Kentucky Common Beer - Get The Recipe & Our Review!

[@greggleblanc2725]

I think my favorite part of these videos is watching John drink his beers. He takes his first sip at 45 seconds in and by minute 4:53 he has taken down 1/2 of each pint. I know he is really just trying to get a good handle on the mouthfeel, aroma, flavor, etc. I get it - I do tastings the same way...........

[@BrewDudes]

I am also very thirsty. - John

[@jvergen]

Adding flaked rye and brewing in the steam beer fashion really turns out nice

[@BrewDudes]

Great tips - appreciate the input! - John

[@FaanPret]

I brewed this and thanks - it is bloody AWESOME !!

[@BrewDudes]

AH!!!!! YES!!!! CHEERS! -MIKE

[@tman9338]

Thanks guys. I’m gonna try a pressure batch with my new all rounder.

[@BrewDudes]

Sounds like the way to go. Cheers! -Mike

[@howardhaby7487]

Definitely going to try this in the future.

[@BrewDudes]

Definitely. Cheers!

[@tooidiotsbrewingcompany8137]

Thanks for bringing this style up. Definitely adding this to my list to brew.

[@BrewDudes]

Thanks!

[@timwood8733]

great style & brew recipe -nice to have something a bit different -well done

[@BrewDudes]

Thank you!

[@curtpick628]

Sounds great guys

[@BrewDudes]

Thanks, Curt!

[@dioad1739]

I started watching you guys seriously about 6 months ago and really been enjoying the show I like how you use LME now and again and don’t snob away from them I’m new to brewing and don’t have a large set up for all grain brewing but still make some decent brews from LME with some grain additives and have enjoyed what I’m doing and hope I can graduate to a bigger set up when I feel more comfortable and can afford it but thanks brew dudes for what you do for the brew world.

[@BrewDudes]

We started brewing using extract. We have no problems with it. You can brew great beer using extract. Cheers and brew on! - John

[@markbarber7839]

Thanks for the video. I brew a cream ale (some) and find your recipe intriguing. I get the middle time between summer beers and cold winter's

[@BrewDudes]

Right on! - Thanks, Mark!

[@nozzde]

this is great material!

[@BrewDudes]

Glad you're into it. Cheers! -Mike

[@marcusmoore5792]

I live in Louisville KY and this style can be found all over here. Almost every brewery has an interpretation of this style. Some are slightly maltier but some have a slight tart taste. I like them both. I always have a Cream Ale I brew on tap or kegged ready to go. Thanks for the videos guys! Really enjoyed it! I've never brewed a Kentucky Common though. I'll try one soon!

[@BrewDudes]

Thanks Marcus - appreciate the comment from someone in Kentucky! - John

[@keithgaschojr2015]

Very interested in these older, lesser know styles and ran across this. Excellent video! Looking forward to brewing one myself soon.

[@BrewDudes]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting - John

[@bryanfriend4058]

I just brewed a KC and drinking it now. Very similar recipe, but I used two-row and with a small amount (3.2 oz) of wheat. It tastes very much like your description, and I am enjoying it.

[@BrewDudes]

Good stuff!

[@egruber50]

Sounds like a winner.

[@BrewDudes]

It was!

[@dwainpannell5208]

This is perfect timing. I have my 160th all grain brew since AL made Homebrewing legal upcoming. In the Army, I retired from the 160th Avn Regt Nightstalkers stationed in KY. So KY Common, a dark beer, for my 160th brew is fitting. I’ve never brewed a KY Common but look forward to it based on your comments.

[@BrewDudes]

Excellent timing, Dwain. Thank you for your service. May you brew a great one! - John

[@nivek204]

Love the Kentucky Common. I just brewed one using Lallemand Koln

[@BrewDudes]

Great - I will look for the strain. - John

[@ryanmcauliffe5347]

Both beers look great! I'll have to check out that Kentucky common.

[@BrewDudes]

Thanks! Cheers, Ryan.

[@MRW3455]

Never heard of the style, but judging by Johns reaction I should give it a go. Epic clarity on the Cream ale by the way.

