Kentucky Common

According to the Wahl-Henius Handy Book of Brewing that was published in 1902, a beer referred to as the Kentucky Common was enjoyed by many in the Louisville area in the early 1900's. This style was a darker Cream Ale that utilized a partial sour mash. The recipe consisted of barley, corn, dark roasted malts, and some caramel malts.
Malted barley has a lot of natural occurring bacteria that live in the husk of the grain. Lactobacillus is one that is useful to brewers. Lactobacillus is the same bacteria that makes yogurt sour. The lacto in the grains when given the right conditions will turn a nice warm sugary environment into a tart acidic slurry of grains and lactic acid. Add that to your mash and you can add a tart twang to your beer.
So how about a Missouri Common? We will keep you posted.

Malt Liquor?

Let's cut to the chase here. If you add sugar to a regular batch of wort (beer) along with a little more yeast then you get a higher alcohol beer. One of the members of the Anchor Star brewing family has a real taste for a light fortified beer. Since this member provides us the premises in which we operate then we keep him in supply.
Today's brew is a light bodied American Ale. The grain bill is simple 2-row barley, Mt. Hood hops, and a late addition of sugar. It is a beautiful Monday. Most importantly Go Cards!

Fête de la bière belge

For the past few months we have brewed, fermented, conditioned, kegged, bottled, corked and caged, five different Belgian styles. We will be serving them with a few classic Belgian foods like liège waffle, mayonnaise and pomme frites, and croque monsieur. The event is Sunday April 14th at 3:00 PM.