Homebrew Summer: Ryeders of Rohan

Before he was hired as a brewer for vaunted North County operation, The Lost Abbey, Andrew Konopak (pictured above, at left) was infatuated with local beer yet oblivious to how it was made. As has been the case with so many in San Diego’s suds scene, professionals at a local brewery took him under their wing, educating and inspiring him so he could eventually achieve his full potential. Those generous fermenationists were Ryan Sather and Chris Barry, the co-founders of BattleMage Brewing. Konopak has remained a regular there over and beyond his time at The Lost Abbey, where he recently resigned in order to follow another passion of his: opera singing. Doing so will require him to move away from San Diego, so Sather and Barry invited him to brew one last beer at their Vista brewery as part of Homebrew Summer. The recipe for that rye IPA, Ryeders of Rohan, is available for download below. Look it over then make plans to attend a combination beer-release and farewell affair at BattleMage’s tasting room on Saturday, July 27. And remember, it’s not goodbye…it’s see you later!

New pro-am beers will debut weekly throughout the summer, so be sure to 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!

Andrew Konopak
Homebrewer

How does it feel to have your recipe selected to be brewed on a pro scale?
I started homebrewing with my best friend about six years ago. We had recently discovered how incredible the craft-beer scene is in San Diego and Battlemage was our favorite spot. One weekend, the two of us were sitting at the bar in the early afternoon, pestering Ryan with questions about how beer is brewed. He, of course, had other things to do than explain the entire process of brewing to a couple kids at the bar, so he told us to go get a kit and try it ourselves. Once we started, we were addicted and couldn’t stop. Ryan and Chris were our mentors, they practically gave us a bunch of their old homebrewing equipment (dual filter, sparge tool, other various things that we would never have put the time into getting without their guidance). Every time we brewed a new batch, we would bring a couple bottles in for them to try, so they could tell us how we messed up. With all of this background, it should come as no surprise that brewing on the Battlemage brew-stand has always been a dream of mine. I am getting ready to move to Colorado, where I will not have room for any of my homebrewing equipment. Thankfully, my parents are holding onto it for me, but once I move in a few weeks, there is going to be basically no brewing for me. Brewing with the “Battlemage Bois” was the perfect sendoff, and I’m looking forward to sharing our beer with the community at Battlemage!

Ryan Sather
Co-owner, BattleMage Brewing

What led you to select this beer recipe?
We chose to brew with Andy because he’s an awesome homebrewer and human. We have seen his journey and helped mentor him from the start of his homebrewing days to him becoming a professional brewer at The Lost Abbey, and his eventual return to homebrewing so he could focus on his music career. His career as an opera singer is about to take him to Colorado, and we saw this as the perfect opportunity to send him off with an epic farewell party. Andy has been a loyal patron that we are excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with. Besides his passion for music and brewing, Andy is a die-hard Lord of the Rings fan. That was the inspiration for the name Ryeders of Rohan, and we wanted to try something new style-wise. We’ve never brewed a rye IPA at BattleMage, and we are excited to see how that malt plays with the hops we selected. It’s a classic base IPA with 14% rye layered in both malted and flaked form. We did some first-wort hopping and then a huge hop burst at whirlpool to get a bitterness that should match the spicy and herbal notes that come from the rye. The beer is generously hopped with Simcoe, HBC 586 and Galaxy, and should be absolutely delicious. We are doing a unique release event that will double as a farewell party for Andy, as well. Not only will we be unveiling the Homebrew Summer collaboration, but Andy will be belting out some amazing opera tunes throughout the evening. It will be a truly proper sendoff to see him through the next phase of his journey with fond memories and good beers.  Come celebrate with us on July 27. Cheers!  

BattleMage Brewing is located at 2870 Scott Street in Vista