[@BrewDudes]

Yeah, it was good and it didn't last long. - John

[@rickbosley6246]

My Ky Common netted me a 3rd place in a local beer comp. People love it Brew on! Cheers

[@rickbosley6246]

I think I've brewed this beer more than any others in my list My recipe was remotely similar, but different 71% 2-row 2% Caramunich II 2% Carafa II 25% Flaked Corn First time through, mashed at 152F. I've since dialed that back a touch - down to 149F now. I went with Liberty hops - mainly because I had a pound of it when I started. But, they are of noble descent, so, there's that I guess. 1oz at 60min, 0.5 at 30 (60 min boil) And, for the yeast - also when I started I had some Cream Ale yeast in the fridge that I originally had for an actual cream ale I intended to brew. But, instead I used it for the common. Fermented around 68 (no big surprise there) The first time through, it was good. Definitely some residual sweetness - hence the now lower mash temp. It dried out a bit more on the last time through, and I think it's all but dialed in. I'd be interested in playing around with the hops and yeast a touch just to know, so you've provided a few options there. But every time I've brewed it, it's come out brilliant clear, and with that beautiful copper hue.

[@BrewDudes]

CHEERS!

[@BrewDudes]

Yeah, that color is spectacular. - John

[@grumpycyclist3319]

Well done Mike!

[@BrewDudes]

Cheers! -Mike

[@BFloz]

I have a monthly assorted beer box here in the UK and there was a US brewery Kentucky common. I was super excited to try it as I've never seen one at all ever. It was gross and I poured it down the sink. No idea if it was a bad batch, a crappy example or I hate the style? Unfortunately, it'll be a while before I see another one to compare!

[@BrewDudes]

AH, that stinks! My version just keeps getting better it seems. I'd encourage you to try making one fresh. Maybe commit to half batch size? Cheers! -Mike

[@bethelittiss]

Gose. Brew a Gose! Key lime Gose is brewed at a local brewery and it’s great for a spring and summer thirst quencher. I love your guys videos. Always giving me good ideas.

[@BrewDudes]

All right - adding Gose to the list. - John

[@iflanzy]

I was looking for something new (to me) to brew since I've been bored with the standard styles so I think I'll have to give this one a try.

[@BrewDudes]

Go for it! Brew on - John

[@timwood8733]

would be a wonderful addition if these recipes had a brewfather link share

[@BrewDudes]

Thanks Tim - we'll consider it in the future. - John

[@MeirbhinOConaill]

Great channel. Wondering if a cheap LED coaster would work to bring out colour and clarity for the audience? Set up a camera shot etc. It's a fundamental talking point on many episodes and could maybe be demonstrated better/more consistently. First test with a flashlight I guess to see if it works. Looking forward to future videos

[@BrewDudes]

Yeah, thanks for the feedback. Been experimenting a long time off camera with how to get that right. Might set up a white/light box with a pour cam or something. Its actually quite hard to get these things to translate on camera. There's trade-offs with every technique. Cheers! -Mike

[@PatrickSandy78]

The water in Louisville is wonky. That style is meant to be drunk super fresh. Another obscure American beer is a Pennsylvania Swankey. Great video as usual.

[@BrewDudes]

Thanks Patrick - appreciate the comment! It tasted great as a young beer. - John

[@brianbarker2670]

I made a partial mash KC last year but not as pure to the style as yours. Think I got the recipe from Beersmith. I used flaked corn but other differences to yours (besides being DME based) is I used 60L crystal, pale chocolate malt, and a bit of rye. Hops I used were Columbus @ 60 and for dry hopping. Tasted best after 4 weeks in the bottle. One question I have is, I thought this was an ale but see you used a lager yeast?

[@BrewDudes]

It's a hybrid style so you can use either. Sorta like Cream Ale.

[@beeroquoisnation]

The cream ale looks like it was filtered. The KC looks great. Almost looks like Tucher Dunkles. I am pleasantly surprised as I found another content creator's grain to glass on Dunkles and remarked that I would have to save it favorites. Might the beginning of a summer of brown and red beer. Cheers Dudes.

[@BrewDudes]

Its amazing what time and cold temps will do to any beer. The KC is not far behind and will be a real stunner when its done. Cheers! -Mike

[@beeroquoisnation]

@@BrewDudes Had a conversation with a brewer yesterday, and we both agreed that Kveik won't be finding it's way into either of our brewing. Great beer takes time.

[@pettermandt9200]

You know, it _is_ possible to lager a kveik beer. You can even ferment it at 10C. Or lower. That said, I dont use kveiks that often. Exept in meads, and sometimes ciders. Is so easy to produce a #&%-load of dried kveik, as a reserve. Ironically, kveik is not that popular here in Norway.

[@beeroquoisnation]

@@pettermandt9200 I suppose you could lager any beer. Kveik is a yeast used for speed and higher temperatures. I generally follow the purists path. I can wait. The finished product is worth the wait, and is timed perfectly for my process. I haven't ever brewed anything that takes less than a month, and I have only brewed ales. When the keezer is done, I will delve into lagers. Cheers.

