Recipe: Secret Safari

Our second-annual Homebrew Summer program had such a fantastically high level of participation from San Diego County breweries—with over 30 of them taking part—that we’ve had to extend it into the fall. So you can keep checking back to San Diego Beer News each week for homebrew-scaled versions of popular beers from local brewing companies, as well as recipes from homebrewers that are being produced on a professional scale and put on tap around town.

The next recipe on the professional-to-recreational info-sharing train comes from a fermentationist who, though he’s now a full-fledged member of the commercial brewing community, still adores the same style he brewed more than any other when he held amateur status. That style is the humble yet lovely pale ale, and the one he’s sharing is an all-Citra-hopped number called Secret Safari, which is a hit, not just with customers, but also the brew crew at Abnormal Beer Co. Stop in to try the beer at ABC”s home base inside Rancho Bernardo restaurant, The Cork and Craft, or try making it at your home base with the recipe below.

I chose to submit Secret Safari for Homebrew Summer for a few reasons. It’s one of our favorite beers to drink. The beer has so much depth for such a simple recipe, and when I was an avid homebrewer I would mostly brew pale ales. This pale ale exclusively features Citra hops with a very simple base of two-row, Maris Otter and flaked oats. We keep the hot-side hop additions low and the whirlpool and dry-hop additions high to showcase the full glory of the Citra hop. This crowd-pleaser will make a great appearance in your homebrew lineup!”

Jason Martin, Head Brewer, Abnormal Beer Co.