Interview by Laurie Delk, Lumberyard Tavern Beverage Director; check out this video on the contest
On September 29, Wild Willow Farms & Hillcrest restaurant Local Habit hosted a 5K race, Chili Cook-Off, and homebrewing contest. It was a delicious day of culinary experimentation alongside a proud lineup of concocted libations. It was my honor to judge these beers alongside the renowned Peter Zien of AleSmith, Greg Koch of Stone Brewing Co., Cicerone Dave Adams of Green Flash and other BJCP judges. When the results were in, one beer came out on top: Marty Frank & Steven Strupp’s Imperial Red. So what is the story with these homebrew champions?
Marty Frank, a native of Woodstock Georgia, has lived in San Diego for 8 1/2 years. After moving for graduate school at SDSU, he loved the city and stayed. Now he is on to Denver to manage operations and business development for a pork company named Tender Belly. Marty is excited to be involved in a startup company and continue his love of craft beer and snowboarding.
Steven Strupp has lived a fascinating life of transition. Born in Indiana, he has lived in Dallas, Michigan, and New York City where he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and worked at the prestigious Aureole. He traveled as a private chef on yachts for almost a decade, and then made the move to San Diego to work as a private chef at the Nixon House, and now works exclusively for a prominent family in San Diego.
How did you guys get started in homebrewing?
M: My dad was making wine, and my brother started too. Then my brother and I started experimenting with beers to one-up my dad! We even opened up a homebrew store in North Park named “Homebrews & Gardens.”
S: It’s only been a year and a half! My fiancé bought me a homebrew kit for Christmas, and it’s so similar to my skill set as a chef. I have a mini brewery in my garage. It’s so much fun, we have parties where we just open the garage door and hang out.
Speaking of starting out, what is your first beer memory?
M: Mine wasn’t very memorable. Probably a Rolling Rock out of my dad’s fridge. When I was in college, one of my roommates was from Oregon, and he brought down a bunch of Deschutes Mirror Pond and Obsidian Stout. At the time we thought it was expensive. It wasn’t until I started brewing that I understood why it was expensive and why it was good.
S: I was about 14 or 15 at my parents’ vacation home in Acapulco. My grandmother was drinking a Tecate with lime and salt, and she offered me a sip. It was about 90 degrees outside, and I drank it out of curiosity. It was the perfect combination on a hot day.
Those are great stories. I think mine was my dad’s Natural Light! So what is your favorite beer style now as brewers?
M: Stouts and porters. Especially imperial porters, so I love Ballast Point’s Victory at Sea. I have a sweet tooth and gravitate towards malty beers.
S: Saison, because of the complexity. Usually they are sessionable beers to me, but not so much now. I brew with six other guys, and we filled a 60 gallon Chardonnay barrel from Carruth Cellars with a hoppy saison and brett, which will stay in another 2 months.
How did you come up with your winning recipe for the homebrew contest?
M: My philosophy was to pick the high-alcohol beer I liked best and then make something similar. I really enjoy AleSmith Winter YuleSmith and Ballast Point Tongue Buckler, but I didn’t want my beer to be overly hoppy. I then met with George Thornton at The Homebrewer shop in North Park, and we came up with a recipe.
S: Marty got the recipe and I volunteered my system. I had never made an Imperial Red before, and I wanted to hop the shit out of it, but Marty wanted it to be nice and malty.
Who has been your mentor through the homebrewing process?
M: My partner Steven. He showed me how you should do it rather than how you can do it.
S: The Brewing Network has been my mentor. I heard about local homebrew club QUAFF through the network. I thought about creating my own club, by why recreate the wheel?
What is your favorite local brewery?
M: AleSmith.
S: AleSmith.
Who do you admire in the craft beer world?
M: I know it’s the same answer, but I have always been a fan of Peter Zien and AleSmith. Decadence. Evil Dead Red. Horny Devil. Pretty much everything they do I love.
S: Hill Farmstead in Vermont. I love that he was a home brewer, and they have a great barrel program. If I were to open a brewery, I would model it after them. They aren’t afraid to go outside of the box. I also love Heady Topper by Alchemist Brewery. In my mind, it is the perfect combination of an IPA. It’s got it all and lives up to its name time and time again.
Where is your favorite local place to drink craft beer?
M: Pizza Port Solana Beach.
S: Encinitas Ale House, and now The Lumberyard Tavern. (Reporter grins.)
Do you have a funny homebrewing story? Any disasters?
M: During one of our boils, the temperature gauge wasn’t working. Later on, we checked it with another thermometer, and we had boiled off all the sugars, so our 6% beer turned into a 2% beer. The beer was drinkable, as much as Budweiser is drinkable.
S: My first Belgian blonde beer. I was so excited, and tasted it through a picnic tap. I wanted it to carbonate really fast. I heard all you had to do was turn it up to 50 overnight. I woke up the next morning, and all the beer was in the bottom of my chest freezer. The beer had found the path of least resistance through that tap.
What advice would you give a homebrewing newbie?
M: Brew with experienced brewers, join homebrew clubs, and make friends in the community. Learn from others who have been there. It’s all about process.
S: Join a club like I did. It’s really great to find a group of people that are as passionate about something as you are. It’s allowed me to meet people I normally wouldn’t have. Listen to The Brewing Network. Enter contests without expectations, because you’ll get good feedback and learn a lot.
What’s next for you? What beer would you like to brew next?
M: I’d like to brew a smoked beer. I love smokey meat. I’ve been drinking Aecht Schlenkerla rauchbiers. And I really like Monkey Paw’s Low and Slow. I’ll be doing another Coconut Porter too because my last one went well. Also I’d like to brew an Oatmeal Stout.
S: Currently I am brewing through the classic styles, and the next beer I would like to brew is a lager. I want to get together with a homebrew club and do a barrel as well. For the future, I hope one day to combine my love for brewing and food by opening a gastropub/brewery.