REHOBOTH BEACH — Nathan Follmer of Ocean View, Delaware, took first place in Thompson Island Brewing Company’s first homebrew contest.
His creation, a double dry-hopped session IPA, will be brewed on the Rehoboth Beach restaurant’s brewing system, and customers can sample it.
Sean Phipps of Frankford came in second, and Clayton Ruminski of Wilmington came in third.
The contest attracted 19 local homebrewers. Judges included Jimmy Valm, the brewmaster at Thompson Island, and Jimmy Kroon, president of Delmarva United Homebrewers, which is in Sussex County, Delaware.
Follmer’s winning IPA has notes of peach, guava and grapefruit.
“This surprisingly full-bodied beer was balanced with fruit-forward hop notes,” Valm said. “There is a lot of flavor in a small package.”
Follmer was inspired by his friends, who wanted a low-alcohol beer so they could hang out and drink a few of them. (Hence the term “session” beer.”)
Follmer, who has been homebrewing since 2007, previously medaled at the Good Beer Festival in Salisbury, Maryland, where one of his Saison beers earned a bronze medal in the Best in Show category.
Thompson Island Brewing Company is part of the SoDel Concepts restaurant group. The hospitality company’s 12 restaurants are open for dine-in service or carryout. For more information about SoDel Concepts and a list of restaurants, visit sodelconcepts.com.
