About Us
Event Calendar
Latest News
Contact Us
LATEST NEWS
Spring Craft Beer Festival - March 29, 2008
The 2nd annual Spring Craft Beer Festival at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale attracted good-sized crowds to both the afternoon and evening sessions. Festivalgoers
were able to taste over 140 brews from 50 different brewers. Festival organizer Starfish Junction Productions, coming off a very successful Philly Craft Beer Fest on March 1, appears
to have built a strong franchise in running craft beer festivals across the Northeast. Starfish Junction will hold the 2nd annual North Fork Craft Beer Festival for August 9, with one
afternoon session to be held again on the grounds of Martha Clara Vineyards in Jamesport.
Among the sponsors and participants in the Spring Craft Beer Festival were some of Long Island’s best breweries, beer bars and beer stores, including Blue Point Brewing and
Southampton Ales & Lagers, T.J. Finley’s and Bobbique, and Huntington's Superstar Beverage and Bellport Cold Beer and Soda. Thanks to Dave the Beerman of
Bellport Beer, the Long Island Beer & Malt Enthusiasts were able to spread the word about their new organization that is dedicated to
fostering appreciation of our favorite malted beverages on Long Island. Also pouring their homebrews at the festival were members of Brewer's East End Revival (B.E.E.R.), Long Island's
premier homebrewing club.
Blue Point Cask Ale Festival - January 26, 2008
Blue Point Brewing's fourth annual Cask Ales Festival sold out this year the day before the festival, as more than
800 real ale enthusiasts made their way to the brewery in Patchogue to enjoy real ale and tasty BBQ from local
restaurant and beer bar Bobbique. Over 30 cask ales were served from all of
Long Island’s craft breweries, including Long Island Meadery, and other New York area breweries including Chelsea
Brewing, Keegan Ales, Sixpoint and Captain Lawrence. Joe Hayes, brewmaster at Black Forest Brew Haus in Farmingdale,
debuted three new beers in casks at the Blue Point festival, including an Imperial Pils, a Rye Barleywine and a
unique beer called “Campfire,” which could also be called Christmas Campfire. According to Hayes, Campfire is a
dark rauch beer he created by breaking down Black Forest’s Christmas tree to about 6 or 7 lbs. of Douglas fir, and
steeping it in the wort.
Members of B.E.E.R. hoist the depleted casks
Mark Burford and Pete Cotter, Blue Point’s co-owners, brought back for the second time the “world’s largest cask,” which is
one of Blue Point’s 600 gallon brew tanks hooked up to a beer engine. The cask was filled with a
brand new beer called Rye Hop Knot. Blue Point also had cask versions of its Hoptical Illusion and Old Howling Bastard
barleywine on tap. Members of Long Island’s homebrew club, Brewer's East End Revival (B.E.E.R.), served
several ales brewed by its members. These included a delicious Royal Mild from Mike Voight and Long Island Beer Guide's Donavan
Hall, the tasty Brown Ale from Matt Bobiak and the Beaver Brown Golden Ale.
North Fork Craft Beer Festival - August 11, 2007
Brewmaster Phil Markowkski of Southampton Ales & Lagers, Bernie, and brewer Spencer Niebuhr
of Southampton at the inaugural North Fork Craft Beer Festival
The inaugural North Fork Craft Beer Festival was a huge success as hundreds of craft beer
enthusiasts enjoyed perfect summer weather on the beautiful grounds of Martha Clara Vineyards in
Jamesport, Long Island. According to festival
organizer Andy Calimano of Starfish Junction Productions, attendance was strong at both the afternoon and evening
sessions. “The East End of Long Island is really just starting to be introduced to craft beers,” said Calimano, “and
this gave people the opportunity to taste some of the best beers from around the country.” Over 50 craft breweries
poured beers at the event, led by festival sponsors Blue Point Brewing and Southampton Ales & Lagers.
Chefs from Maple Tree preparing the real thing
In addition to great beer, festival goers were treated to an excellent selection of bbq sandwiches, ribs and
chicken from Maple Tree gourmet caterers. Local participants at the festival also included brewpubs John Harvard’s
and BrickHouse and Suffolk’s hottest new beer bar, TJ Finley’s of Bay Shore, which poured a wide selection of
Belgian beers for tasting. The two sessions also featured presentations from guest speakers including Mark
Burford of Blue Point, Celeste Beatty of Harlem Brewing and Samuel Merritt from Civilization of Beer, who is
celebrating his first anniversary in business as a beer educator. Bernie Kilkelly of longislandbeerguide.com
spoke about the growth of craft brewing
on Long Island over the past 10 years, including his past 8 years as Long Island columnist for Ale Street News.
Starfish Junction will hold the 2nd annual North Fork Craft Beer Festival on August 9, 2008.
South Shore Real Beer Festival - July 15, 2007
After several years in the wilderness, Long Island craft beer enthusiasts are enjoying a renaissance of
high-quality beer festivals in our own backyard. On July 15, I joined hundreds of real beer fans on a
sunny Sunday afternoon at the South Shore Real Beer Festival in Bay Shore. The festival was sponsored
by T.J. Finley’s, Suffolk’s hottest new beer bar, and held at the nearby Nutty Irishman of Bay Shore.
Both bars are owned by Drew Dvorkin, who also owns another Nutty Irishman in Farmingdale and two pubs
on the West Side of Manhattan, George Keeley’s Ales & Lagers and The Dead Poet.
The South Shore festival was well organized, with over 20 craft breweries spread out in the spacious
Nutty Irishman’s two indoor levels and large outdoor area. Three different bands performed throughout
the afternoon and got the crowd up and dancing. Prime locations were given to Long Island’s microbreweries,
Blue Point, Crop Circle and Southampton Ales & Lagers, and our Brooklyn neighbors Sixpoint and of course,
Brooklyn Brewery.
Other breweries I enjoyed visiting with were two New Englanders, Peak Organic from
Portland, Maine and Cape Anne Brewing from Gloucester, Mass. The festival was something of a homecoming
for Butternuts Beer & Ale from upstate New York. Butternuts, makers of the popular Pork Slap Pale Ale
and Moo Thunder Stout, was founded by Leo Bongiorno and Chuck Williamson, two former brewers at the
fondly remembered Long Island Brewing Company in Jericho.
The 2nd annual South Shore Beer Festival will be held on July 19, 2008.
Return to longislandbeerguide.com