Homebrew Summer: Banana Wars

In publishing our very first pro-am beer recipe of this year’s Homebrew Summer program, we’re taking the opportunity to clear up a common misconception about this annual initiative. With competitions so prevalent in the amateur-brewing ranks, it’s natural to believe only the most experienced brewers and award-winning beers are chosen by pro brewers for recreation on their systems, but that’s not the case. Professionals that participate in this program look over a bank of recipes submitted by homebrewers at all levels or team with recreational fermentationists they already know. There’s no requirement that a beer recipe needs to have won accolades or that a homebrewer must have a certain number of years under their belt. The former only need be interesting and the latter can be anywhere in their hobbyist journey. Case in point, Anthony Flores, a less-experienced yet plenty passionate homebrewer who wowed Backyard Brewery owner and Head Brewer Bill Carter with his saison recipe. The pair recently brewed that Belgian-style farmhouse ale, Banana Wars, at Carter’s Escondido business, where it will hit the taps on Friday, June 27.

Anthony Flores
Homebrewer

I’m new to homebrewing, having only been at it for about two years. I’ve only made around five or six beers using an all-grain recipe. This particular beer is my most recent experiment, and having Bill select it for Homebrew Summer validated my efforts as a homebrewer.

Bill Carter
Owner & Head Brewer, Backyard Brewery

When Anthony brought the beer over for me to try, I thought it was unique. I had never brewed a saison, so I though, ‘let’s do this!’ As we were brewing, I pretty much let Anthony take the reins. It was a pretty straightforward conversion with a few tweaks I’ve learned from scaling other recipes over the years.

Any tips for homebrewers using this recipe?
The main thing is to watch your fermentation temps. For the first part, keep the temperature below 70. We raised our temp to 75 after four days to complete the fermentation. Also, be sure to have a fun brew, and when it’s all over, enjoy a homebrew!

New homebrew recipes and pro-am beer release information will be posted to our site throughout the summer, so check back with San Diego Beer News on a regular basis (or subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter and we’ll send all the recipes and release information straight to your inbox). Cheers and happy homebrewing!

Backyard Brewery is located at 2229 Micro Place in Escondido