07 Nov Visit Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. During Taste North Fork
With Taste North Fork fast approaching, we thought, “What better a time to put one of our favorite East End breweries in the spotlight than now?” When you come out to stay at Hotel Indigo East End this weekend to experience all that Taste North Fork has to offer, be sure to venture all the way out to Greenport to visit our friends at Greenport Harbor Brewing Co.!
The story begins as a simple dream brewed up by a couple of broke college kids who just wanted to be able to drink beer without paying for it. The idea was that if they owned a brewery, they wouldn’t have to buy beer anymore—simple enough. As time went on, they dabbled in better beer and wound up consumed by the craft. After going out into the world and doing their own things for a while, the two wound up reconvening and discussed making that dream from their college days a reality.
It seemed like the stars just happened to align for the beer brewing hopefuls; with the economy in shambles in 2008, they were able to purchase an old firehouse that was up for sale in the Village of Greenport. The building required boatloads of work, most of which they did on their own with the help of some great friends and family.
With their brewhouse still in a state of complete disarray, they somehow convinced DJ Swanson to come onboard as their head brewer. “I have to give him credit; with two small children, he was as stupid as we were,” John told Brew By Bike in an interview.
“My four-year-old daughter turned out to be the smartest one,” DJ continued, “She said, ‘Dad, that doesn’t look like a brewery.’”
The crew at Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. have persevered through their uphill battle, and they’ve been shipping beer to over 200 places across Long Island and New York City since 2009. They’ve given all of us on the East End something to be supremely proud of, and their brews have been raved about by all the big beer and food blogs/papers, including the Village Voice and TimeOut NY.
You can visit Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. in the Greenport Loop of the Taste North Fork shuttle service, making stops in Peconic and Greenport/Orient! Check Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. out on Facebook for updates on all the cool things they’ve got going on out there!