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By Jaime Lutz
Brooklyn Daily
What’s happening? Wort’s happening.
An epic battle between 30 home brewers for the title of the borough’s best amateur beer maker is back for another year.
The entrants have been whittled down by judges to just thirty brewers. These judges include last year’s winner and oyster beer genius Douglas Flamm, along with beer journalists and experts. But having a populist streak will help these mighty microbrewers too — the judge’s choice gets $800, but the vote of the crowd wins a $200 people’s choice prize.
That’s the reason that many brewers are trying for excellence as well as novelty.
“I’ll be bringing a classic double IPA, about 8.5 percent alcohol,” said Jason Sahler, the 2011 winner and one of this year’s strong contenders. “It’s named Lupulus Pious. I wanted to go with something big and bold, but a classic example of a double IPA, not messing around with too many crazy ingredients.”
The contest is being held for the first time at the Bell House, in order to fit a potentially giant crowd. After all, just $40 gets you lunch from Zito’s Sandwich Shop and a taste of all 30 beer finalists — not a bad deal.
It’s especially fun for the contestants themselves, who can get a glimpse of what the top home-brewers in the area have been working on all year.
“It’s a small enough community that you get to know a lot of people,” Sahler said. It’s also a chance to get a taste of the future stars of the beer world, since many of these contestents will end up opening full-fledged breweries — including Sahler himself.
“2013 Brooklyn Wort” at Bell House [149 Seventh St. between Second and Third avenues in Gowanus, (718) 643–6510, www.thebellhouseny.com]. Sept. 10, 1 pm, $40.