Homebrew Summer: Green Truck

No other San Diego County brewery produces as many fresh-hop beers as Nickel Beer Co. Headed by former World Beer Cup Brewmaster of the Year Tom Nickel, the Julian operation cranks them out like clockwork come each year’s hop-harvest season, which runs from late-August through early-October. Of all his whole-cone-laden concoctions, Nickel’s favorite is his wet-hop double IPA (DIPA), Green Truck. It’s also a beer his father was partial to and enjoyed many a pint of at NBC as well as Tom’s popular Kearny Mesa bar, O’Brien’s Pub. Sadly, Tom’s father passed away last summer. It happened rather suddenly, but thanks in large part to family as well as the “pub family” that knew and appreciated both members of the father-son duo, Tom is healing. He is also finding ways to honor his dad, including sharing the recipe for Green Truck as part of this year’s Homebrew Summer. We are honored to provide his homebrew-scaled all-grain and extract recipes for the beer below, along with a few words from Tom about the man he so loved.

This is one of over 20 beers we’re sharing as part of this year’s program. Summer is over, but Homebrew Summer is not, so keep checking back with us to make sure you don’t miss the recipes that are yet to come. 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!

Tom Nickel
Owner & Brewmaster, Nickel Beer Co.

When asked what my favorite beer is, I often reply: “The one in front of me.” And most of the time it is true. But ask me what my favorite brew day of the year is, and it is a no brainer ‒ Green Truck wet-hop DIPA. Named for the Green Toyota Tundra that kept me safe while rolling over on Interstate 805 at 65 miles-per-hour, this beer is an homage to one of my favorite hops from my early brewing days, Amarillo. It has all of the dank, fruity flavors that Amarillo has to offer combined with a light malt bill and some sugar to create a beer that’s very drinkable with a dry finish.

While my late father enjoyed nothing more than a bourbon barrel-aged beer of at least 12% ABV (alcohol-by-volume), a double IPA was always his warm-up beer, and this was also his favorite DIPA. You might have seen him in his signature driver’s cap at O’Brien’s sharing a story about puffins or asking a trivia question like, “How many state capitals are west of Los Angeles?” He was a man with many passions and had a child-like enthusiasm for all of them. Some of my earliest craft-beer memories revolve around sharing a beer with him while working jigsaw puzzles of Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, which served as Walt Disney’s inspiration for his castles.

So enjoy brewing this beer and raising a glass to the ones you love, whether you are sharing a beer with them or toasting them in your heart.

And the answer is six state capitals: Carson City, Nevada; Juneau, Alaska; Honolulu, Hawaii; Olympia, Washington; Sacramento, California and Salem, Oregon.

Nickel Beer Co. is located at 1485 Hollow Glen Road in Julian