Release & Recipe: Your Cousin from Boston

Our third-annual Homebrew Summer program kicks off today with the release of a Vienna-style lager dubbed Your Cousin from Boston, which was concocted by local homebrewer Jared Rowley and forged into liquid reality with the help of the team at BLAH Brewing, the in-house brewery at Normal Heights’ Blind Lady Ale House. It is the first of numerous pro-am collaborative creations that will be produced and tapped at San Diego County breweries throughout the sunny season as part of this program. And for each of those beers, we’ll be sharing the recipes so you can give them a whirl from the comfort of home. So check back with San Diego Beer News often (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!

Jared Rowley

Homebrewer

How long have you been homebrewing and when did you come up with this recipe?

I have been homebrewing for 10 years now and have been a member of (local homebrew club) QUAFF for eight. I started to work on a recipe for a Boston Lager clone forever ago as it was the beer that really kicked off my interest in craft beer. I would order it at bars when my friends were getting Bud Lights and think, Man, this has so much flavor and character compared to those macro light lagers. I actually reached out to Boston Brewery (AKA: Sam Adams) and asked if they had a homebrew version of this recipe. As I somewhat expected, they kept the recipe details pretty secret, but they did share the ingredients they use and the hops and what stage of the brew day they use them in, so that was cool. 

What led you to submit this particular recipe for consideration? 

I had been talking to Jeff Motch at BLAH about doing a brewing basics class for their staff. I asked about joining Graham Kaschak for a brew day at BLAH to take photos of their system in action so I could use that as part of the slides for the class. We talked some more and decided to brew this Boston Lager clone together and then serve it at the class. I’d never actually brewed this on the homebrew scale and this is the first time I’ve ever brewed a lager, which is kinda crazy!

What are you most excited about with this collaboration?

The beer itself was tasting great before we dry-hopped it, so I’m really excited to see how the final version is once it is kegged and carbed. It’s also going to be very exciting to have a beer I made on-tap at a place that I love. I hope to see a bunch of friends and industry folk at BLAH when it gets released!

Graham Kaschak

Brewer, BLAH Brewing

What led you to select this beer recipe?

We’ve always respected Jared’s brewing knowledge and skill, so when he suggested a Vienna-lager recipe that would be similar to Boston Lager we couldn’t pass it up. 

What it was like on the brew day and what, if any, adjustments were made to make this recipe work for your system?

The brew day was like one big, fun homebrew day. I worked with Jared over at The Homebrewer and we have kept in close touch since then, so it was really just fun to collaborate on a more professional level again. The recipe only needed a little scaling up. As far as Ingredients go. it’s fairly simple. The hardest part was the babying during fermentation. Thanks, (BLAH Brewing owner) Jeff (Motch).

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

I believe they both work really well together and help keep each other constantly pushing the boundaries. It’s hard to find many pro brewers that don’t have some sort of homebrewing past and, for a lot of people in general. San Diego’s beer scene helps fuel them to try out a hobby they might never have if they lived anywhere else. San Diego easily has the world’s best homebrewing scene. The amount of transplants and the geographical proximity to Tijuana and their homebrewers leads to a truly amazing collaborative spirit.