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BEER BAR: DEKS American Restaurant
by Donavan Hall, posted April 23, 2009
DEKS is located in the heart of old Rocky Point, a town with a long history of fun and drinking. Rocky Point is a beach community
founded back in the early twentieth century through a newspaper promotion. For a subscription to this Brooklyn newspaper and some
cash you could get a smallish lot close to a north shore beach. Subsequently Brooklynites were descending on Rocky Point for
summer fun in the sun -- a working class oasis. Naturally, Rocky Point developed a serious drinking culture.
Even though the names of the bars have changed, drinking in Rocky Point is still a beloved pass time. DEKS is a favorite haunt of a cast of regular characters including yours truly.
The restaurant and bar is located in the historic Hallock House, the oldest commercial building in Rocky Point dating back to the early 1700s. When I started going to DEKS regularly, the only
interesting beer they had on tap was Blue Point Toasted Lager. I decided that it was more important to have a local pub
where I could feel at home, than to have a great beer selection. Naturally, I got to know the regulars and the owners, Dean and Kevin Scott (their other brother Eric is the missing piece
in the DEKS acronym). Somehow I managed to convince them that
there is a real market for craft beer on Long Island and Dean and Kevin agreed to take a chance and install a 12-tap system.
The new tap system came online in May 2007. At the same time Dean and Kevin started to slowly expand their bottled offerings. Within a couple of months they had roughly
30 craft beers and 20 more industrial beers. Today that number is close to 75 total bottles. If you are into cask conditioned ale, then you'll also want to note that DEKS hosts a
monthly cask nigh, Firkin Friday (typically the first Friday of each month). Dean and Kevin make a effort to present some interesting local offerings from Long Island and New
England breweries. Four times a year they bring over a firkin from some small CAMRA approved brewery in England.
Deks has the largest collection of single malt whiskies that I've found on the Island. At present there are 49 kinds of single malt scotch. In addition to the scotch, there are a fair number of
Irish whiskies and bourbons.
Since DEKS is one of Long Island's premiere food establishments, it also made sense for Dean and Kevin to start hosting regular beer dinners. For each dinner they devise a menu
and in close consultation with noted beer experts (me and my buddy Mike Voigt, a certified Beer Judge) select beers to pair with each dish. The dinners feature five courses and five
beers. Mike and I introduce each beer, giving the participants a history of the brewery and the style. Check our Event Calendar or DEKS'
website for details about the next dinner.
DEKS American Restaurant
605 Route 25A
Rocky Point
(631) 821-0066
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