Kentucky Common

Kentucky Common

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.048 FG = 1.012
IBU = 20 SRM = 16.4  ABV = 4.8%

Ingredients
6.5 lbs. (3 kg) US 6-row malt
3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg) flaked maize (corn)
4 oz. (113 g) UK black malt
3 oz. (85 g) UK crystal malt (77 °L)
2 AAU Vanguard hops (first wort hops) (0.4 oz./11 g at 5% alpha acids)
3 AAU Cluster hops (60 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
0.4 oz. (11 g) Vanguard hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast
1 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Make a 1-qt. (1-L) yeast starter two or three days before brew day, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast.

On brew day, prepare your ingredients; mill the grain, measure your hops, and prepare your water. This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Add 1⁄4 tsp 10% phosphoric acid per 5 gallons (19 L) of brewing water, or until water measures pH 5.5 at room temperature. Add 1 tsp. calcium chloride (CaCl2) to the mash.

On brew day, mash in the 6-row and flaked maize at 131 °F (55 °C) in 15 qts. (14 L) of water, and hold this temperature for 15 minutes. Raise the temperature by infusion or direct heating to 145 °F (63 °C) for 30 minutes, then raise to 158 °F (70 °C) for 15 minutes. Finally, raise to 168 °F (76 °C) to mashout. Add the crystal and black malts, and recirculate for 15 minutes. Fly sparge with 168 °F (76 °C) water until 6.5 gallons (25 L) of wort is collected. Boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding the hops at times indicated in the recipe. First wort hops are added to the kettle before the wort is run off. After adding the final hops when the heat is turned off, let the wort stand for 15 minutes before chilling the wort. Chill to 64 °F (18 °C).

Oxygenate, then pitch the yeast starter. Allow fermentation temperature to rise to no more than 72 °F (22 °C) until fermentation is complete. Rack and allow the beer to drop bright, using crash cooling or fining if necessary. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to 3 to 3.5 volumes.

I used Fawcett black malt (455 °L) and Crisp Crystal 77L malt in this recipe, with US 6-row and flaked maize. I add the dark and crystal malts during recirculation to keep the harsh flavors down. I use minimal water treatments since I prefer the flavor profile of beers without excessive mineral additions. If you mash the dark and crystal malts, you likely will not have to use the phosphoric acid in the mash, but you should still use it in the sparge water.

If you want to perform a single step infusion mash, use a rest temperature of 152 °F (67 °C). Cluster hops are common for bittering but nearly any other hop variety could be used in their place. The flavor and aroma hops should be some kind of noble-type hop, such as Hallertauer, Tettnanger, or Saaz (if using European hops), or my favorite US-grown substitutes, Vanguard, Santiam, and Sterling.

Any relatively neutral, well-attenuating and well-flocculating, aggressively-fermenting ale yeast can work, but you should avoid those that are described as malty or fruity, since those can produce flavors that interfere with the malt flavors. If you want to try a British yeast, I might choose Wyeast 1335 (British II).

Kentucky Common

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.048 FG = 1.012
IBU = 20 SRM = 16.4 ABV = 4.8%

Ingredients
6.8 lbs. (3.1 kg) light liquid malt extract
4 oz. (113 g) UK black malt
3 oz. (85 g) UK crystal malt (77 °L)
3 AAU Cluster hops (60 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
2 AAU Vanguard hops (15 min.) (0.4 oz./11 g at 5% alpha acids)
0.4 oz. (11 g) Vanguard hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) yeast
1 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Use 6 gallons (23 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C). Place the black malt and crystal malt loosely in a mesh bag and steep in the hot water for 30 minutes. Remove the mesh bag, then turn the heat off. Add the liquid malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated in the recipe. After adding the final hops when the heat is turned off, let the wort stand for 15 minutes before chilling the wort. Chill to 64 °F (18 °C).

Oxygenate the wort, then pitch the yeast starter. Allow the fermentation temperature to rise to no more than 72 °F (22 °C) until fermentation is complete. Rack and allow the beer to drop bright, using crash cooling or fining if necessary. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to 3 to 3.5 volumes. As is true with the all-grain recipe, just about any hop variety can be substituted for the bittering hop addition, and the flavor and aroma hops should be some kind of noble-type hop.