Summer is here and thankfully we are beginning to see a return to normal activities, including in-person beer festivals getting back on the calendar (see story below)! While we will enjoy the Fourth of July weekend and catch up on all the celebrations missed over the past 16 months, we will also continue to pray for those who have lost loved ones and those continuing to suffer from illness and financial hardship. We also encourage anyone who has not gotten the vaccine to #GetVaccinated #StaySafe -- free shots are available across Long Island!
LIBeerGuide Marks 5th Anniversary with PCLI Media Award
LIBeerGuide.com launched five years ago and the first LIBeerGuide Brewsletter debuted in May 2016. Our goal from the start has been to provide visitors to our website and readers of the LIBeerGuide Brewsletter with the latest info on where to find and enjoy great beer on Long Island. In the past few months we have refreshed the design of the website and we look forward to adding more content later this year, including event listings and destination guides.
We are proud that the LIBeerGuide Brewsletter was recognized for the second year in a row by the Press Club of Long Island with a 2021 Media Award for Best Use of Newsletter, moving up to 2nd Place after taking 3rd Place in 2020. Thank you to our readers and our advertisers for your support and we look forward to hopefully seeing you and thanking you in person at a beer festival later this year!
New Manorville Taproom Brings LI Total to 53
Over the past five years LIBeerGuide has covered the tremendous growth of the craft brewing industry on Long Island. The number of craft brewery taprooms has more than doubled from 21 at the beginning of 2016 to 53 now, after Long Island Farm Brewery opened in early 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.
L. to R.: Nick Giuffre, Joseph and Kirk Weiss, and Brian Smith.
The 4,000-square-foot potato barn underwent substantial renovations, including 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. The partners 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 styles fitting for a farm brewery such as a Belgian-style Strawberry Blonde Saison and a Farmhouse Ale with notes of cinnamon and clove.
Long Island Farm Brewery's future beers will use ingredients grown at Waterdrinker, including a variety of hops. In addition to indoor seating, the brewery has outdoor seating and will have a rotating series of food trucks on site from Thursdays through Sundays. Live music will also be featured on Saturday and Sunday. The brewery is dog-friendly and kid-friendly, especially with the nearby attractions on the farm including the 15-acre Family Farm Adventure featuring farmyard animals, tractor pedal cars and mini golf.
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Long Island Beer Festivals Get Back on Calendar
Although it hasn't been made official yet, it looks like Long Island's most popular summer beer festival will be returning after being cancelled last August due to the pandemic. The Long Island Craft Classic, held at Heckscher State Park in East Islip, features craft beers from across Long Island and the U.S., along with homebrews and ciders from Long Island's three homebrew clubs. The festival has also featured the annual BREW'D Competition,where LI craft breweries compete to win the Golden Keg (last won by HopWin's Brewery in 2019) and homebrewers compete for the Golden Tap award.
Other popular beerfests that have been scheduled for the fall include:
