From the Beer Writer: Like many San Diegans, I have lots of fond memories forged in Del Mar during horse-racing season. And like many, that includes enjoying some adult beverages before entering the racetrack. I have nothing against Del Margaritas, but I prefer craft beer, and for the longest time, there wasn’t enough available where the ponies play. Ditto surrounding hospitality venues, so I’d pack a cooler full of local standouts, then powwow with friends, picnic-style, prior to the first post. Nowadays, thanks to the arrival of the fairgrounds-adjacent Viewpoint Brewing, I can leave the beer and food to professionals. Whether thirst hits you before or after the races, this brewpub is perfectly positioned and well-stocked in the food and beer departments. Their brew crew even cooked something up specifically for race season, Not Furlong Blonde Ale. The recipe has Del Mar origins in that it’s a winning entry from the San Diego County Fair‘s annual homebrewing competition. It’s easy to see why. Coming in at 4.9% alcohol-by-volume, it’s smooth and easy-drinking. Lavender-like aromas intermingle with sulfuric notes on the nose, giving way to similar floral notes plus a touch of stone fruit and kitchen herbs on the palate. Try it side-by-side against Viewpoint’s house Blonde Ale for a fun apples-to-apples comparison that should get you in the right frame for a day at the races.
From the Brewers: “Homebrewing is where (Viewpoint owner) Charles Koll and I started, and really found our passion for beer. So, it was great to work with a couple of new homebrewing pals, Jeff and Reas Peirce, to craft our new blonde, Not Furlong, just in time for opening day at the races. Jeff and Reas share our passion for experimentation and have a very similar philosophy when developing flavor profiles. They also pushed us to try new things. For this beer, we took on the fun task of creating one of Jeff and Reas’ old award-winning homebrewing recipes on Viewpoint’s system. Their original homebrewed version of this beer had won gold in the Blonde Ale category at the San Diego County Fair. This recipe calls for California 5 yeast, Cascade and Centennial hops, and a grain bill that includes 2.0, Vienna, and Crystal 10 malts. We think the result is a near-perfect example of the style. It’s crisp and refreshing, and great for a summer day at the races. We had a great time with this one. It was so cool to take a recipe we have never made and to trust our friends. The process gave us just the butterflies we needed to remind us of the excitement of our first fermentation. Oh, and it’s not a hazy, so that was cool, too.”– Moe Katomski, Head Brewer, Viewpoint Brewing
“When Jeff and I started brewing four years ago, I began researching homebrew equipment similar to what was being used in commercial breweries, except on a smaller scale. Burners, boil pots, mash tun, hot-liquor tank, pumps, plate chiller, fermentors, etc. We jumped in with both feet and a small investment. We started producing five-gallon batches of various styles. When we hooked up with Viewpoint Brewing, brewing our recipe on a large scale was a real kick! The brewing process was exactly the same as what we do in the garage, except the scale and computer automation made it so cool! Scaling up to a seven-barrel system from a five-gallon batch required more hours and a little more sweat but the end result was 200-plus gallons for our effort instead of five gallons. Forty pints at home doesn’t last very long! Nice to know we can go to Viewpoint and sit and drink one of our beers!”– Reas Peirce, Award-Winning Homebrewer