Wortapalooza
Thanks to all who participated in Wortapalooza.
There were 251 entries judged and 197 registered participants, judges, and stewards.
Past Winners
View past winners:
Best of Show Winners
Best of Show – Beer
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jim Silverstein | Jim's High Life | 1B: American Lager | Club Wort |
| 2nd | Kyle Ernsberger | Mean Brews Czech Premium Pale Lager | 3B: Czech Premium Pale Lager | Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS) |
| 3rd | Jim Silverstein | Ole' Quad | 26D: Belgian Dark Strong Ale | Club Wort |
Best of Show – Mead
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dan Acheson | The Semi-Sweetest of Clovers | M1B: Semi-Sweet Mead | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| HM | Jonathan Greene | Let the Dead Berry the Dead | M2C: Berry Mead | Beer Barons of Milwaukee |
Winning Entries
American Lawnmower Beers (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jim Silverstein | Jim's High Life | 1B: American Lager | Club Wort |
| 2nd | Chad Faulstick MHP | Chettyweiser | 1A: American Light Lager | Wheeling Alers |
| 3rd | Gillian Muller-Greyz | Never Drank Beer In College | 1B: American Lager | Evanston Homebrew Club |
International Lagers (5 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dirk Montgomery MHP | Czech It Out! | 2C: International Dark Lager | Red Earth Brewers |
| 2nd | Jonathan Marut MHP | Bonus Nachos | 2A: International Pale Lager | Horsemen of the Hopocalypse |
| 3rd | Tom Luers MHP | Kickin' Back International Lager | 2A: International Pale Lager | Butler County Brewing Society (BCBS) |
Czech Pale Lagers (4 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kyle Ernsberger MHP | Mean Brews Czech Premium Pale Lager | 3B: Czech Premium Pale Lager | Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS) |
| 2nd | Adam Skjefstad | Czech Please Pils | 3A: Czech Pale Lager | River City Brewers [MN] |
| 3rd | Eric Dolen | King Me | 3B: Czech Premium Pale Lager | Club Wort |
Czech Amber and Dark Lagers (4 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Eric Hammel | Vltavou Lager | 3C: Czech Amber Lager | |
| 2nd | Gregory Sanial MHP | Why Is Appearance Only Worth Three Points? | 3C: Czech Amber Lager | PrimeTime Brewers |
| 3rd | Eric Hammel | Hnoza Koza Dark | 3D: Czech Dark Lager |
Munich Helles (7 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Brett Vodicka MHP | Chicken Lollipop | 4A: Munich Helles | Illiana Beer Rackers Union (IBRU) |
| 2nd | Dirk Montgomery MHP | Helles Belles | 4A: Munich Helles | Red Earth Brewers |
| 3rd | Mike Neville MHP | Pizzabier | 4A: Munich Helles | LagerBoyz |
Strong German Pale Lagers (7 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Daniel Kukuk MHP | Walleye Run | 4C: Helles Bock | Lagerboyz |
| 2nd | David Banks | Festbier | 4B: Festbier | Club Wort |
| 3rd | Marc Riordan | Hunny Bunny | 4C: Helles Bock |
German Pale Bitter Beers (5 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bryant Jurgensmeyer | Zisch! | 5A: German Leichtbier | The Brü Club |
| 2nd | Jason Musgrave MHP Co-Brewer: Caleb Dunn | Busty Bee | 5B: Kölsch | |
| 3rd | Paul Smietana | Paul Smietana | 5B: Kölsch | Club Wort |
Pilsners (8 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bryant Jurgensmeyer | Grandpa's Pils | 5D: German Pils | The Brü Club |
| 2nd | Wayne Doucette | Ex-Schaumburg Resident's German Pils | 5D: German Pils | River City Brewers [MN] |
| 3rd | Marc Riordan | No Frills Pils | 5D: German Pils |
German Amber and Dark Beer (10 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Brandon Edwards MHP | The Schwartz Is Strong... | 8B: Schwarzbier | Lagerboyz |
| 2nd | Brian Carpenter | 10 | 6A: Märzen | Brewing Innovators and Enthusiasts of Rhinelander (BIER) |
| 3rd | Derek England | März Madness | 6A: Märzen | Club Wort |
German Wheat and Rye (6 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dan Acheson MHP | The Wise Ram | 10C: Weizenbock | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 2nd | Art Kim MHP | Lee Elia and the Multi-Fold of Madness | 27A8: Roggenbier | Illiana Beer Rackers Union (IBRU) |
