{"id":919,"date":"2012-11-19T23:11:52","date_gmt":"2012-11-20T03:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/?page_id=919"},"modified":"2012-11-19T23:11:52","modified_gmt":"2012-11-20T03:11:52","slug":"blue-point-brewery","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/?page_id=919","title":{"rendered":"Blue Point Brewery"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cMake real beer for good people.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s the motto and reason behind this great island brewery. It all started with two beer enthusiasts who were also longtime friends and home brewers. The fates of Mark and Pete were intertwined not only by chance but also their dreams of starting Blue Point Brewing Company, something that was not an easy task.<\/p>\n

The facility sits on the waterfront property of the former Penguin Ice Factory in downtown Patchogue. Most of the equipment is from the auctions of defunct breweries all over the U.S. It truly has been a brewing of collaboration since opening in 1997.<\/p>\n

This Long Island located brewery is not a \u201cwest coast\u201d style beer. These beers are all about balance, says their director of branding and communications Curt Potter. But the beers can still pack the bitterness of a nice double IPA he says, promising drinkers will always taste a nice, enjoyable beer.<\/p>\n

Today the brewery distributes in 16 states, with plans to expand further, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have our eyes on a couple more states \u2013 possibly not too far from you,\u201d Curt hinted.<\/p>\n

The brewery has a lot in the works. Curt says the White IPA is \u201cpicking up steam.\u201d So is the Black IPA, which originally debuted with proceeds going to oil cleanup in the ocean. The gulf may be cleaned up but the beer remains as dark and tasty as ever, with new packaging.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cans are really cool,\u201d Curt said. \u201cThey look like little barrels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blue Point is all about lending a helping hand. Right now the brewery and a handful of others are in the works of creating a collaboration beer with proceeds helping Hurricane Sandy victims. The revenue from the beers will also help rebuild the damage done to Barrier Brewing Company, located in Oceanside, NY.<\/p>\n

Last month, the brewery also participated in No-Shave November for prostate cancer awareness, raising over 15,000 dollars. Also they hold a cask fest each spring and a ten-mile run to the brewery in January, a favorite of Mark, who is a former runner. This brewery loves keeping the community involved in more than just drinking!<\/p>\n

One exciting bottle release is the Sour Cherry Imperial Stout \u2013 a beer that\u2019s more sweet than sour. It\u2019s a classic Russian-style beer with smooth notes of coffee, sherry and real sour red cherries. The breweries doing a limited send-out, so grab it off shelves while you can.<\/p>\n

A few of Curt\u2019s favorite crafts are the Hoptical Illusion and No Apologies IPA, which is his top pick. The IPA isn\u2019t around much so he relishes it when he can. He encourages beer lovers to try all of the Blue Points; they\u2019re all great craft beers.<\/p>\n

\u201cTry something new, always,\u201d Curt said. \u201cYou\u2019re not gonna go wrong trying a Blue Point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Come Visit<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a fancy brewery with shiny, copper kegs and hands-off machinery, but that is part of the beauty of seeing Blue Point in action. It\u2019s not uncommon to find owners Mark or Pete hanging around.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople coming in on a Saturday are like, \u2018There\u2019s the owner!\u2019\u201d Curt says about the experience the average visitor can expect.<\/p>\n

Visitors travel from upstate New York to places outside the country like Spain to visit Blue Point. There\u2019s also a solid local crowd, Curt said, that hangs around the tasting room. Curt says visitors can expect not just great beer but a great experience, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to be able to taste things here in the tasting room you can\u2019t get in a package,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As a rare experience for drinkers, the brewery has a cask of brew open in the tasting room so they can see the difference from drinking out of a keg.<\/p>\n

The Blue Point tasting room is open Thursday through Saturday, with tours given only on Saturdays. Checkout the website to see what\u2019s on tap and don\u2019t forget to \u201clike\u201d Blue Point on Facebook.<\/p>\n

Beers<\/em><\/p>\n

Toasted Lager<\/p>\n

\u201cToasted\u201d is an understatement for this flagship craft. Copper in color, the craft uses six different malts for its toastiness. Balance is a key flavor in this blend of light malt, honey and crisp taste. It has a 5.5 percent alcohol content.<\/p>\n

Hoptical Illusion<\/p>\n

A craft that comes with a brief history lesson: Egyptians used to stuff their pillows with hops thinking they brought vivid dreams. Now, you may not see things after drinking this beer, but drinkers will be \u201chop-happy.\u201d It has citrus bursts balanced by a malty background. A great beer for hop lovers. It has a higher alcohol level of 6.8 percent.<\/p>\n

Blueberry Ale<\/p>\n

Fruity to the max, this craft lives up to its blueberry name. There are 732 pounds of fresh, plump and juicy handpicked blueberries squished into every batch. The aroma reeks of sweet fruit and the taste follows suit while still having the balance of a good beer. It has a low 4.6 percent alcohol, so feel free to throw back a few.<\/p>\n

RastafaRye Ale<\/p>\n

This is a chill beer with a conscience \u2013 every bottle directly benefits underprivileged children and orphans living in the Caribbean and beyond. Not only will drinking this beer make you feel good, it\u2019ll make you feel real good. The taste is that of a fine copper ale with a twist of spice and floral from the hops. It\u2019s balanced with a rye malt and uses West Coast hops. It has a 7.5 percent alcohol content.<\/p>\n

Pale Ale<\/p>\n

Traditional, lovable and classic are three words to describe this beer. It\u2019s the beer sitting next to you at the game. The beer is hopped at four-different stages, and although light-golden in color, it is packed with flavor. Its English malts create the perfect floral-citrus taste of a great ale. It\u2019s a hop-lover\u2019s heaven. The craft holds a 5 percent alcohol.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cMake real beer for good people.\u201d That\u2019s the motto and reason behind this great island brewery. It all started with two beer enthusiasts who were also longtime friends and home brewers. The fates of Mark and Pete were intertwined not only by chance but also their dreams of starting Blue Point Brewing Company, something that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-919","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P8aPSh-eP","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=919"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":920,"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/919\/revisions\/920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nightwire.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}