CASCO – Brewmaster Rob Prindall is already gearing up for next weekend’s beer-focused festivities.

On Tuesday morning starting at about 4:30 a.m., Prindall was already mixing the perfect combination of malt, hops, water and yeast – beer’s four essential ingredients – in the back room of Bray’s Brew Pub in Naples. He was brewing one of the three beers the pub will serve at the sixth annual Maine Brewers Festival, held at Point Sebago Resort next Saturday, Sept. 26, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Prindall has been Bray’s beer brewer for 10 years. Sporting a curly Mohawk hairstyle, Prindall, a resident of Bridgton, spends about eight hours per brew, which he said then needs about one to three weeks to ferment, depending on the mixture of ingredients. The process is complicated, time-sensitive, and requires constant attention.

For the upcoming brew fest, Prindall is preparing 45 gallons each of Pleasant Mountain Port, Bray’s Oktoberfest Ale, and Yammityville Horror Sweet Potato Ale. That, along with kegs from about 30 other brewers, should be enough to tide over the thousands of expected festival-goers.

“One year, the second year they held it I think it was, everyone ran out of beer. I had to come back to Bray’s and get more,” Prindall said.

This year’s Brewers Festival, sponsored by the Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce, will take place on the beach in front of the lagoon at Point Sebago Resort in South Casco. Donna Woodward, interim executive director of the chamber, said last year’s event drew about 3,000 beer lovers from Maine and elsewhere in the northeast.

From the number of tickets the chamber has already sold, it seems this year will draw just as many beer enthusiasts. Tickets can be bought online at www.mainelakesbrewfest.com or by calling 647-3472. Tickets cost $25 and allow 10 samples of brew. All this beer tasting is good for the local economy, Woodward said.

“It’s extremely important for the area. We’re at the very end of the summer season, and this is kind of like the final curtain call. This fills the local hotels, motels, inns and B&Bs for sure, especially in the Naples, Casco area,” Woodward said. “This will definitely stimulate the economy.”

While tickets are going fast, Woodward is concerned about the lack of volunteers. Volunteers are needed for parking, gate staff, pouring, security, and general stocking and trash removal.

“We still need lots of volunteers. We can’t have too many. We need about two pourers per vendor at least. We really need over 100 volunteers,” Woodward said.

Those interested in volunteering can contact Woodward at the chamber office in Bridgton.

“As always there are free T-shirts for volunteers, and lots of other incentives and thank yous bestowed,” Woodward said. “You’ll never miss a year after you’ve done it once. It’s too much fun to miss.”

Rob Prindall, brewmaster at Bray’s Brew Pub in Naples, reaches to turn on a spigot which feeds fresh well-water into a mashtun, a chamber where malt and water mix and create a sweet liquor, which eventually is boiled, mixed with hops, fermented and becomes tasty beer. (Staff photo by John Balentine)