[@cartiernt1981]

Does anyone know if research has been done on whether this was parti-gyled? This is hinted at around the 5 min mark but wondering if we know whether they were maybe continuing the english tradition, taking older runnings off a whiskey mash.. note that they also call the stuff that's distilled to make whiskey "beer" ..

[@jonwilliams1158]

Yummy, I may just brew this for something different. Sounds great. Just out of curiosity Mike, what's your typical total grist weight for a five gallon batch? My system I typically like to keep it between 10-12#. Great video BTW 🍻

[@BrewDudes]

I am right there with you 10-12 pounds. I normally start my recipe design with 10lbs of base malt and work from there. If the gravity is a little high when I finish adding specialty malts I'll start to pull back on the base malt. Thanks for the support! Cheers! -Mike

[@davec4955]

Sounds great, not likely to stumble across Kentucky common over here in the UK😂 And more economical than the more fashionable hop bombs.

[@BrewDudes]

That is true. Brew it up! - John

[@ajoyce]

I know a brewery where that is their flagship style. I couldn't believe it when I saw it.

[@BrewDudes]

Hi Adam - which brewery? Interesting that it's not an IPA. - John

[@dexterne]

Had my first KC a few weeks ago at a brewfest, thought it was a bit ho hum. Better than the screwball white chocolate blonde ale a booth over, but that's not saying much. My LHBS doesn't carry 6 row, so haven't tried to brew one yet. On the bucket list though. Cheers!

[@BrewDudes]

Cheers, Tim. I don't think it is a style that will blow you away. Certainly engaged my curiosity to understand the grain bill and how that played with such a low hopping rate. Worth brewing from that perspective. - John

[@dexterne]

@@BrewDudes it definitely is an interesting grain bill, and a nice bit of history showing good ol American ingenuity to adapt local ingredients to make a new style. Maybe the example I had was just not to my tastes. I absolutely will brew one at some point, and put my own spin on it. Isn't that what homebrew is all about? Thanks for keeping the flame alive, brew on!

[@adamgodofwar666]

How long was your boil? I hear folks say to boil 6 row barley longer for dms boil off but im not quite sure why

[@BrewDudes]

I've boiled al Pils worts for 30 minutes and couldn't catch a whiff of DMS. I think the DMS story, and much of the practiced homebrew dos/don'ts, is based on less contemporary literature and ingredients. Modern day malt, regardless of 2-row or 6-row, is being produced for industrial beer making. Optimized to make beer making as easy as possible. And quite honestly, as flavor less as possible. I think modern kilning practices have eliminated what the older brewing texts tell us about DMS in malt. Just my opinion based on observation. Cheers! -Mike

[@adamgodofwar666]

@@BrewDudes thanks for the response and this is why I like to see up to date videos and comments from many folks cause what you read one time could be old or outdated, or just one man's opinion. With alot of information from different sources you can see what the possibilities are and make a better choice in what your doing in the whole process. As a homebrewer, you can tell me till your blue in the face, but at the end of the day I'm gonna do what I want to try based on alot of others good or bad info. Variety is the spice of life!

[@kevinoleary8600]

My guys is like.. I’m just here for the booooooz

[@couplesmessykitchen2633]

I've always wanted to try making a home brew beer, but it seems to be a more demanding process than making a wine...

[@BrewDudes]

It does take more work than wine. I've made both and wine is basically mix and ferment. I'd suggest looking into extract based brewing. That takes much of the work out of it and you can still make good quality beer once you get the hang of it. You only sacrifice a little bit of style diversity with extract. Cheers! -Mike

[@BrewDudes]

We wrote a book on extract brewing too. Check it out: www.amazon.com/Beer-Brewing-101-Beginners-Homebrewing/dp/1641526408/ref=asc_df_1641526408/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=385577166172&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2769890403991589253&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001904&hvtargid=pla-823762434169&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=79288120755&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=385577166172&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2769890403991589253&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001904&hvtargid=pla-823762434169

[@davidjennings1256]

One packet of 34/70 or two? Thinking making a 5G 4.5-5% lager soon and I think I might need two packs…

[@BrewDudes]

I pitched two here, but I've also made lagers with one pack and it all seems to work out. Cheers! -Mike

[@PalinuroRex]

Convinced me I never want to brew a beer.

[@BrewDudes]

Cheers! -Mike

[@mustyditch4703]

My research tells me there should be rye in there.

[@BrewDudes]

It might be nice to put in some flaked rye next time.