| 3rd | Dirk Montgomery MHP | El Jefe | 10A: Weissbier | Red Earth Brewers |
British Ales (14 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Sebastian Seith MHP Co-Brewer: Calvin Seith | So (low) Bitter | 11C: Strong Bitter | Brixie's Brewers |
| 2nd | Joe Skiles MHP | Team America | 12A: British Golden Ale | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 3rd | Edward Salse | Edward's Best Bitter | 11B: Best Bitter | North Urban Brewing Society (NUBS) |
Irish and Scottish Ales (5 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ben Nelson | Highland Braw | 14C: Scottish Export | |
| 2nd | John Guilfoil | Red Headed Stepchild | 15A: Irish Red Ale | Club Wort |
| 3rd | Stephen Schmitt MHP | William Wallace | 14C: Scottish Export | Evanston Homebrew Club |
Porters (4 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bill Ports Co-Brewer: Billy Ports | Wc Porter | 9C: Baltic Porter | |
| 2nd | Scott Estlund MHP | So...I Got A Thing For Feet! | 20A: American Porter | The Brü Club |
| 3rd | Zach Fritts MHP | Obituary | 13C: English Porter | Club Wort |
Stouts (6 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Scott Estlund MHP | Footsteps In the Night! | 16A: Sweet Stout | The Brü Club |
| 2nd | Daniel Kukuk MHP | Midnight Island | 16C: Tropical Stout | Lagerboyz |
| 3rd | Dirk Montgomery MHP | Old Walking Stick | 15C: Irish Extra Stout | Red Earth Brewers |
American Blonde and Pale Ales (14 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Steven Offutt | 479 Blonde | 18A: Blonde Ale | Ozark Zymurgists |
| 2nd | Jason Musgrave MHP Co-Brewer: Caleb Dunn | Defend the West | 18B: American Pale Ale | |
| 3rd | Brett Vodicka MHP | Murder Hornet | 18B: American Pale Ale | Illiana Beer Rackers Union (IBRU) |
American Amber and Brown Ales (5 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Marc Riordan | 3 Second Amber | 19A: American Amber Ale | |
| 2nd | Steven Offutt | Sierra's Brown | 19C: American Brown Ale | Ozark Zymurgists |
| 3rd | John Guilfoil | John Brown's Body | 19C: American Brown Ale | Club Wort |
Barleywines and Imperial Stouts (9 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Timothy Pratt MHP | When Life Gives You Barleywine | 17D: English Barley Wine | Brew Haven |
| 2nd | Stephen Schmitt MHP | Rancor | 22C: American Barleywine | Evanston Homebrew Club |
| 3rd | Samuel Persichilli | Shaolin | 20C: Imperial Stout | Hangar 41 Brew Club |
| HM | Dirk Montgomery MHP | Tsar's Choice | 20C: Imperial Stout | Red Earth Brewers |
American and Double IPAs (6 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Joe Skiles MHP | My Finger Is On the Button | 21A: American IPA | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 2nd | Ben Gaylord MHP | Cleansed By Fire | 22A: Double IPA | Ultra Rare Brewers |
| 3rd | Dmitri Tymos | Barney the Welder | 22A: Double IPA | Club Wort |
Hazy IPAs (9 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bryant Jurgensmeyer | Low Visibility | 21C: Hazy IPA | The Brü Club |
| 2nd | Mike Lawler | You Lika da Juice? | 21C: Hazy IPA | North Urban Brewing Society (NUBS) |
| 3rd | Nick DeFae | Slava Ukraini | 21C: Hazy IPA |
Specialty IPAs (13 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ben Nelson | Hazy Mudpuppy | 21B: Specialty IPA | |
| 2nd | Kyle Ernsberger MHP | Mean Brews Black IPA | 21B2: Black IPA | Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS) |
| 3rd | Wayne Doucette | Coldest IPA Ever! | 21B: Specialty IPA | River City Brewers [MN] |
Lower ABV Belgian Ales (6 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Shaun Huggins MHP | That's No Moon | 24A: Witbier | San Antonio Cerveceros |
| 2nd | Ben Gaylord MHP | Wit and Wisdom | 24A: Witbier | Ultra Rare Brewers |
| 3rd | Ron Barnes MHP | Da Pope | 26A: Belgian Single | Kansas City Bier Meisters |
Saisons (8 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Matthew Mead MHP | Gs Saison | 25B: Saison | LagerBoyz |
| 2nd | Ryan Kuhn Co-Brewer: Jack Churchill | Saison 2 | 25B: Saison | |
| 3rd | Ben Gaylord MHP | Space Hippie | 25B: Saison | Ultra Rare Brewers |
Higher ABV Belgian Ales (10 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jim Silverstein | Ole' Quad | 26D: Belgian Dark Strong Ale | Club Wort |
