How Blue Point Brewing Has Changed With the Tide

How Blue Point Brewing has evolved since partnering with AB InBev

all photos courtesy Blue Point Brewing

It has been an interesting trip from Toasted Lager to a line of Long Island Iced Teas called LIIT, to a hazy IPA. 

When Blue Point Brewing Company started making beer in Patchogue, Long Island, in 1998 there were 1,514 breweries compared with 8,386 in 2019, according to the Brewers Association. And there really weren’t many craft taprooms—there were 2,966 last year, by the association's count. 

Blue Point, founded by Mark Burford and Peter Cotter, was an independent craft brewery 22 years ago, gaining recognition for its first beer—the timeless Toasted Lager with its nutty richness from toasted malt.  The beer is still excellent today. It’s an easy drinker with a medium body and roasty notes that pairs well with a ballgame or a backyard barbecue. But it is not necessarily a style that is currently favored among the craft-beer cognoscenti. 

Breaking the mold

It can be difficult to maintain relevance in an era of limited-release beer and long lines for new offerings, especially for breweries that have been around for more than two decades. Pandemic aside, beer drinkers now expect to be able to visit their local brewery and sample various styles (like hazy IPA, pastry stout, Berliner Weisse with fruit purée) as well as take packaged beer home with them.

Since being acquired by AB InBev in 2014, Blue Point has started a number of initiatives to keep up with the times. They built a new pub and taproom in 2018, partnered with the New York Yankees with Pinstripe Pilsner, and are encouraging civic engagement with their beer called “Voters Day Off”  in an effort to make election day a national holiday, including during the presidential election this fall. They have had a reputation for community involvement with beers like Drink the Bay Clean and Good Reef, which help support saving the Great South Bay and restoring local oyster reefs, respectively. 

Mr. Burford and Mr. Cotter “started this brewery because they wanted to drink good beer and there was such a lack of selection of flavorful beers, the whole mantra of Blue Point and what it stood for was: quality products that were very accessible and a beer for everyone,” said the general manager, Carrie Shafir, who joined the company in 2019. ”That is still very much the approach we take today. There is something for everyone. The original brewery was essentially a parking lot with a taproom, and they were passionate about building out the distribution.” 

If you build it, they will taste

Since the acquisition, Blue Point has been able expand its footprint and distribute its beer more widely. They are now selling beer in every state on the East Coast, from Maine to Florida. And it led to the taproom, which is 7,000 square feet, with 30 taps and seating for 190 people indoors and 120 out. It has proved invaluable, both for customers (who can enjoy local-only releases like the “Catch of the Day IPA,” which features a rotating cast of hops in each version) and for Blue Point’s product development.  

“Our tasting room and pub is really where we sort of keep our ears to the ground and allows us to really see what people are drawn to drinking,” Ms. Shafir said. “Take Spectral Haze, we did a test run of that at the pub at a different name (and slightly different recipe), called Lost Mirage. It had a cult following at the pub. It is amazing to have that kind of insight at such a local level. It really helps inform what the consumers want.”

Said head brewer Rob Capitelli: “Now that we’re brewing Spectral Haze, our new hazy IPA, you see how beers changed and evolved. You still have your Hoptical Illusion drinkers, and Spectral Haze is sort of the opposite of Hoptical—it has that soft mouthfeel and big tropical aroma on it. It is cool to see how the consumers are changing.”

Tea time

The teas are named “LIIT” (Long Island Iced Teas) and flavors include Lemon Black Tea, Mango Green Tea and Raspberry Lime Hibiscus. They are available in 12-can variety packs at stores, clock in at 5 percent ABV and are gluten-free. They can be ordered by the can or by the bucket at the brewery. 

But Blue Point is of course still about beer. “Imperial Sunshine is a great example of our approach to innovation,” Mr. Capitelli said. “We saw this as a whitespace opportunity. IPA are a dime a dozen these days, [but] there is nothing else like Imperial Sunshine. The closest would be Victory’s Golden Monkey and that is sort of unchallenged, we really like that beer, but we wanted something that didn’t have that Belgian yeast, the banana clove aspect, and this is what we came back with. Be careful—it is 9.6 percent, it really drinks more like a standard beer, it is really dry and the orange peel is really nice balance.”

After all these years, fans can still expect familiar aspects of Blue Point’s character in it new releases. “We take a challenge and put a little Blue Point twist on it. After 22 years that is one of the reasons we’re still around.”