Let’s rewind to the brew day. As many of you know, brew day is my favorite day of the week. But this one? Not exactly smooth sailing. It was full of challenges, frustration, and even a little bit of literal fire (don’t worry, just a little).
This year, I wanted to create something refreshing, flavorful, and unique for the competition. I kept asking myself: How do I stand out again? As I started to spiral a bit, my wife hit me with the perfect suggestion:
"Why don’t you brew your Beer Crush?"
She added, "I love that beer, and this is for Baltimore, they love their crushes."
Boom. That was it. Decision made - we were bringing back the B’more Beer Crush, a citrus pale ale brewed with fresh oranges. The goal: brew a beer that looks like an orange, tastes like an orange, but still drinks like a beer.
The Plan
I kept the malt bill simple:
- Brewer’s Malt (2-row)
- Crystal 40L
- Crystal 20L
For hops, it had to be Citra bursting with citrus aroma and notes of orange and grapefruit. Perfect for what I had in mind.
Ingredients ordered. Delivery complete. Brew day on the calendar because let’s be real, as a dad of two, I need to schedule time to brew.
Brew Day Begins
The competition was only a few weeks out, and I needed a full three weeks for fermentation and carbonation. I also needed to brew two batches back-to-back. One to follow the original recipe, and one to experiment a bit more with oranges.
The day started strong. Equipment set up? Check. Ingredients ready? Check. I even decided to film and narrate parts of the brew day (ambitious, I know). After 4–5 takes trying to talk to the camera, we were still rolling.
Then... the first hiccup.
Every time I turned on the heating element, the outlet tripped. I tried again. Click. Short. Awesome. After some quick troubleshooting and a new outlet install we were back in business.
Batch 1: The OG
This batch was true to the original 2020 recipe. It had the right color, a light citrus note, and most importantly, it brewed without any major issues. My wife reminded me if we’re calling it a "Beer Crush," it better taste like one. That meant more citrus to come in Batch 2.
Batch 1 wrapped up. Lines cleaned. Time for round two.
Batch 2: Murphy’s Law
This one... this one was challenging.
The mash went great. Everything looked good. But when I cranked up the heat for the boil, the temp wouldn’t budge. Unplug. Replug. Same. Power off/on. Same. Eventually, the temp started dropping. Swapped plugs. Pump worked, but heating element didn’t.
The heating element is built into the system, so I couldn’t just pull it out. Time to pivot. Thankfully, I still had my old-school gear in the basement.. Cleaned it off, fired it up… and realized I didn’t have enough propane. Cue electric stove boil attempt.
While the wort was heating, I cooled and disassembled the heating element. The verdict? Frayed wires. Small internal fire. Dead element. Note to self: always keep backups.
Back to the kitchen. The electric stove worked surprisingly well and we even got to a rolling boil. Of course, we had a boil-over. (Naturally.) But we powered through.
I tripled the amount of orange zest and oranges for this batch. That meant more flavor... right? Not exactly. In the chaos of zesting and stirring, I missed my second hop addition. Oops. I guess this batch is now its own thing.
What I didn’t account for: the pith. More orange doesn’t always mean better orange. The extra zest gave the beer a more bitter edge than intended.
So after a few missed hop additions, new equipment, spills, and some light stove damage... batch 2 was done.
The Taste Test
Two weeks later, it was time to transfer and sample.
Batch 1: Good color. Subtle orange. Balanced finish.
Batch 2: Way too bitter. Thanks, overzealous orange guy.
But I wasn’t giving up.
I did some research: more zest? Juice? Extract? The winner: orange extract. I added 1 fl oz into each keg, gave it a shake, and waited. An hour later…there it is. The citrus I wanted. A day later…still there. Clean, bright, and orange-forward.
Batch 1 with the extract? Chef’s kiss. Batch 2? Better, but still the underdog.
Competition Day
One of my favorite days of the year. Brewers. BBQ. Feedback from real people (not just friends looking for free beer). We arrived early and grabbed the same spot as last year.
It rained in the morning but cleared up into a beautiful day. Judges came by early to ensure they tasted everything. Meanwhile, we served the crowd and shared the story.
One thing I learned from a friend’s dad:
It’s not how you play…it’s how you perform.
At whatsbacon, we’re here to entertain. I want people to know the story behind the beer, to taste the love in every pour, and most of all - enjoy themselves.
The crowd showed up. We had returning fans who remembered us from last year. Some asked if we sold the beer or could brew for events. That feeling? Unreal.
And then… the results.
Back-to-back fan favorites.
By a landslide.
84 votes for us. The next closest? 34.
It was a perfect day. We brewed a great beer, made people smile, and took home the vote again. We’ll be back next year but what should we brew? The pressure is on for the hat trick.
Cheers!
