Kentucky common beer facts for kids
Kentucky common beer was a special type of `ale` that was very popular in and around `Louisville, Kentucky` from the 1850s until `Prohibition` (when alcohol was made illegal). Today, you won't often find this beer being made by big companies. It was also known by names like "dark cream common beer," "cream beer," or just "common beer." This beer was made using a method called `top-fermentation`, similar to how `ales` are made. It was also made very bubbly, or `krausened`, which meant it had a lot of fizz! People drank it fresh, usually `from a tap`. In 1913, it was thought that 80% of all the beer people drank in Louisville was this kind. Many local breweries only made Kentucky common beer.
A Look Back: History of Kentucky Common Beer
Before we had modern `refrigerators`, breweries needed `ice` to keep their beer cool. They would store ice from the winter. However, the `Louisville` area often didn't get cold enough to make or store enough ice.
In the mid-1800s, many people from Europe moved to Louisville. This meant more people wanted beer! Kentucky common beer was a great solution. It was `fermented` (made) at warmer temperatures, like an `ale`. Also, it didn't need to be aged for a long time, or even at all, before people drank it. This meant breweries didn't need to keep it cool for long periods. (This is similar to `California common beer`, which also came about because of a lack of refrigeration.)
Because it was easier and cheaper to make, Kentucky common beer was not expensive to buy. This made it very popular, especially among working-class people.
Kentucky Common Beer Today
As of 2014, this special type of beer is not usually available. However, some breweries are trying to bring it back! For example, `New Albanian Brewing Company` makes one called Phoenix Kentucky Komon. Local Option from Chicago also makes their own version. Avenues Proper in Salt Lake City sometimes brews a Kentucky common ale called Bluegrass Brown.
`Abe Erb` once brewed a special batch called Yee Haw Magee Kentucky Common. The `Falls City Brewing Company`, which has been revived, serves its own version called Kentucky Common. Darkness Brewing from Bellevue, Kentucky, makes a Kentucky common called Bellevue Common. Upstate Brewing Company in New York has one named Common Sense, and Iron Duke Brewery in Massachusetts makes one called The Common. Ten Mile Brewing in California brews Hidden Hollow, and Level Crossing Brewing in Utah makes You-Tah Uncommon. Sawstone Brewing Co. in Morehead, Kentucky, also brews Kentucky Common.
In 2021, the `Brewers Association` (a group for brewers) officially added Kentucky common beer to its updated list of beer styles.
What Made it Special: Characteristics
Kentucky common beer was usually made with a type of barley called `6-row barley`. It also used about 25% to 30% `corn` grits. A small amount (1% to 2% each) of `caramel` or `caramel malts` and `black malt` were added. These ingredients helped balance the local water, which had a lot of `bicarbonate`.
The beer had an `original gravity` (a measure of how much sugar is in the liquid before fermentation) of 1.040-1.050. It had an average bitterness of 27 `IBU` (a measure of how bitter a beer is).
This beer was usually put into `kegs` and served very young. It only took about 6 to 8 days from when the ingredients were mixed (`mash in`) until it was ready to be put into a keg. Kentucky common beer was an `easy-drinking` ale. It was slightly sweet and had a color that ranged from dark `amber` to light `brown`.
