Ocean View man wins Thompson Island Brewing Company homebrew contest

Thompson Island Brewing Company’s first homebrewing contest had 19 contestants and a wide variety of beers. Nathan Follmer of Ocean View, second from right, was the winner. Also pictured, from left, are: Sean Phipps of Frankfrod, the second-place winner; Jimmy Valm, Thompson Island Brewing Company’s brewmaster; and Clayton Ruminski of Wilmington, third-place winner.

Nathan Follmer of Ocean View recently 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 based in Sussex County.

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 said he 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, Md., 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.