It’s the beginning of an exciting new era at Blue Point Brewing.
Before the days of a brewery in practically every town, or of brewers and chefs collaborating to create wonderful, wacky beers, there was a tiny oasis of quality beer coming out of a boatyard in Patchogue. Blue Point Brewing Company tapped their first keg (Toasted Lager) in the parking lot in the 1990s, in an era when the term craft beer was basically unheard of on Long Island.
More than 20 years later, the Island’s (and really all of New York’s) craft beer scene has come a long way and so too has Blue Point Brewing Company. This past May, the company began brewing at its new location at 225 West Main Street (formerly Briarcliffe College).
It’s the beginning of an exciting new era at Blue Point Brewing, full of delicious sounding brews and a focus on innovation, but its team remains as dedicated as ever to honoring its history and sense of community.
“Seaweed? Oysters?” says Dan Jansen, Blue Point’s Director of Brewing Operations. “The sky’s the limit at our new spot.”
From your first step into the new brewery, you notice Blue Point Brewing’s roots. The interior architecture and design is inspired by the company’s coastal heritage and boatyard brewery on River Avenue.
While the tap room and the experiential portion of the brewery won’t open until later this year, the new space has a 60,000-barrel capacity, representing a 400% increase to the brewery’s current capacity.
What is Director of Brewing Operations Dan Jansen’s favorite part of the new space? “The beer,” he says. “With increased capacity comes increased innovation with new styles, ingredients, and partners. We like to brew with local, unexpected ingredients that tell a story. Seaweed? Oysters? The sky’s the limit at our new spot.”
Blue Point brewers have always been inspired by their surroundings—whether using North Atlantic seaweed or Beach Plums indigenous to the shores of Long Island.
While we await the new beers, Jansen and Brewmaster Mike Stoneburg have a few recommendations of what’s already available to try this summer:
- Citrus Plunge IPA: A juicy IPA brewed with fresh blood oranges, orange blossom honey, and hand-zested orange peel
- Beach Plum Gose: A uniquely tart kettle-sour brewed with Long Island beach plums and hand-harvested Amagansett Sea Salt
- Mad Sea’d: A tart lager brewed with sweet watermelon juice and Amagansett Sea Salt
Using Long Island ingredients is not new to Blue Point. Blue Point Brewing brews several of their beers with Amagansett Sea Salt—including Beach Plum Gose, Mad Sea’d Watermelon Lager, New York Oyster Stout, and Macho Muchacho Mexican-Style Lager. Blue Point brewers have always been inspired by their surroundings—whether using North Atlantic seaweed or Beach Plums indigenous to the shores of Long Island.
Blue Point will help filter Long Island’s Great South Bay waters through their upcoming oyster sustainability program.
Blue Point plans to continue to be inspired by their coastal environment but hopes to take this a step further in their new facility. “For a boatyard brewery on an island surrounded by the ocean, the greatest threat to our waters is the belief that someone else will save it” says Marketing Director Debbie Yoon. Blue Point has already been teaming up with partners focused on clean water initiatives, such as Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program, Save the Great South Bay, Massachusetts Oyster Project, and Billion Oyster Project. Their new facility will now allow them to take this to the next level, focusing on their own clean water initiative right in their backyard. They will help filter Long Island’s Great South Bay waters through their upcoming oyster sustainability program.
In the coming months, Blue Point Brewing and Edible Long Island will be sharing the stories of Blue Point’s local partners other local artisans who care just as much about their craft as Blue Point does. Follow along with our Terroir of New York series.
