27B - Kentucky Common

ABV: 4-5.5%
OG/FG: 1.044-1.055/1.01-1.018
SRM: 11-20
IBU: 15-30

Overall Impression

A clean, dry, refreshing, slightly malty dark beer with high carbonation. Mild-tasting, with light toast and caramel flavors, served very fresh as a sessionable saloon beer.

Appearance

Amber-orange to brown in color. Typically clear, but may have some light haze. Foam stand may not be long lasting, and is usually white to beige in color.

Aroma

Low to medium grainy, corn-like, or sweet maltiness with a low toast, biscuity-grainy, bready, or caramel malt accent. Medium to moderately-low hop aroma, usually floral or spicy in character. Clean fermentation character, with possible faint berry ester. Low levels of DMS optional. No sourness. Malt-forward in the balance.

Flavor

Moderate grainy-sweet maltiness with low to medium-low caramel, toffee, bready, or biscuity notes. Generally light palate flavors typical of adjunct beers; a low grainy, corn-like sweetness is common. Medium to low floral or spicy hop flavor. Medium to low hop bitterness, which should neither be coarse nor have a harsh aftertaste. May exhibit light fruitiness. Balance in the finish is towards the malt, possibly with a lightly flinty or minerally-sulfate flavor. The finish is fairly dry, including the contributions of roasted grains and minerals. No sourness.

Mouthfeel

Medium to medium-light body with a relatively soft mouthfeel. Highly carbonated. Can have a creamy texture.

Style Comparison

Like a darker-colored cream ale or present-day American lager, malt-balanced with carbonation. Mild dark malt flavors. Dark version of a Cream Ale or Blonde Ale with fewer adjuncts.

Ingredients

Six-row barley malt. Corn grits. Caramel or dark malt. Cluster or Cascade hops.

History

An American original, Kentucky Common was almost exclusively produced and sold around the Louisville, Kentucky, metropolitan area from some time after the Civil War until Prohibition. It was inexpensive and quickly produced, racked into barrels while actively fermenting, and tightly bunged to allow carbonation in the saloon cellar. There is some speculation that it had pre-Prohibition roots before the style died out. It was certainly similar to the lighter common cream ales of the mid-to-late 1800s.

Comments

A lightly malty, dark beer served on draught as a sessionable thirst quencher. Sometimes labeled Kentucky Common Dark Cream Ale.

Commercial Examples

Apocalypse Brew Works 1912, Broken Bat Bourbon Barrel Kentucky Common, Goodwood Kentucky Common, Nevin’s Kentucky Common