82 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • NOVEMBER 2019
BLIND BAT BREWERY
SCARY GOOD BREWS
BY BERNIE KILKELLY
After years of searching across Long
Island for a space to open a tasting
room, Paul Dlugokencky of Blind Bat
Brewery followed his sonar back to
his hometown of Centerport.
Blind Bat Brewery Bistro & Take-
Away opened in July and has become
a favorite neighborhood spot. His
wife and co-owner, Regina, is an organic
farmer who grows produce and
herbs used in Blind Bat’s beers and
at the bistro. Together, they created
a fun menu featuring burgers, sausages,
sandwiches, and house-made
knishes and hummus made with
organic ingredients.
“We’re happy that people are coming
in as much for the food as for the
beer,” says Dlugokencky.
Founded in 2008, Blind Bat Brewery,
playfully named in part for Dlugokencky’s
nearsightedness, is a nanobrewery
— a three-barrel brewing
system in a cottage behind his house
— making beers with wood-smoked
malts and locally grown ingredients.
The brewer has been a regular at
local farmers markets for years, but
finding a commercial space proved
frustrating, with some deals falling
through.
“Happily we ended up right in our
hometown and hope to find additional
space to expand our brewery here,”
he says.
The bistro has eight taps featuring
brews ranging from light citrusy
Belgian saisons and German hefeweizens
to robust porters, IPAs, and
stouts.
Dlugokencky received a New York
State farm brewery license in 2017,
but even before that he was using
mostly local ingredients, as does the
bistro menu. Several menu items incorporate
Blind Bat beers, including
porter in the sloppy joes.
“We expect to add soups to the menu
in the winter,” says Dlugokencky,
“which will also use our beer as an
ingredient.”
The bistro is currently open on Fridays
from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays
from noon to 8 p.m., and Sundays
from noon to 5 p.m., with plans to add
more days later this year.
Craft beer lovers should set their
sonar on Centerport and make a stop
at the bat cave.
Blind Bat Brewery Bistro &
Take-Away is located at 94 Washington
Dr. in Centerport. It can
be reached at 631-944-3333 or
blindbatbrewery.com
Bernie Kilkelly is the editor and publisher
of LIBeerGuide.com.
MAIN DISH
Paul Dlugokencky pours one of his brews at Blind Bat Brewery's bistro.
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