{"id":745,"date":"2024-09-06T08:19:27","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T08:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/2024\/09\/06\/the-uncommon-kentucky-common\/"},"modified":"2024-09-06T08:19:27","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T08:19:27","slug":"the-uncommon-kentucky-common","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/en\/news\/the-uncommon-kentucky-common\/","title":{"rendered":"The Uncommon Kentucky Common"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\"><i>The Kentucky Common hasn\u2019t been around long, but beer itself has been around since about 4,000 BC. Some even say there\u2019s a strong possibility that it\u2019s been in existence some 6,000 years prior to that.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\"><i>Today, in the 21st century, there are almost 10,000 craft breweries in the U.S. And while we pride ourselves on innovation and unique aspirations when it comes to beer and its history, we are rarely the instigators of a style itself.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\"><i>But we do come close when it comes to the cream ale, the Kentucky Common, and the California Common.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\"><i>This is the Kentucky Common story.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:hsl(230,39%,15%);\">By:<\/span><span style=\"background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(102,102,102);font-size:16px;\"> <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/livingastoutlife.com\/\">Living a Stout Life<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">History of a Kentucky Common<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">Kentucky is known for The Bourbon Trail, but it was also once known for the Kentucky Common, an immensely drinkable and extremely affordable ale made for the common folk of Louisville, Kentucky.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">European immigrants were making their way to Louisville in the mid-19th century, bringing along their desire for a beer after a hard day\u2019s work. However, without modern day refrigeration and a warm climate, the ale they desired was hard to come by. So a new one was crafted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">This ale was fermented at a warmer temperature and didn\u2019t require aging for long periods of time. In fact, it could go from brewery to consumer in one week. The low overhead and time-saving methods inevitably kept costs down, quickly becoming the drink of choice for those with less than desirable incomes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">Until Prohibition\u2026that is.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">The beer that once served the working class never quite made a comeback.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">Until now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/dfa83d46-0cd3-28c5-c5da-b647b0709e18-workers drinking beer.webp\"><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">What exactly is a Kentucky Common?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">About 150 some odd years after its conception, the Kentucky Common has found its way back. And this time around, it\u2019s gone beyond Louisville. While its trajectory isn\u2019t likely to head down the same road as an IPA for example, it isn\u2019t uncommon to find a Kentucky common outside of Kentucky.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">Today, the Kentucky Common is no longer hindered by lack of ice, nor by rumors of using a sour mash. (It was brewed in Kentucky. Kentucky is known for its whiskey. Distilling uses a sour mash.) However likely that may seem to be, evidence actually points to the contrary &#8211; that no intentional souring was performed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">So when it comes to brewing a Kentucky Common in the 21st century, we\u2019ll refer to and trust the knowledge behind the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bjcp.org\/style\/2021\/27\/27A\/historical-beer-kentucky-common\/\"><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;\"><u>BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program)<\/u><\/span><\/a><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\"> Guidelines:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">\u201cA 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.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">Amber to brown in color, a Kentucky Common has a sweet malty flavor without much bitterness or after-taste. There should be no sour notes, just an easy drinking beer, one that can be drunk again and again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/846ff572-7e3c-8fcb-f11b-913be0c5d092-kentucky common ale beer in pub glass 600w.webp\"><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">MMC Knows Malts<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">And when it comes to malts for the Kentucky Common, there\u2019s nothing common about Malteurop\u2019s malts. They\u2019re all exceptional, giving you the exact malts you need for your Kentucky Common (like our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/en\/mmcmalt\/north-american-malts\/2-row\"><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;\"><u>2-Row base malt<\/u><\/span><\/a><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/en\/mmcmalt\/north-american-malts\/steamed-c40\"><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;\"><u>Steamed C40 speciality malt<\/u><\/span><\/a><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">). Which, by the way, is also nothing common!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\"><i>\u201cMalt should not be something that somebody has to worry about. That\u2019s our job as maltsters. We produce something consistent and to specification every time and take that off of your plate.\u201d&nbsp; (Joel Grosser, Director of Operations for North America)<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\"><strong>Premium grains from field to flavor.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;\">&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#434343;\">About Malteurop Malting Company (MMC)<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">Malteurop Malting Company (MMC) is based in North America &#8211; specializing in growing and producing quality malts for the beer, whiskey, and food processing industries.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">With local farms and Malthouses spread across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Malteurop&#8217;s commitment to excellence is fully ingrained into every batch it produces, ensuring businesses of any size can create the finest beverages and food products on the planet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">Visit <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/\"><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#0000ff;\"><u>www.malteuropmaltingco.com<\/u><\/span><\/a><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\"> to learn how we can support your malting needs.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">Contact us at <\/span><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#0000ff;\">customersuccess@malteurop.com<\/span><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\"> or (844) 546-MALT (6258) for questions or to place your order.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\"><strong>Malting is our passion. Quality is our promise.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#000000;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;\">&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/beerandbrewing.com\/make-your-best-kentucky-common\/\"><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;\"><u>https:\/\/beerandbrewing.com\/make-your-best-kentucky-common\/<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.americancraftbeer.com\/what-the-hell-is-a-kentucky-common-beer-2\/\"><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;\"><u>https:\/\/www.americancraftbeer.com\/what-the-hell-is-a-kentucky-common-beer-2\/<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/learn.kegerator.com\/kentucky-common\/\"><span style=\"background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;\"><u>https:\/\/learn.kegerator.com\/kentucky-common\/<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. has created few actual beer styles, though Kentucky Common is one of the few. This is the Kentucky Common story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":691,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"The Uncommon Kentucky Common","_seopress_titles_desc":"The U.S. has created few actual beer styles, though Kentucky Common is one of the few. This is the Kentucky Common story.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technical-spotlight"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.malteuropmaltingco.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}