Featured Craft Brewery: Port Jeff Brewing Company

Port Jeff Brewing Company is a small production micro brewery located in downtown Port Jefferson. The brewery features a seven-barrel system capable of producing 217 gallons (roughly 86 cases) per brew. Adjacent to the production facility is their quaint, cozy tasting room, which opened in October of 2011 and features a number of taps atop a hand crafted wooden boat bar. All tastings are on the house, but once you taste their product you’ll surely be looking to take some home with you!

Brewer, Mike Philbrick, is a Port Jefferson native who brewed his own beer for roughly a decade before graduating from The World Brewing Academy at Siebel Institute in Chicago. His passion for craft beer is extremely apparent and led him to introduce his recipes to not only Port Jefferson, but all of Long Island.

On our visit to the brewery we were lucky enough to sample the eight beers that were available on tap, starting with the Old Field Light (5% ABV). Ideal for someone who isn’t necessarily a craft beer drinker, Old Field Light is a golden ale that is light in color and full of flavor compared to other light beers.

The Schooner Ale (6.3% ABV) is a pale ale and one of their most popular beers sold to local bars and restaurants. Both craft beer and non craft beer drinkers are bound to enjoy this ale as it offers a citrus flavoring from the hops, a slight nutty flavor and an overwhelming sweetness from the maris otter grain used to make the beer. Maris otter is a base grain found in a majority of the beers brewed in their facility.

Made with yeast from Weihenstephan Brewery in Germany, the Ryes-N-Bok (7.1% ABV) is a dry beer made with rye, not with wheat like the beer he was originally imitating when this brew was created. The yeast is very recognizable and tastes different (in a good way) than your standard American craft beer.

The Cold North Wind (8.5% ABV) is a strong, subdued barley wine and a favorite amongst regulars. A barley wine is a beer that is considered to be “wine strength”. Mike referred to this beer as a “kitchen sink beer” because it was created right in his own home using a combination of ingredients, including eight malts and three different types of hops.

For those of you who do not prefer dark beers, the Porter (6.5% ABV) might be able to convert you. We were lucky enough to sample a Porter that was aged in an oak barrel for three months with whiskey. Once taken out of the barrel, the yeast is so dormant that sugar is added for carbonation, as is some local organic honey. This beer is very smooth and presents smoky, coffee-like flavor.

The Starboard Oatmeal Stout (9.0% ABV) features the highest alcohol content and has a similar malt to the porter, but made without the honey and with the addition of raisins and brown sugar.

The Low Tide (7.2% ABV) is a black IPA (India Pale Ale) made with citra hops, a popular hop that is extremely hard to get. The slight roast from the malt makes it a fan favorite in the tasting room and beyond.

Lastly we tasted the Runaway Ferry IPA (7.5% ABV), which is dry hopped, but not too much. It is a “love it or hate it” type of beer with a strong hop flavor. There are only a few breweries that make a beer this high in hops and Port Jeff Brewing Company is one of them.

Much of what you sample in the tasting room can be purchased and taken home in a keg, growler or special release bottles (when available). You’ll even find select beers from Port Jeff Brewing Company throughout Long Island and New York City bars, restaurants and various other retail beer outlets.

 

Port Jeff Brewing Company
22B Mill Creek Road
Port Jefferson, NY 11777
877.475.2739
Click Here For Website
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