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BREWPUB: Southampton Publick House
Southampton Publick House expanded its tap room in 2001 to give patrons more space to enjoy brewmaster
Phil Markowski’s great beers. It turns out SPH needed the space for another reason -- so Markowski
would have enough room to display all the medals his beers have won.
Markowski is a perennial medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival, with his latest medal in 2007 marking
his 8th year in a row -- one of the festival's longest winning streaks. He had a three-year streak of Gold Medals
from 2000 to 2002, with Double Ice Bock in the Other Strong Ales and Lagers category, Southampton Old Ale in the
Old Ale/Strong Ale category, and Southampton Berliner Weisse in the Experimental Beer category (one of four
total medals in 2002). He is also a regular multi-award winner at the Real Ale Festival in Chicago.
So it wasn't suprising in May 2003 when Markowski was honored with the prestigious AOB Russell Schehrer Award for
Innovation, presented at the annual Craft Brewers Conference. The award, first given in 1997, was created in
memory of Schehrer, who was a co-founder of the pioneering Wynkoop brewpub in Denver and a former American
Homebrewers Association Brewer of the Year.
Markowski and awards have become synonymous on the East End of Long Island since the opening of SPH
in July 1996. The Sullivan brothers (Donald, Kevin and Jim), the founders of SPH, recruited Markowski to
run the brewing operations in their 250-seat restaurant and brewpub, and the relationship was an instant
hit. “I like working in a brewpub format because of the flexibility it allows me to have,” said
Markowski, “and the owners at SPH gave me free rein.” Donald Sullivan, who also serves as executive chef,
became the sole owner of SPH in 2004 and gave Markowski more freedom to branch out into retail sales, which
led to the creation of a separate microbrewery operation, Southampton Ales & Lagers.
It’s not a coincidence that many of Markowski’s awards have come in categories for unusual or difficult
beer styles. “I’m always looking to do something different and challenging,” said Markowski. “We
keep eight beers on tap at SPH, and outside of that I’m always experimenting with formulating different
recipes, which is what I enjoy most.” Markowski has also made a specialty out of strong ales with high
alcohol content. His Gold Medal winning Double Ice Bock in 2000 had a hefty 18% ABV, and Old Herb Barleywine
is over 10%. Old Herb is named after Herb McCarthy, the owner for 50 years of the Bowden Square Restaurant
where SPH now stands.
Markowski’s love for tinkering can be traced to his curiosity about different beer styles and his background
in engineering, which he studied in college and worked in before becoming a professional brewer. “I was
always buying imported beers in college,” Markowski said, “and then I started homebrewing in 1984 with a
bunch of other engineer friends.” Aside from a few short courses he took at Siebel Institute, Markowski
is a self-taught brewer.
A native of Connecticut, Markowski became the original brewer in 1989 for Norwalk-based New England Brewing
Company (which closed earlier this year). His reputation grew quickly and he won a Gold Medal at the 1993
Great American Beer Festival in the Dusseldorf Altbier category. Markowski spent six years at NEBC before
moving to Merrimack, NH to become the head brewer at the Bier Haus brewpub (also now closed), where he spent
a year and a half.
After moving to SPH in 1996, Markowski became a regular medal-winner at both national and international
brewing competitions. He won a Silver Medal at the World Beer Cup in Rio de Janeiro in 1998 for Southampton
Secret Ale, and won another Silver Medal at the 2000 World Beer Cup for his Sullivan’s Irish Ale.
Although Markowski brews a wide variety of beers in traditional American, British, German and Belgian
styles, he confesses that his preference is for Belgian style brews. “The regulars at SPH have developed
a liking for the Belgians,” said Markowski, “and I typically make about 6-8 Belgian-style seasonals throughout
the year.” One of Markowski’s award winning beers is Belgian Red Ale, a very unusual
style produced in the Flanders region in the northwestern corner of Belgium (Rodenbach is probably the best
known example). Markowski brewed the beer and aged it in red wine barrels, which
gives it a unique wine-like complexity.
In addition to brewing Belgian beers, Markowski somehow found time to write about them in his book,
"Farmhouse Ales: Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition," published by
Brewers Publications in November 2004.
Fortunately for beer enthusiasts around the country, it will soon be easier (thanks to the distribution muscle
of Pabst Brewing) to find Phil Markowski's beers on retail shelves. But at some points all true craft beer
enthusiasts should make the pilgrimage to visit the brewpub in Southampton where it all began.
When you visit, you’ll be sure to find brewmaster Phil Markowski and his able brewer Spencer Niebuhr
hard at work on their next experiment in beer excellence.
Southampton Publick House
40 Bowden Square,
Southampton, NY
(631) 283-2800
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