MAY 2018 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 65
BY BERNIE KILKELLY
As the annual Long Island Craft
Beer Week returns with dozens of
events from May 11 to 20, there’s lots
to toast, from new microbreweries
opening to established beer makers
expanding.
Since New York State created a farm
brewery license in 2012, the number
of craft breweries on LI more than
tripled from 12 to 44 today — 26 of
which are farm breweries that use
locally grown ingredients.
“The vast majority of these
breweries are small manufacturing
businesses that support their local
communities and create thousands
of jobs,” says Paul Leone, executive
director of the New York State
Brewers Association.
The association says the economic
impact of the beer industry
statewide is generating $4 billion.
Several communities across Nassau
and Suffolk are hoping to reap
similar benefits from breweries
opening this year.
Small Craft Brewing Co. in
Amityville opened its tasting
room in March, and Harbor Head
Brewing in Northport opened a
sampling room in January next to
the Whale’s Tale Restaurant in the
Britannia Marina.
Eastern Front Brewing Co. in
Mattituck is getting ready to open
its new tasting room pending
final permits. In Huntington, Six
Harbors Brewing Company will
open its new brewery and tasting
room on New York Avenue soon.
Long Beach Brewing Company
recently began commercial
distribution of kegs from its new
brewery on Lawson Boulevard in
Oceanside, where it plans to open a
tasting room this summer.
That brewing will share its facility
with another farm brewery, Flying
Belgian.
with the two companies using the
same brewing system.
Westhampton Beach Brewing
Co. is putting the finishing touches
on its brewhouse and tasting
room in the Hampton Business
District. In Riverhead, North Fork
Brewing Company installed its
new brewhouse in January in the
old Second Street firehouse. North
Fork Brewing is located in the same
building as Long Beard Brewing
Co., which is applying for a farm
brewery license. Both breweries hope
to open tasting rooms by summer.
A new brewery in Patchogue,
Patchogue Beer Project, has
installed its brewing equipment
and plans to open its tasting
room this summer, becoming the
third brewery in town after longestablished
BrickHouse Brewery
and Blue Point Brewing. Secatogue
Brewing Company hopes to
become the first brewery to open in
West Islip, with a summer debut.
In addition to the new breweries,
older LI breweries have been
growing and expanding. Fire Island
Beer Company, founded in 2009, is
close to opening a tasting room at
its new brewery in Bay Shore, in the
building it shares with Great South
Bay Brewery on Drexel Drive.
Brewers Collective, established in
Bay Shore in 2014, opened a larger
tasting room in January.
Moustache Brewing in Riverhead,
founded in 2012, is quadrupling
the size of its brewery, including
an expanded tasting room that is
expected to open by summer.
1940s Brewing Company, a
Holbrook farm brewery founded
in 2014, is increasing production
and adding staff in its brewery
and sales operation. It was
recently recognized by the Brewers
Association as one of the 50
fastest growing craft breweries
nationwide.
The most dramatic expansion is
taking place in Patchogue, with
Blue Point’s new 60,000-squarefoot
brewery taking shape on the
former site of Briarcliffe College on
West Main Street. The building will
include a tasting room overlooking
the brewhouse and an outdoor
beer garden expected to open by
summer.
As LI Craft Beer Week prepares to
kick off with a cask ales festival in
Farmingdale, the local brewing
community will give back with its
annual “Can for a Can” food drive.
Beer lovers can get a can of special
Craft Cares collaboration beer by
donating a can of food to Long
Island Cares. According to Dave
Schultzer of Bellport Cold Beer and
Soda, one of the organizers, in 2017
the drive collected 3,500 pounds of
canned food and this year hopes to
top 5,000 pounds.
For more information on Long Island
Craft Beer Week 2018 and the Craft
Cares “Can for a Can” food drive, go
to licbw.us.
Bernie Kilkelly is the editor and
publisher of LIBeerGuide.com.
PRESS MAIN DISH
LI CRAFT BEER:
NEW BREWS JOIN BOOM
Left to right are Patrick Harten and Brett Blau of Long Beach Brewing,
with Luke Heneghan of Heneghan’s Tavern, which bought one of their
first kegs in April, and Dan Scandiffi of Long Beach Brewing.
LI CRAFT BEER
WEEK EVENTS
• May 11 cask events in Farmingdale.
• May 12 Town Takeover in
Farmingdale. Brewers will be in
attendance for attendees to “meet
and greet.”
• May 14 Pint Glass Pickup night.
Each glass will include a wristband
allowing patrons access to a variety
of special offers (also to be listed on
website) at participating breweries
and restaurants to encourage
patronage year round.
• May 19 cask event in Port Jeff
Station.
• May 20 Town Takeover in
Patchogue.
• Can for a Can Food Drive runs
throughout Long Island Craft
Beer Week at all participating
locations. Donors of three or more
non-perishable food items get a
16-ounce can of Craft Cares Bi-
Coastal IPA.
Since New York State created a farm
brewery license in 2012, the number of
craft breweries on Long Island more than
tripled from 12 to 44 today.