Homebrew Summer: Violet

Each year, me and my friend and fellow Leo, Tom Nickel (pictured above, at right), use the fact our birthdays fall on consecutive days in August as an excuse to convene at his Julian brewery, Nickel Beer Co., to brew a collaboration beer. Over the years, we’ve brewed all manner of styles – IPAs of varying strengths, Belgian ales, a black barleywine. This time around, we knew we wanted to go the hoppy route, but didn’t really have a game plan. Then came a monumental life event for my family, the passing of my dear grandmother, Violet Lyons. Allow me to digress.

Growing up the son of a single working mother, I spent the majority of my time with my grandmother. She played a major role in raising me, and I’m so glad that she did. She provided great examples of love, determination, strength, loyalty and a work ethic, all of which I’d like to think rubbed off on me. She had grit and gumption, but also affection and compassion, especially for her family. She always made me feel loved and accepted. I never felt less than or as if I didn’t measure up when I was with her. She was a safe place to land and home to me for nearly a half-century. In short, she was, as my wife puts it, “my person”. I owe so much to her and feel so blessed to have had the privilege of having her in my life for so long.

Needless to say, it was tough losing her. I’m still adjusting to her being gone and the fact she won’t be around for special occasions, holidays or simply to call up and talk to. It’s through the kindness and love of friends, family, and friends who are like family, that we get through times like this, and I have my friend Tom to thank for helping me memorialize my grandmother through our annual collaboration. It takes a special person to not only allow for the brewing of a purple-colored IPA (that they then have to sell commercially), but to then also do the lion’s share of recipe formulation. But he never flinched. Instead, he agreed without hesitation, showing enthusiasm despite using ingredients he’d never before utilized, even inviting my mother, Karen Lyons, to join us in the brewhouse on the collaboration day. The result is a beer both inspired by and named for my grandmother: Violet IPA.

A single-strength, 6.6% alcohol-by-volume West Coast IPA, it incorporates my two favorite hop varietals, Mosaic and Strata, as well as a varietal of Australian origin called Topaz. My grandmother’s birthstone was blue topaz. She adored it and rarely left the house without at least one piece of jewelry featuring that sparkly pastel jewel. In this beer, the Topaz hops introduced vibrant tangerine-like notes, which meshed well with the tropical-fruit character of the Mosaic and the red-berry nuances of the Strata. It made for a very well-rounded IPA that just so happens to be purple. To achieve that coloring, we added butterfly pea flower powder. Since neither of us knew how much to add, we consulted the team at Vista’s BattleMage Brewing, who utilized the exotic ingredient in a pro-am beer they produced during the very first Homebrew Summer back in 2021. With their help, we ended up with a shade a tad darker than violet and a slight earthiness that complemented versus overtook the hop-driven flavors of the beer.

Thankfully, Violet IPA has sold well at Nickel Beer’s tasting room, and some adventurous accounts have even ordered kegs. I had the honor of having a sixtel of the beer on tap during San Diego Beer News’ five-year anniversary party at Bock Bar in South Park in August, as well. Now, thanks to Tom, who continued his streak of incredible kindness by taking the time to scale the beer recipe down to a five-gallon homebrew batch, I’m pleased to share his how-to with readers. It’s a fun beer I think you will enjoy, and for me, a meaningful tribute to my person.

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