72 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JULY 2021
MAIN DISH
LONG ISLAND FARM BREWERY
WATERDRINKER NOW BEERDRINKER FARM
BY BERNIE KILKELLY
Long Island’s newest craft brewery, Long
Island Farm Brewery, opened in June in
Manorville. In addition to being a New
York State-licensed farm brewery, it is
located on a working farm, the 80-acre
Waterdrinker Family Farm & Garden.
Waterdrinker is owned by the Weiss
family, which has been farming on
Long Island for five generations. When
brothers Kirk and Joseph Weiss and
their longtime friend Nick Giuffre
decided a few years ago to turn their
homebrewing hobby into a business,
they quickly zeroed in on an old potato
barn located on the farm.
“We were excited to renovate a building
with a lot of history,” said Kirk Weiss,
“and we look forward to using ingredients
from the farm in our beers.”
New York State currently requires farm
breweries to use at least 60 percent of
ingredients grown in the state. The
partners are planning to relocate a hop
farm they own in Center Moriches to
the farm brewery property, where they
will grow a variety of hops including
Nugget, Willamette, Cascade and
Centennial.
“In addition to using our own hops in
our beers,” said Weiss, “in the future we
plan to grow our own barley and wheat
on the farm.”
The 4,000-square-foot potato barn
underwent substantial renovations
including pouring new floors to
replace trenches used for washing potatoes.
The airy building now houses
a 1,600-square-foot brewhouse with
a 10-barrel brewing system, with the
remaining space devoted to a spacious
bar and taproom.
Once the partners received their licenses
and permits, they hired head brewer
Brian Smith, who had previously been
an assistant at BrickHouse Brewery in
Patchogue and at Long Island Spirits
distillery in Baiting Hollow. For the
brewery’s opening, Smith had 10 beers
on tap including the popular Waterdrinker
Blonde Ale, which quickly sold
out, and several pale ales including
Farmer’s Tan session IPA, Mattock West
Coast IPA and Out East IPA.
“We are planning to brew a Sunflower
Honey Ale made with honey from our
farm for the summer Sunflower Festival,”
said Weiss, “and a Pumpkin Ale for
our popular Fall Festival.”
The brewery offers growlers and cans
for takeaway and in the future hopes
to self-distribute cans to local beer retailers.
But in the meantime, head out
east to Manorville and spend a day at
the farm enjoying all the goodness of
the harvest, including fresh craft beer
made with local ingredients.
Long Island Farm Brewery is located at
663 Wading River Rd, in Manorville.
For more info visit longislandfarmbrewery.
com.
Bernie Kilkelly is the editor and publisher
of LIBeerGuide.com.
L. to R.: Nick Giuffre, Joseph and Kirk Weiss, and Brian Smith.
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