Greenport, Southampton breweries team up for new brew
Greenport Harbor Brewing Company joined forces for the first time with Southampton Publick House in October in its first craft beer collaboration.
The name of the brew? Strong Ryeland.
The collaboration came on the heels of a month-long promotion at Spring Lounge, a bar in Manhattan, called “I Love NY Beer,” which featured craft beers from around New York state.
Spring Lounge’s bar manager, Jen Torriero, asked the two local breweries to create a beer representative of Long Island, said Greg Doroski, a brewer at Greenport Harbor Brewing Company.
“The name was kind of a joke,” he said. “We were sitting around trying to come up with a name over a few pints. Someone just threw it out and everyone immediately agreed that was a great name for it.”
The name, a nod to the long-loved (or hated) nickname for our suburban homestead, is a nice fit for the rye-based brew.
Mr. Doroski said Strong Ryeland is a specialty beer called Rye English Special Bitter (ESB). Beermakers from both breweries used two types of hops: target and cascade, the flavors of which are slightly offset by the rye. The resulting copper-colored ale has hints of citrus and herbal tea, he said.
Strong Ryeland has been sold in both breweries’ tastings rooms, at Spring Lounge and at bars across Strong Island itself.
Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, which paid for all the ingredients, is donating a portion of the proceeds to a food pantry in the Hamptons.
Mr. Doroski said Strong Ryeland likely won’t be the last team effort for the breweries.
“Collaborations are a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s a good chance to get together with people you know, make a beer everyone’s happy with and throw something out there that reflects both breweries.”
