Beer wars winner

The war is over, and a pale ale won.

Matthew Lamm of Morristown (that's Matthew in the middle in the photo at left) and his West Coast-style pale ale – brewed with some homegrown hops – walked away the victor on Saturday in the Beer Wars homebrew contest, sponsored by The Office Beer Bar & Grill and High Point Brewing.

Matthew, who holds a PhD in material science and engineering and is a senior scientist at a pharmaceutical company, now has a date with the mash tun and brew kettle in Butler, where he'll assist the folks at High Point in scaling up his recipe for a commercial-size batch of Morristown Pale Ale. Though when it goes on tap at The Office's seven locations in Febreuary, you'll find it renamed under the restaurant chain's house brew label, which High Point brews under contract.

More than a dozen homebrewers competed in this inaugural turn on the contest. Let's hope it grows.