Release & Recipe: Citra! Fasho?

When it comes to homebrewing, few are the locales, here or anywhere, with as much history and significance as Home Brew Mart. The starting point for Ballast Point Brewing and thousands of homebrewers, including those who have gone on to start some of San Diego’s most iconic commercial breweries, this Morena gem continues to sparkle as a hub for equipment, ingredients, tips and knowledge for amateur fermentationists. For the past three years, Home Brew Mart has played an integral and irreplaceable role in making Homebrew Summer program all it can be, working with professional and recreational brewers to transcribe their homebrew recipes so they can be shared with the public via our website. Cheers to them for that and for working with homebrewers each year to produce pro-am beers!

This year, Home Brew Mart staffer Cyrus Balluyot selected a New England-style IPA worked up by local homebrewer Anthony Incrocci, who came in to produce an updated version hopped with “Incognito” liquid-hop extract. That hazy IPA went on tap at Home Brew Mart’s tasting room earlier this week, and the recipe can be downloaded here if you’d like to give it a look or perhaps even recreate this beer at home.

New pro-am beers will debut on a weekly basis 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!

Anthony Incrocci

Homebrewer

How long have you been brewing and what led you to choose the style you did for this collaboration?

I instantly fell in love with homebrewing and have been doing it since 2014. I joined QUAFF two years ago and have won multiple awards for my beers since. I came up with this recipe four years ago and have since tweaked it to my liking, which includes increasing the ABV (alcohol-by-volume). Home Brew Mart and Ballast Point are pioneers for hoppy beers, and I couldn’t think of any better place to debut this beer.

What did it feel like to have Home Brew Mart reach out o collaborate as part of Homebrew Summer?

I was so honored for my beer to be selected. I have been going to Ballast Point in Scripps Ranch since I turned 21 and have mainly used Home Brew Mart for supplies for my beers since I began my brewing journey. I am so proud to say I have beer on tap at Home Brew Mart. I can’t wait for my friends and family to see my name listed under the beer. And I want to give a special thank-you to my wife for always supporting my brewing journey. It has really become a family affair with our little daughter sitting by my side on brew days.

What else are you enthused about in regards to this collaboration?

I’m excited for the possibilities it can bring. I would love to explore a career in brewing and I’m hoping this could be a stepping stone into the field.

Cyrus Balluyot

Brewer, Home Brew Mart

What inspired you to select this particular recipe to brew as part of Homebrew Summer?

The type of hop products it utilized, mainly the Incognito. I was very curious about this hop product being it’s a liquid form of hops which will provide a lot of hop flavor without low yield due to hop absorption.

What are your thoughts on the significance of San Diego’s homebrew community as it relates to the county’s overall beer scene?

I feel like homebrewers play a huge role in the county’s overall beer scene. With the massive amount of good beer in the county, it gives homebrewers inspiration and even a benchmark to gauge where their brewing skills are. With the amount of homebrewers that have gone pro in this county, it goes to show how the scene relies both on the homebrewers and the pros.

Do you have any words of wisdom to share with current or aspiring homebrewers?

I want to emphasize that a lot of new homebrewers need to brew a few batches before they decide if this hobby is for them. We get a lot of customers who come in and say they brewed one batch and then gave up. Homebrewing is fun, but it’s also challenging. Just like anything new, the more you practice the better you’ll get.