stabilized at 153 F) and the intended 1.050 OG. I used WLP090, very happy with that yeast for 'normal' American ales, and it worked fast on this one.

 

[potseeslc]

I made one last year and won gold in the historical beer category. I was easy, fun and super tasty. You grist looks just like mine, I used Patagonia Black Malt and Briess crystal 120. Turned out great.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Hey, guys - thanks for the feedback - it is much appreciated. I really like reading about this particular style, and it is interesting to see the little tweaks here and there that people use to make it their own.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Note - Please disregard my ADD-inspired ramblings above re: the hops!

After some tiny little tweaks, I am ordering the ingredients today so that I can brew this in the near future.

Here is my "final" recipe for this attempt, which does match the reading I've done whilst also conforming to the 2015 BCJP Guidelines:

Kentucky Common Ale
TasunkaWitko's Adaptation

All-Grain
1 Gallon


OG - 1.051
FG - 1.010
ABV - 5.44%
IBUs - 21.74
SRM - 11.58


Fermentables:

19.22 ounces American 6-Row Pale Malt (60%)
11.84 ounces American Flaked Corn (37%)
0.5 ounces American Black Malt (1.6%)
0.45 ounces American Caramel/Crystal 60L Malt (1.4%)


60-Minute Mash @ 154 degrees

60-minute boil


Hops:

1.7 grams Cluster (7% AA) @ 60 minutes
1.7 grams Cluster (7% AA) @ 45 minutes
3.4 grams Cluster (7% AA) @ 15 minutes
2 grams Hallertau Mittelfrüh (3.75% AA) @ Knock-out

Other Ingredients:

Irish Moss - 0.4 grams @ 15 minutes


Yeast

Safale US-05

With luck, I'll brew this sometime in mid-April or early May.

More as it happens, etc. &c....

Ron

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I placed my order for the ingredients to brew this beer on Friday - I am expecting to brew this sometime during the week of 19-25 March.

Now, time to choose an image for the label!

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Well, better late than never; I checked my ingredients that I have left after #2 son has been brewing all summer, and found that I should have everything I need to brew this one. With that in mind, it is on deck to be brewed tomorrow evening, if all goes well.

If there are any last-minute tweaks to the recipe, I will post them; however, I believe the recipe a couple of posts above this one is the way to go, based on my reading and research. My goal is to get as reasonably close as possible to a true, historic Kentucky Common Ale, scaled down to a 1-gallon, all-grain, non-complicated stovetop system.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I took a look at the final rendition, and the only change is a slight rise in IBUs due to the actual versus estimated) AA% of my hops. The higher number is probably more "true" to the original, so I am leaving everything as-is, and ready to brew.

Today is my planned Brew Day; however - as always - there's at least a 50/50 chance that something will get in the way, and delay it until tomorrow. We'll see how it goes....

 

[TasunkaWitko]

One note: After re-reading the source material for this beer, and noting the emphasis on the fact that it is a malt-forward beer, I backed off on the hops just a bit, in order to bring the IBU's down to 24.08.

With that, I think I am finished, until I have an opportunity to try the finished product.

Here is the label that I put together for this beer:

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I brewed this last night, and I think it's going to be a good one ~

The brew went off with no significant hitches that I can recall; my #2 son, Mike (known here as @mtbrewer403) gave me a hand, and we had a pretty good time, I think. He's an IPA guy, so he was pretty amused by my modest use of hops, but it's all good. He showed me a couple of things that he does when he's brewing, and they looked like pretty good tips to me, so I will be using them in the future.

Mash - I was able to keep the temperatures fairly close to where I wanted them - and it smelled great! The flaked corn added a nice touch, I think.

Sparge - No sticking issues, no spills - everything went fine.

Boil - I went with the slightly-modified hop schedule (below) for lower IBUs as the maltiness (bordering on sweetness) was mentioned prominently in the research; everything went fine and on schedule. The Cluster hops smelled really good with this, and the Hallertau Mittelfrüh added a nice touch, as well. I was actually tempted to add a little more hops at all stages, but for this first one, I left things alone.

Chill-down - once again, no hitches. I have never used Irish moss before, but I definitely plan to use it more often, after this experience; it really pulls the crud down, it seems.

Transfer to fermenter and pitching the yeast - no troubles at all; I only had to top off with a very small amount of water - I'd say less than a quarter-cup.

The only irregularity of note was that the wort/beer was slightly darker than expected, in spite of the very, very small amount of black malt and C60. Where these dark malts are concerned, it doesn't take much! The darker colour could also have something to do with my water; I've noticed that all my brews, no matter what style and no matter what conditions, are always just a bit darker than I expect them to be. No big deal, as they all taste great.

I checked in on my beer this morning, and the S05 is definitely doing it's thing; slow and steady, which matches my experience with it so far. There is a nice cap of krausen developing, and I am sure that by the time I get home from work, it will be churning up for a good, solid fermentation and the blow-off tube will be getting busy. The ambient temperatures are just a few degrees higher than I would prefer, but we still seem to be well within the tolerance of this yeast. The next few days will be cooler, and this will help. Considering that we have been consistently above 90 since the end of June and are finally seeing some relief, I am not going to complain.

That's what I have for now; I will post more as it happens, etc. &c....

Ron

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Here is the final recipe that was actually brewed; if anyone is following my brain-storming, ADD-infested, rambling development, please disregard all others, for now:

Kentucky Common Ale
TasunkaWitko's Adaptation

All-Grain
1 Gallon

OG - 1.051
FG - 1.010
ABV - 5.44%
IBUs - 24.08
SRM - 11.58


Fermentables:

19.22 ounces American 6-Row Pale Malt (60%)
11.84 ounces American Flaked Corn (37%)
0.5 ounces American Black Malt (1.6%)
0.45 ounces American Caramel/Crystal 60L Malt (1.4%)


60-Minute Mash @ 154 degrees


60-minute boil

Hops:

1.5 grams Cluster (7.6% AA) @ 60 minutes
1.5 grams Cluster (7.6% AA) @ 45 minutes
3.0 grams Cluster (7.6% AA) @ 15 minutes
1.5 grams Hallertau Mittelfrüh (3.75%) @ Knock-out

Other Ingredients:

Irish Moss - 0.4 grams @ 15 minutes


Yeast

Safale US-05

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Out of curiosity, I did some Googling and looked at some photos; based on what I found, I think that my colour for this beer (which I originally thought was too dark) might be pretty close, after all. I found a few that were a little lighter, and a few that were a little darker; I also found quite a few that were nearly identical.

While it might still be a little darker than it "should" be, it evidently isn't out of the ordinary....