LIBeerGuide hopes you are enjoying spring and especially spring beerfest season. The 22nd annual TAP New York Festival was held last weekend at Hunter Mountain and Long Island breweries were big winners in the statewide competition -- details are below and congrats to all the brewers!
Of course the biggest winners are beer lovers on Long Island who get to enjoy terrific craft brews from the more than 40 breweries now spread across the Island, with more on the way!. The next new brewery to open is Secatogue Brewing Co. in West Islip, which will hold its Grand Opening celebration this weekend. West Islip natives Ken and Katie Srubinski dreamed of opening a brewery in their hometown, with Ken making the leap from homebrewer to head brewer. Congrats on making the dream come true and enjoy the celebration!
Port Jeff Brewing Wins Top Awards at TAP New York Festival
One of the highlights of the TAP New York Craft Beer and Food Festival, held annually at the end of April, is that fest-goers get to taste the winning beers from a competition judging the best beers from across New York State. Many of the best beers this year came from Long Island, and the top two awards were won by Port Jeff Brewing Co. Port Jeff took home 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 its Triple H Strong Belgian Ale (which also won a Gold Medal). This was the first time ever that a brewery won both cups in the same year. Port Jeff Brewing was founded by head brewer Mike Philbrick in 2009 and opened for production in the heart of Port Jeff village in 2011. A great chance to taste the award-winning beers is on May 19 at the post-race party for the 15-K Run to Port Jeff Brewery.
Port Jeff Brewing with historic win of two cups
Several other Long Island breweries took home medals from Tap NY, including Spider Bite Brewing winning Gold for Love at First Bite Chocolate Raspberry Porter and Silver for Boris the Spider Russian Imperial Stout; Great South Bay winning Gold for Kismet Saison; Destination Unknown Beer Company getting Silver for It's A Shore Thing Pale Ale; Greenport Harbor Brewing winning Silver for Table Fork Saison; and Blue Point Brewing getting Bronze for Munich Dark Lager.
Blue Point Holds First Cask Fest at New Brewery and Opens Brew Pub
The 16th annual Blue Point Cask Ales Fest held on April 13 was also a first -- it was the first Cask Fest held at the brewery's new location on West Main Street. In addition to Blue Point, over 80 breweries from across Long Island, the tri-state area and the East Coast tapped firkins of ales made specially for the fest. Some of the largest crowds were at the tents for Long Island's three homebrew clubs -- Brewers East End Revival (B.E.E.R.), Handgrenades Homebrew Club and Long Island Beer & Malt Enthusiasts (LIBME) -- who were pouring delicious homebrewed cask ales and ciders. The crowd also enjoyed live music and food from local vendors and food trucks including Patchogue's Bobbique.
Blue Point had another milestone on April 18 with the official opening of its new tasting room and restaurant, known as the Blue Point Brewpub. The tap room, which has windows on one side overlooking the brewhouse and the other side overlooking Patchogue Lake, features a long bar with 30 taps including dedicated taps for firkins. The restaurant includes a raw bar with locally-sourced oysters from local oyster expert Keenan Boyle (aka @TallMuthaShucker).. The menu designed by executive chef Charley Sinden features locally-sourced ingredients including Smoked Amagansett Sea Salt, brioche buns from Southampton's Blue Duck Bakery, local goat cheese and other cheeses and greens. One of the signature dishes is the Blue Point Burger, topped with local greens, bleu cheese, house-made pickles, bacon remoulade and a crispy fried Blue Point oyster. Several menu items use Blue Point brews, including a warm kale salad with walnuts caramelized in Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout, local cod battered in IPA for fish and chips, fries made with potatoes brined in Beach Plum Gose, and Toasted Lager broth for steamed mussels.
The tasting room and restaurant are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, with hours on Wednesday and Thursdays from 3-9 pm; Fridays from 3-10 pm; Saturdays from 11 am - 10 pm; and Sundays from 11 am - 8 pm, with live music on the weekends.
Mikkeller NYC Launches Beer Delivery Service to Nassau County
Mikkeller Brewing NYC, which opened its brewery one year ago attached to Citi Field in Queens, is launching a beer delivery service to Nassau County on May 1. Known for innovation and experimentation, Mikkeller NYC is owned by the Danish brewery founded by brewer Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, who has created over 75 distinct brews at the NYC brewery in its first year.
The delivery service, called Beer Here, is also available in New York City and has deliveries on Wednesday evenings or Sundays during the day.
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