Nick and Justin Herstich of Akron were announced Friday night as the winners of the West Point Market 2012 Bottle My Brew homebrew challenge. (A photo of the winners is below.) They made an American barleywine that was a hit with the four judges: Thirsty Dog Brewing brewer Tim Rastetter, Thirsty Dog co-owner John Najeway, Winking Lizard partner John Lane and myself.

The Herstiches received $1,000, a trophy and will have their beer brewed by Thirsty Dog. It will be available at West Point and select Winking Lizard Taverns next year.

The other winners were:

2nd: Greg Irving of Strongsville, an India pale ale.

3rd: Michael Crea of Akron, an India pale ale.

4th: Keith Kneisley of Akron, a specialty beer.

5th: Jeff Berghoff of Stow, a specialty beer.

6th: Ryan Crabtree of Wooster, a specialty beer.

7th: Terry Reagan of Akron, a stout.

8th: John Hull of Dublin, a jalapeno India pale ale.

9th: Nathan Levengood and Kraig Warther of Dover, a spice/herb/vegetable beer.

10th: John Hull of Dublin, a spice/herb/vegetable beer.

11th: Rob Slater of Medina, a German wheat/rye.

There were 11 finalists because there was a tie for the top 10 during the preliminary judging. All the finalists received a cash prize. Overall, there were nearly 140 entries.

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