SEPTEMBER 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 105
MAIN DISH
LITHOLOGY BREWING CO.
FARMINGDALE BREWERY ROCKS ON
BY BERNIE KILKELLY
Lithology Brewing marked the fifth
anniversary in July of opening its
taproom on Farmingdale’s Main Street
and is moving forward with plans to increase
beer production at the brewery
and through contract brewing.
Lithology’s cofounders – Kevin Cain,
Manny Coelho, Lee Kaplan and Marc
Jackson – started brewing together
in 2007 and after winning the Beer
Field’s Homebrew Competition in 2014
decided to start a brewery. Two of the
cofounders, Cain and Kaplan, are environmental
engineers and the brewery
is named after a geological term for the
study of the physical characteristics of
rock and sediment.
“Our name pays homage to the rocks
that filter one of our key ingredients,
our delicious New York water,” said
Cain. “This water makes genuine New
York bagels and pizza taste so great, and
you can tell the difference in our beers.”
After receiving its licenses in 2015,
Lithology launched operations as a
tenant brewer at A Taste of Long Island,
a commercial kitchen and brewery in
Farmingdale that served as an incubator
for several of Long Island’s craft
breweries, including 1940s Brewing,
The Brewer’s Collective and Po’ Boy
Brewery.
When A Taste of Long Island closed
in early 2016, Lithology took over the
lease and officially opened its taproom
in July 2016. The brewery raised more
than $36,000 on Kickstarter to buy
more equipment to expand production,
including a brite tank and two
additional fermenters. John Ardito
replaced Jackson as a co-owner and
Coelho took on primary responsibility
as head brewer operating the 4-barrel
brewing system.
Coelho usually has eight Lithology
beers on tap at any one time, including
mainstays like hoppy American IPA, a
deliciously nutty Brown Ale and dryhopped
Designated Hitter American
pale ale. “I try to maximize our brewing
system by brewing full batches
several times a week,” said Coelho, “so
we are able to have a good variety of
beers available, including our seasonals.”
Seasonal favorites include citrusy
Sunrise Summer Ale, crisp Pils and
robust Pumpkin Porter, which will be
on tap in October.
As a New York State licensed farm
brewery, Lithology is currently required
to use at least 60% of ingredients
from New York. Lithology has used
ingredients from Crossroads Farm at
Grossman’s in Malverne for several
years, including organic honey, squash
and mugwort. The brewery is partnering
with Crossroads to grow hops and
sells its beer at the farmers market
there every other week.
The brewery also uses ingredients
from Restoration Farm at Old Bethpage
Village, including sage, rosemary and
pure honey used in its Bees Knees honey
ale. Coelho said, “Restoration has
been a great partner and we support
their sustainable farming operations
by donating the spent grain from the
brewery for them to use for mulching.”
Lithology contract brews four-packs of
cans at Butternuts Beer and Ale in upstate
New York, including Designated
Hitter, Pils and Sunrise Summer Ale.
The brewery plans to add its American
IPA and New England IPA to the
contract brew lineup in the next few
months.
The brewery also plans to brew certain
beers in larger batches at Farmingdale
and bring in a mobile canner to
can beers for sale in the taproom and
off-premises. Lithology is currently
self-distributing kegs and cans on
Long Island but is in talks with another
brewery to expand distribution of
cans in New York City and across Long
Island.
Farmingdale’s downtown has boomed
over the past several years and Lithology
has been at the forefront of promoting
community events, including
the popular Music on Main summer
series.
The taproom hosts a variety of fun
events including bingo, barre workouts
and the Writer’s Block monthly
series to highlight upcoming local
artists.
Over the summer Lithology brewed
Pineapple Invasion, the official beer
of Babylon’s STATTfest music festival,
and hosted a block party in August
at the brewery with live bands. The
brewery named after the study of rocks
and water knows how to keep the party
going with rock music and great craft
beer.
Lithology Brewing Co. is located at
211-A Main Street in Farmingdale. For
more info visit lithologybrewing.com.
Bernie Kilkelly is the editor and publisher
of LIBeerGuide.com.
Taproom manager Mary Natale sets up a flight at Lithology.
“This water makes genuine New York bagels and pizza
taste so great, and you can tell the difference in our
beers,” says cofounder Kevin Cain.
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