Recipe: La Finta Nona
Sharing deets on a BGS that won Home Brew Mart's 30th anny homebrew contest
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 had to extend it all the way into November.
This week we present La Finta Nona, a Belgian-style golden strong ale developed by local homebrewer Lucas Orr. Both the beer and its creator were on hand at Home Brew Mart back in September when that venerable homebrew-supply store celebrated an impressive three decades of operation. The birthplace of Ballast Point Brewing, it’s served as the starting point for many professional brewers and countless award-winning amateur fermentationists. as part of its 30-year celebration, Home Brew Mart held a homebrew competition where the grand prize was having the winning beer brewed and served at the anniversary event. Orr’s strong-yet-graceful brew came in on top and wowed the palates that day. And thanks to the fact he’s sharing the recipe here, it can leave your taste buds awestruck, as well!
It is important that this celebration is heralded by a story like Lucas’. We often get excited thinking about the part Home Brew Mart has played in the vast history and tradition that beer has painted across the centuries, but the best part is the microcosm of community created around a boiling kettle. If you’ve ever poured a homebrew for someone who is there helping you decide on the details of your next recipe, or stir your whirlpool while you prepare the fermenter, or sanitize several dozen glass bottles on packaging day, or just listen to you jaw on unceasingly about brewing obscura, you know the feeling I’m talking about. The beer we brew is really just for fun, but the community that it connects is vital. We are profoundly grateful to be a part of this industry and to have people like Lucas, whose hard work and honed skills help to keep this community so worthwhile.”
Derek Laurisden, Assistant Manager, Home Brew Mart
Little Italy Brewery Manager, Chris Takeuchi, did a phenomenal job at scaling up and sticking to my recipe. Brewing with the awesome team at Ballast Point was such a pleasure. I picked up a few pointers along the way that I can’t wait to try out. Thank you to the entire team at Ballast Point for providing exceptional hospitality and making me feel right at home in the brewery. I am honored to have had my beer tapped in celebration of one of the great pioneers of San Diego’s homebrew scene!”
Lucas Orr, Homebrewer