"Cocoa-Bananas" Takes Top Home Brew Honors
The 2023 Erie County Fair Best in Show Beer “Cocoa-Bananas” was brewed by Rick Felser. Felser was inspired by the creative aspect of this year’s homebrew competition and decided to replicate classic fair food in the brewing of this “hefeweizen.” Coco-Bananas—named by Rick’s wife, Jen Felser— captures the flavors of a frozen chocolate covered banana, but Rick says it best pairs with something salty at the Fair like a soft pretzel, onion rings or French fries. Rick also entered another beer into this year’s competition—Front Porch Sipper—inspired by Fair lemonade, which received a gold in the homebrew competition. Rick won Best in Show Beer for the 2021 Erie County Fair as well.
Rick began brewing nine years ago when his mother-in-law gifted him a homebrewing kit. After about six months, Rick began tinkering with the kit. Fast forward to today, Rick enters beers into competitions all over the country. His basement is set up to model a brewery.
He is working with the brewers at Hamburg Brewing to professionally brew his recipe to be available at the Erie County Fair (while supplies last).
Click here for a full list of the 2023 home brew competition results.
