Ever wanted to drink a beer from your favorite Long Island brewery while hanging out with a few owls? Probably not an item on your bucket list, but now that we’ve thrown it out there, doesn’t that sound like a pretty awesome way to spend an afternoon? Well, you can do just that next Sunday, September 25, at the Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown.
Sweetbriar will be hosting the appropriately named Taps and Talons from 2:00-6:00 p.m. on September 25. This is their third year showcasing local beer, wildlife and live music. More than ten Long Island breweries will be in attendance pouring 2-ounce samples while Sweetbriar staff members cruise the festival with owls, hawks and falcons in tow.
Spider Bite Beer Co., Port Jeff Brewing Company, Blind Bat Brewery, Barrage Brewing Company are among the local breweries that will be on hand. Homebrewing clubs Long Island Beer and Malt Enthusiasts and Brewers East End Revival will also be sampling their amateur beers that often taste anything but. A handful of breweries that will be at the festival got their start in these clubs, so the homebrewed beer you try this weekend might one day be on tap at your local craft beer bar.
We will also be there as Beer Loves Long Island pouring two homebrewed ciders—one flavored with fresh grapefruit, whiskey-soaked oak chips and a pinch of salt. The other is naturally fermented and made with local cider from Richters Orchard in Northport. It’s been in the making for over a year and has taken on a tart, crisp flavor.
Even better, all proceeds from the event will go to support the Sweetbriar’s effort to rehabilitate injured Long Island wildlife and return animals to their natural habitat. Tickets are $30 at the door with half price tickets available for designated drivers.
