02 Oct LONG ISLAND BREWERY TOURS: WHICH ONE SHOULD YOU VISIT?
EXPERIENCE LONG ISLAND’S AMAZING BREWERIES
Visitors to Long Island have any number of great activities to get involved in, from visiting art museums, enjoying live music, and visiting the numerous vineyards and wineries. There’s always something to keep you entertained and keep your calendar filled.
Planning a visit to Long Island, whether it’s your first or your one hundredth, should always include some of the dynamic and unique activities the area offers. Among those activities is a slew of great breweries that offer tours and some amazing beer to take home with you. If you’re planning a trip to Long Island in the near future, or you’re a local resident who has never experienced the brewery culture of the city, here are a few breweries to add to your itinerary when you visit.
THE BLUE POINT BREWING COMPANY
161 River Avenue, Patchogue, NY
Long Island’s Patchogue area is home to this impressive brewery, which has been opened for 16 years and remains Long Island’s continuously running brewery. Blue Point offers a slew of different brews to satisfy a variety of taste buds, including IPAs, a blonde ale, an imperial stout and an extra special bitter. The Brewery offers special tastings in their tasting room on Thursday and Friday from 3-7 pm and on Saturday from 12-7 pm.
GREAT SOUTH BAY BREWERY
25 Drexel Drive, Bay Shore, NY
Located off the South Shore of Long Island, the Great South Bay Brewery is proud to offer dynamic tastings in their tasting room on Thursdays and Fridays from 3-8 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12-5 pm. Once inside the tasting room, you can choose from any of their ales, which include a Sleigh Ryed, a winter ale, and Splashing Pumpkin, an autumn pumpkin ale. Great South also offers IPAs, delicious stouts and a high-gravity Scotch ale that’s only available during April. You can fill a growler for a reasonable price if you find a beer that really suits your tastebuds.
JOHN HARVARD’S BREWERY AND ALE HOUSE
2093 Smithaven Plaza, Lake Grove, NY
This brewery, named for a famous historical figure, features a variety of great brews, including high-gravity selections, IPAs, stouts and nut brown ales. They have locations all over New England, including their convenient location in Lake Grove, which features a bar and the opportunity to sample many of their most popular beers.
CROOKED LADDER BREWING
70 West Main Street, Riverhead, NY
Crooked Ladder is among the newest microbreweries to crop up near Long Island, and the sheer variety of microbrews they offer is reason enough to visit their building. They offer a red ale, a German pilsner, a Porter, a nut brown ale, several IPAs, an oatmeal stout, and a variety of autumn-themed beers, including an Oktoberfest and a pumpkin ale. They even have a rye and maple stout and a Scottish stout in the works.
BRICKHOUSE BREWERY
67 West Main Street, Patchogue, NY
Also located in beautiful Patchogue, Brickhouse Brewery offers a dynamic taproom with a rotating selection of craft beers that the owners and their dedicated team of brewers have been perfecting since 1995. A visit to the tap room will yield the opportunity to sample some of these beers, which includes standouts like a nitro stout, a red ale and a Hefeweizen brewed with apple and pear.
OYSTER BAY BREWING COMPANY
76 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY
Oyster Bay Brewing Company, alive and kicking since 2012 in beautiful Oyster Bay, offers a tasting room for visitors to sample a variety of beers before they buy. Once you find the beer of your choice, you can purchase in quantities as large as a keg but you can also settle for a growler. Some of the beers you can choose from are their amber ale, the Imperial IPA, and the traditional pale ale. Some of the beers they have in the works include a chocolate stout, a raspberry wheat beer and a special IPA.
Long Island’s breweries are plenty of reason to visit; not only do you have tons of craft beers and micro-brewed deliciousness to choose from, you can learn about some of the history of the area and the brewers who moved in to fulfill their brewing dreams. Make sure you book reliable car service to handle your transportation back home after your brewery tour is over; driving responsibly is among the most important parts of having a positive experience at Long Island’s amazing breweries.