DECEMBER 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 115
PORT JEFF BREWING
10-YEAR CELEBRATION
BY BERNIE KILKELLY
A special anniversary calls for a special
celebration, so Port Jeff Brewing marked
its 10th anniversary in October with a
three-day party featuring 10 bands. The
brewery opened its doors for business
on Chandler Square in downtown Port
Jeff erson on Oct. 15, 2011, one year aft er
its founding by brewer Mike Philbrick.
Philbrick said, “We wanted to do something
wild to thank everyone in the
local community and across Long Island
who have supported us all these years.”
At the time of its opening in 2011, Port Jeff
Brewing was one of about a dozen breweries
and brewpubs open on Long Island.
In recognition of these craft brewery pioneers,
Port Jeff ’s anniversary party was
capped by a cask ale celebration featuring
cask ales from Port Jeff and three other
breweries that have been around for more
than 10 years – Long Ireland Beer Company,
Spider Bite Beer Company, and Blue
Point Brewing. Po’Boy Brewery, which
opened in nearby Port Jeff erson Station
in 2017, also served several cask ales.
Port Jeff Brewing has a 7-barrel brewing
system and a small tasting room, which
is open seven days a week and regularly
has 12 beers and a cask ale on tap. The
brewery is well known for its hoppy
ales including the fl agship Party Boat IPA,
Schooner Pale Ale, and seasonal Shiznit
IPA. “We are a strong believer in using
locally grown hops and other ingredients
in our beers,” said Philbrick, “including
hops from Condzella’s Farm in Wading
River and Wesnofske Farms in Peconic.”
Other popular beers include Beach Beer,
a Belgian-style wheat ale brewed with
coriander and orange peel, and Port Jeff
Porter, with coff ee and chocolate overtones.
Port Jeff has several full-bodied beers
to help fi ght the winter chill, including
Starboard Oatmeal Stout, Overboard
Russian Imperial Stout, Ice Breaka Winta
Warma, and Cold North Wind Barleywine.
Over the years, Philbrick and Port Jeff
Brewing have won many awards for
their beers at statewide and national
competitions. In April 2019, Port Jeff
Brewing won two top awards at the TAP
New York Festival, the F.X Matt Memorial
Cup for Best Craft Brewery in the state
and the Governors’ Brewers Cup for
Best Craft Beer in the state for Trippel H
Strong Belgian Ale. This was the fi rst time
a brewery won both cups in the same year.
Port Jeff produces about 1,500 barrels of
beer per year and in 2014 was the fi rst
brewery on Long Island to begin canning
its beers, which helped increase distribution
across the Island and into New York
City and Westchester. The brewery also
distributes kegs and special release bottles
to restaurants and retail beer stores.
The brewery sponsors regular events
at its tap room including weekly bingo,
live music on weekends, and a free
summer concert series. Port Jeff is
also the sponsor of an annual 15K Run
to the Brewery in May known across
Long Island for its painfully steep hills
and its legendary aft erparty. “The race
that runners love to hate” is just one
of the reasons that Port Jeff Brewing
continues to be a brewery that Long
Islanders have come to love for more
than 10 years.
Port Jeff Brewing Company is located at 22
Mill Creek Rd. in Port Jeff erson. For more
info visit portjeff brewing.com.
Bernie Kilkelly is the editor and publisher
of LIBeerGuide.com.
MAIN DISH
Mike Philbrick, founder of Port Jeff Brewing Co., inspects one of his beers.
(Photo By Bob Giglione.)
ELLA’S’ YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT
COMFORT FOOD IN A GLASS
BY CJ ARLOTTA
The holiday season is known as a
time of reflection and giving, and for
its comfort food and festive mood, all
of which Ella’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
tries to capture in an old-fashioned
glass.
“The old-fashioned is one of my favorite
cocktails,” says Chris Burke, bar manager
at Ella’s in Huntington, known
locally for its toasty wood-fi red pizza
and tasty seasonal craft cocktails. “It is
simplicity at its fi nest and most elegant.
It also lends itself to other fl avors and
has the ability to be broken down and
remade. So this is our version of an
autumnal old-fashioned — fl avors we
associate with the holidays, nostalgic
memories, and gatherings. It’s comfort
food in a glass.”
The Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is made with
bourbon, allspice liqueur, maple syrup,
Angostura bitters, and walnut bitters.
“We take a three-year straight bourbon,
and combine that with a grade A maple
syrup that we cut with water to moderate
the sweetness,” he says. “Aft er that, we
add an allspice liqueur that we make in
house. We steep allspice, clove, brown
sugar and two diff erent kinds of rum to
create a baking spice fl avor. Black walnut
bitters and Angostura bitters fi nish the
process, and for the garnish, we torch an
orange twist over the top, which gives it
an almost French-toast fl avor with the
spice, maple and citrus.”
With a similar taste on the palate, Ella’s
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot checks all the
boxes for old-fashioned or Manhattan
drinkers.
“We’ve had great feedback and guest
response on this cocktail,” he says. “It’s become
one of our most popular off erings,
and also leads people to understand that
some of their favorite classic cocktails
can have a spin on them and still retain
their essence, or remind them of why they
enjoyed it so much originally, while still
putting a twist on an original cocktail.”
Ella’s is located at 364 New York Ave.,
Huntington. It can be reached at 631-350-
1804. ellasny.com
The Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
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