| 2nd | Mark Westmeyer | The Creeper | 25C: Belgian Golden Strong Ale | Brewers of South Suburbia (BOSS) |
| 3rd | Kevin Wojdak MHP | Elk Grove Village Zot | 25A: Belgian Blond Ale | Urban Knaves of Grain |
European Sours (5 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Brian Stephens MHP | Gose ++ | 23G: Gose | LagerBoyz |
| 2nd | Dan Acheson MHP | Lambicus | 23D: Lambic | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 3rd | Matthew Mead MHP | Berliner Weisse | 23A: Berliner Weisse | LagerBoyz |
American Wild Ales (7 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jim Silverstein | Funk It Up | 28D: Straight Sour Beer | Club Wort |
| 2nd | Brandon Edwards MHP | Pit-Iful | 28C: Wild Specialty Beer | Lagerboyz |
| 3rd | Shaun Huggins MHP | Scruffy Lookin Nerf Herder: Blackberries & Gin | 28C: Wild Specialty Beer | San Antonio Cerveceros |
Fruit and Spice Beers (5 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Shaun Huggins MHP | Yub Nub | 29D: Grape Ale | San Antonio Cerveceros |
| 2nd | Matthew Mead MHP | Grit - Wake Up With A Roar! | 30A: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer | LagerBoyz |
| 3rd | Timothy Pratt MHP | Shakin' It! | 29B: Fruit and Spice Beer | Brew Haven |
Smoke and Wood (8 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jonathan Greene | And the Mountain Quaked Violently | 32A: Classic Style Smoked Beer | Beer Barons of Milwaukee |
| 2nd | Joe Skiles MHP | Oak Aged Calculating Infinity | 33A: Wood-Aged Beer | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 3rd | Samuel Persichilli Co-Brewer: Devin Nelson | Deep In Their Hearts They Remembered Hell | 6B: Rauchbier | Hangar 41 Brew Club |
Historical Beers (6 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Daniel Kukuk MHP | Cumberland Cruiser | 27A2: Kentucky Common | Lagerboyz |
| 2nd | James Schuyler | Imperial Alt V 1.0 | 27A: Historical Beer | |
| 3rd | Brett Vodicka MHP | Konky Dong | 27A6: Pre-Prohibition Lager | Illiana Beer Rackers Union (IBRU) |
Mixed Style and Experimental Beers (6 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Adam Reynolds MHP | Citra Wow | 34C: Experimental Beer | Miami Area Society of Homebrewers (MASH) |
| 2nd | Mark Niemczewski | West Coast Pils | 34B: Mixed-Style Beer | Club Wort |
| 3rd | Michael Wulff | Daddy Beer: Hoppy Pilsner | 34B: Mixed-Style Beer | INSTABHility |
Standard Cider and Perry (6 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Zach Fritts MHP | Brekkie Classic | C1A: New World Cider | Club Wort |
| 2nd | Edward O'Neill | Bitter Me Timbers | C1B: English Cider | STLBrewhogs |
| 3rd | Dan Acheson MHP | L'Anglais | C1B: English Cider | Urban Knaves of Grain |
Specialty Cider and Perry (7 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Art Kim MHP | Jerry Sider | C2B: Cider with Other Fruit | Illiana Beer Rackers Union (IBRU) |
| 2nd | Dennis Sage | Raspberry Beret | C2B: Cider with Other Fruit | Midnight Carboys |
| 3rd | Kevin Wojdak MHP | Lemondropped | C2E: Cider with Herbs/Spices | Urban Knaves of Grain |
Traditional Mead (5 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dan Acheson MHP | The Semi-Sweetest of Clovers | M1B: Semi-Sweet Mead | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 2nd | Ilija Melentijevic | Flagship | M1B: Semi-Sweet Mead | |
| 3rd | Daniel Kukuk MHP | Big Wave | M1B: Semi-Sweet Mead | Lagerboyz |
Fruit Meads (9 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jonathan Greene | Let the Dead Berry the Dead | M2C: Berry Mead | Beer Barons of Milwaukee |
| 2nd | Joe Skiles MHP | 2024 Kukui Blossom Cyser | M2A: Cyser | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 3rd | Mike Asquini | Vikings Blood Mead | M2E: Melomel | Club Wort |
Spiced and Specialty Meads (10 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Garrett Freeman MHP | I Swear It's Not Applesauce | M3A: Fruit and Spice Mead | Red Earth Brewers |
| 2nd | Cody Lester MHP | Gingered Greens, So Yum Yum | M3B: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Mead | Central Arkansas Fermenters |
| 3rd | Ilija Melentijevic | Stary Boczek | M4B: Historical Mead |