Creator: Mike Neville
Having gained recognition following the Civil Struggle and thru Prohibition, Kentucky Frequent is a novel type that’s really American, although it receives little consideration nowadays. Comparable in some ways to Cream Ale, Kentucky Frequent is a bit darker in colour because of the usage of roasted grains, which some posit was a way to acidify the tougher water out there in its birthplace of Louisville, Kentucky.
Sometimes made with 6-row pale malt, a hefty quantity of corn grits to dilute the protein content material, and a smattering of caramel and black malt, Kentucky Frequent was a principally malt-forward type with average bitterness and clear fermentation character. In contrast to the favored lagers of the day, Kentucky Frequent was identified to be served very contemporary, often inside every week of being brewed. The BJCP gives the next description of this distinctive historic type:
A clear, dry, refreshing, barely malty darkish beer with excessive carbonation. Delicate-tasting, with mild toast and caramel flavors, served very contemporary as a sessionable saloon beer.
Whereas I’d by no means brewed a Kentucky Frequent earlier than, I’ve had quite a few examples together with one from an area brewer and frenemy who took a bronze medal on the 2018 Nationwide Homebrew Competitors. I’ve been itching to brew one thing distinctive and felt a much less conventional method may work nicely for this conventional American type.
| BREWING THE BEER |
My Quick & Shoddy Kentucky Frequent recipe was closely influenced by the model my buddy received his award with, although I made changes based mostly on the substances I had on-hand.
Quick & Shoddy Kentucky Frequent
Recipe Particulars
| Batch Dimension | Boil Time | IBU | SRM | Est. OG | Est. FG | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 gal | 30 min | 24.8 | 15.4 SRM | 1.045 | 1.006 | 5.12 % |
| Actuals | 1.045 | 1.006 | 5.12 % | |||
Fermentables
| Identify | Quantity | % |
|---|---|---|
| Brewers Malt | 4 lbs | 37.21 |
| Brewers Malt 6-Row | 4 lbs | 37.21 |
| Corn, Flaked | 2.25 lbs | 20.93 |
| Black (Patent) Malt | 4 oz | 2.33 |
| Crystal DRC | 4 oz | 2.33 |
Hops
| Identify | Quantity | Time | Use | Kind | Alpha % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus (CTZ) | 17 g | 30 min | Boil | Pellet | 15.6 |
Yeast
| Identify | Lab | Attenuation | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flagship (A07) | Imperial Yeast | 77% | 32°F – 32°F |
Notes
| Water Profile: unfiltered Dearborn, MI faucet water adjusted with small quantities of Campden, calcium chloride, and Epsom salt |
The night time previous to brewing, I collected the complete quantity of unfiltered faucet water, which I added small unmeasured quantities of campden, calcium chloride, and Epsom salt to. I then weighed out and milled the grain.
At 1:32 PM the next day, I flipped the swap on my 120v BräuSupply electrical controller to get the water heating up.
At this level, I weighed out the only kettle hop addition.
When the water was correctly heated, I stirred within the grist then checked to verify it was at my goal mash temperature.
As soon as the 30 minute mash relaxation was full, I eliminated the grains and introduced the wort to a boil, throughout which hops had been added as listed within the recipe.
Following the 30 minute boil, I shortly chilled the wort to 68°F/20°C with my Hydra IC.
A refractometer studying confirmed the wort was at 1.045 OG, for a brewhouse effectivity of 64%.
11.1 °Bx = 1.045 OG
I then transferred the wort to my fermentation vessel.
Subsequent, I direct pitched a pouch of Imperial Yeast A07 Flagship into the wort. The time was 3:27 PM for a complete brew day time of precisely 1 hour and 55 minutes.
The stuffed fermenter was positioned in an space of my basement that maintains a reasonably constant 62˚F/17˚C. With exercise absent after 10 days, I took a hydrometer measurement exhibiting FG had been reached.
1.006 FG
I then chilly crashed the beer to 38°F/3°C in my fridge and left it in a single day earlier than returning to switch it to a CO2 purged keg.
The stuffed keg was positioned in my keezer and burst carbonated in a single day earlier than I decreased the gasoline to serving stress. After every week of chilly conditioning, it was able to serve to tasters.
| RESULTS |
A complete of 19 folks of numerous ranges of expertise participated on this Quick & Shoddy analysis. Contributors had been knowledgeable of the precise beer type and supplied the BJCP description previous to finishing the survey. Tasters had been then instructed to charge how hoppy, malty, and dry they perceived the beer to be on a 0-5 scale the place a ranking of 0 indicated “by no means” and 5 indicated “extraordinarily.”
Tasters had been supplied an inventory of widespread hop, malt, and yeast traits then instructed to pick from every the one they perceived as being most distinguished within the beer.
Hop Traits
Malt Traits
Yeast Traits
Subsequent, individuals had been requested to point whether or not or not they detected any off-flavors within the beer; those that did had been supplied an inventory of widespread off-flavors and instructed to pick the one they perceived as being strongest. Not a single particular person recognized this beer as possessing any off-flavors.
Tasters had been then requested to charge how nicely the beer represented the supposed type, based mostly on the supplied BJCP description, on a 0-5 scale the place 0 meant “by no means” and 5 meant “precisely.”
Lastly, tasters had been requested to charge how a lot they loved the beer on a 0-5 scale the place 0 indicated they hated it and 5 indicated they cherished it.
My Impressions: I perceived this beer as being malt-forward with wealthy toast and medium-low caramel malt flavors. Whereas the bitterness balanced the malt properly, I perceived little hop character, and the beer completed dry on my palate. When actually focusing, I felt like I detected some hints of vegetal notes, thought it wasn’t sufficient to be distracting.
| CONCLUSION |
Various traditional beer types are marked by the areas from whence they originated, which is exactly the case with Kentucky Frequent, a refreshing ale that was served nearly completely within the metropolis of Louisville, Kentucky from the late nineteenth century till Prohibition. Much like its Cream Ale cousin in that it was produced with an honest portion of corn, Kentucky Frequent received its distinct colour and taste from the usage of darker caramel and black malts.
Whereas Kentucky Frequent was sometimes brewed utilizing uncomplicated strategies, it’s in all probability protected to imagine most brewers tended to abide by sure “guidelines” to keep away from undesirable off-flavors. Apparently, tasters of this Quick & Shoddy model not solely appeared to get pleasure from it, however felt it was illustration of the type. Moreover, not a single particular person felt the beer possessed off-flavors, regardless of the quite a few corners that had been reduce when brewing it.
Rankings on the varied perceptible qualities of this Quick & Shoddy Kentucky Frequent aligned with the BJCP description– toasty malt, earthy hops, and a clear fermentation profile. Whereas the caramel and black malts contributed a pleasant colour and a few taste, the beer was not overwhelmingly roasty, which contributed to its drinkability. General, I used to be slightly happy with how this Kentucky Frequent turned out and don’t really feel it was impacted negatively in any respect by the strategies used to brew it. For anybody trying to strive their hand at a novel historic type, this Quick & Shoddy Kentucky Frequent is a good choice!
When you’ve got ideas about this Quick & Shoddy brew, please be happy to share it within the feedback part under!
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