Riverhead brewery set to increase production by 50 percent

Three new tanks stand in the Long Ireland Brewing Co.’s Pulaski Street building, their cavernous interiors ready to increase the company’s output by 50 percent.

The operation’s expansion has been in line with the company’s overall growth rate of 35 percent each year, according to co-owner Greg Martin. Distribution was limited to Long Island and New York City’s five boroughs until February, when it expanded to Dutchess, Ulster and Green counties. With the new tanks soon to be operational, Long Ireland’s popular Celtic Ale and other beers will hit Rockland, Orange, Westchester and Putnam as of January 1.

A new website launches in the next two weeks or so, Martin said, as the current one hasn’t been updated since the company was founded five years ago. The new developments are proof of the success Martin and co-owner Dan Burke have had at making beer people want to drink, and they expect their distribution to spread throughout the state’s other regions, though Martin said there is no solid goal at this point.

“We don’t look that far ahead. We have a five-year plan but we don’t have any plans to leave the state,” Martin said.

As the first brewery on Long Island to acquire a farm brewer license since the state began its initiative to encourage more local barley and hops production, Martin and Burke are interested in stepping up quality as well as distribution.

Long Ireland’s beer contains no preservatives, giving it a shelf-life of 90 days, and they want to keep it that way. If the company continues to grow at its present rate, Martin said quality isn’t something that will be compromised.

“If it gets to that point where we can’t do that anymore, then we’ll have to stop our reach,” said Martin, who founded the brewery with Burke out of a love of making good beer, having started with a home brewing kit his mother bought him for Christmas.

Kevin Carson, general manager at the Cooperadge Inn in Baiting Hollow, said Long Ireland’s beers are their most popular. The Celtic Ale is their biggest seller, and during pumpkin beer season, the Long Ireland pumpkin outsells the other pumpkin brands 10-to-one.

“For some reason, they’ve hit it right,” Carson said.

Jerry Dececco, owner of Jerry & the Mermaid, said many customers who stop in from out of town and are brand-loyal try the local brewers’ suds when its “clean freshness and smooth drinkability” is described. He keeps the Celtic Ale on tap year-round.

“We’re thrilled to see their success – them specifically. They’re great people who take pride in what they do and it shows in their product,” he said.

RiverheadLOCAL photo by Micah Danney