Homebrew Summer: Weser

Since opening in San Marcos last year, Michi Brew Co. has done a great job of endearing itself to locals, to the point where the young company is having trouble brewing enough beer to maintain an ample suds supply. Despite a packed production schedule, owner and Head Brewer Cody Gagnon (pictured above, at right) was generous enough to make a spot to craft a pro-am beer as part of our sixth-annual Homebrew Summer program. Despite not knowing who he’d end up working with or what they would eventually brew, it really worked out for him. Today, Michi will release its collab with amateur brewer Chris van Hamersveld (pictured above, at left), a liquid ode to the first beer produced by San Diego County’s longest-operating beer op, Karl Strauss Brewing, which is not so coincidentally where Gagnon started his career. Continue on for the back story behind Weser American amber lager, as well as all-grain and extract recipes should you want to try to create this beer from the comfort of your home.

This is one of over 20 beers we’ll be sharing recipes for throughout the summer, so be sure to check back with us often. Or, if you prefer, you can sign up for our email newsletter, and we’ll send all of the recipes directly to your inbox. Cheers to homebrewing and another fun Homebrew Summer!

Cody Gagnon
Owner & Head Brewer, Michi Brew Co.

For Homebrew Summer, Paul Sangster from (former San Marcos business) Rip Current Brewing swung by the brewery to see if I’d be down to team up with a homebrewer for a collab. Chris came highly recommended, so we linked up to chat beers. Right away I could tell this guy knew his stuff. Dude’s a wizard with water profiles. We got to talking about my brewing background and how it all started at Karl Strauss, and somehow ended up reminiscing about their amber lager. We figured it’d be a cool way to pay homage to Karl Strauss himself if we tried to recreate our own version. So that’s how we landed on an American amber lager brewed with 100% German malts. This beer turned out fantastic. The color is absolutely gorgeous, it finished around 1.7 Plato so it’s got that nice balance, and it drinks dry and smooth. I cannot wait to share this beer with our guests at Michi. 

Chris van Hamersveld
Homebrewer

Brewing with Cody was a uniquely collaborative experience. Instead of picking an existing recipe from my lineup, we decided to build something brand new together. We focused on an amber lager inspired by Karl Strauss’ original Old Columbia Amber Lager, the recipe Karl brewed and served on opening day in San Diego back in 1989. To do it justice, I dug into Karl’s history and brewing roots, eventually drafting a recipe for a German-ingredient, Vienna-style lager that Cody helped fine-tune. The brew day felt like a true team effort, with Cody involving me in every step of the process. A key takeaway was learning the power of pushing an amber lager to finish dry. The caramel malts supply all the rich flavor while the crisp, dry finish keeps it completely crushable without any distracting sweetness. To top it off, we honored Michi’s tradition of naming beers after waterways by calling our beer Weser for the river flowing through Karl’s hometown in Germany, where he grew up alongside the family brewery. Researching Karl’s story and bringing this tribute to life was an absolute blast!

Michi Brew Co. is located at 1801 Diamond Drive, #101 in San Marcos