66 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • MARCH 2018 66 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • SEPTEMBER 2017 66 LONGISLANDPRESS.CO M • SEPTEMBER 201-----------TUTU111
Long Ireland brews up good ‘craic’
in Riverhead’s Polish Town
By BERNIE KILKELLY
West of downtown Riverhead is
historic Polish Town, which pays
tribute to the traditions of Poland’s
welcoming spirit demonstrated at
the Polish Town Fair that attracts
thousands every August.
Since 2011, another proud
European heritage of fun
entertainment, called ‘craic’—
pronounced “crack,” it means fun
in Gaelic — has been celebrated in
Polish Town at the Long Ireland
Beer Company brewery and tasting
room. It was founded nearly a
decade ago by longtime friends
Dan Burke and Greg Martin,
who, like many home brewers,
dreamed of their own brewery.
They apprenticed and contract
brewed their favorite recipe at
Connecticut’s New England
Brewing Company. They set
up shop after getting a positive
response to this beer, which they
named Celtic Ale.
“We must have home brewed this
beer 60 to 70 times in our garage,”
says Martin, “until we got the
recipe to where we wanted it.”
They settled on a 9,000-square-foot
Pulaski Street building that formerly
housed an Agway store. Long
Ireland became such an integral
part of the neighborhood that in
2014 it brewed the special Polish
Town Pilsner for the Polish Town
Fair’s 40th anniversary. The Polishstyle
lager, made with pilsner malt
and traditional Saaz, Czech and
Tettnang hops, is so popular that it
is now available all year.
Year-round offerings are still led
by the flagship Celtic Ale, a malty
red ale similar to Irish Reds like
Smithwick’s but with richer malt
flavor and lower carbonation. The
recipe uses four malts: two-row
pale malt, caramel, Vienna and
chocolate. Flaked oats and honey
give it a sweet flavor with hints
of toffee, one hop, Willamette,
provides just mild bitterness for a
smooth finish.
Other popular beers include a
refreshing Raspberry Wheat
and seasonal brews such as
Summer Ale, Pumpkin Ale,
Winter Ale, NoFo Farmhouse
Saison Ale, Chocolate Porter,
and the delicious Black Friday
Imperial Stout, released on the
day after Thanksgiving. One of
Long Ireland’s original offerings,
Breakfast Stout, was retired but
replaced by a dry Irish-style
stout, Hooligan Irish Stout, which
may soon join the year-round
offerings.
Long Ireland also recognized
growing demand for hoppy pale
ales and IPAs by brewing special
beers including single hopped beers
like Mos Def Mosaic IPA and Balor
IPA, made with Citra hops and
named after a one-eyed giant from
Irish mythology. The brewery also
uses hops from local farms, such
as the Fresh Hop Co-Op Session
IPA brewed last fall with a blend
of Centennial and Chinook hops
picked from L.I. Hops in Jamesport
and Wesnofske Farms and North
Fork Hops in Southold.
The brewery kept up with the
canned-beer trend and last year
shifted production from bottles to
cans. A recently installed canning
line will produce 50 cases per hour
of both 12-ounce and 16-ounce
cans.
“The new line will give us more
flexibility to do short runs of
innovative beers that we can put
out to local beer stores that have
really supported us,” says Martin.
Long Ireland has been
distributed across LI and New
York City by Clare Rose since
2012 and hopes to expand
distribution later this year.
“We’re currently producing around
4,000 barrels a year,” adds Martin.
“But we’ve got plenty of room to
expand at this location.”
Long Ireland is also well known
for the popular events it hosts at
the brewery. The Long Ireland
Pintwood Derby is a take-off on the
old Boy Scout car races, and draws
sellout crowds to the brewery. Its
Halfway to St. Patrick’s Party in
mid-September and 5K running
races are held in summer and fall.
Long Ireland also hosts fun events
during the week in its tasting
room, including Retro Video Game
Night in collaboration with East
End Gaming and Vinyl Night
with Riverhead’s Sunday Records.
Local business Brew Crew Cycles,
just relocated next door and the
brewery will continue to be a
popular stop on the group bike
tours offered beginning in April.
“We love to do cross-promotions
with other local businesses and
help our community grow and
thrive,” says Martin.
Long Ireland Beer Company
is located at 817 Pulaski St. in
Riverhead. They can be reached at
631-403-4303 or longirelandbeer.
com.
Bernie Kilkelly is the editor and
publisher of LIBeerGuide.com.
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