[PaulF]

Sorry, just saw this thread and then started a list of pink/red Brandywinelike varieties when I remembered you were talking about yellow Brandywine.

For a 5a zone many varieties of Brandywine would be too late. Many Brandywine varieties are not great producers but folks enjoy the tomatoes so muck production is not a factor.

There are perhaps some alternatives that would fit your growing area. We are in 5b but in the middle of the country and these may not fit your needs, but they have been very good for me.

Apricot Brandywine is similar but earlier than Yellow. Wisconsin 55 Gold is a good cooler area choice. Yellow Giant Belgium may work and one of my favorites is Lenny and Gracie's Yellow Kentucky Heirloom. This is a mid-season variety with excellent flavor and very productive.

I am not a grafter...too much work for me so I would rather find a variety that could be grown in the way I have always done it and plant the whole thing in the ground. Good luck.