Here’s a breakdown of a few selections of East End beers to drink this spring.
NORTH FORK
Pith N’ Peel, Greenport Harbor Brewing Co.
Greenport, Peconic
This bright, refreshingly bitter IPA is constructed for spring. Its all-whirlpool, none-for-bittering hop bill of Zythos, Cascade, Centennial, Columbus and Chinook provides plenty of citrus flavors and aromas, which are accentuated by the addition of whole oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes. 5.2% alcohol by volume.
NoFo Saison, Long Ireland Beer Co.
Riverhead
While owners Greg Martin and Dan Burke are of Irish descent and their flagship beer, Celtic Ale, is based on a traditional Irish ale, they also craft double IPAs, imperial stouts, and, for spring, this brisk saison as an appreciation of the North Fork’s rich farming history. Lively and peppery, dry and citrusy and really refreshing. Previously packaged in large-format bottles, NoFo will debut in 12-ounce cans in April. 5.5% ABV.
SOUTH FORK
Double White, Southampton Publick House
Southampton
This unfiltered wheat beer pours hazy gold and has a creamy, mousse-like crown. Brewed with orange peel and coriander, spicy aromas precede sweet and there are pleasantly tangy notes of citrus, with a fuller body and higher alcohol punch than most in the category. Still, it’s a well-integrated, highly drinkable offering. 6.6% ABV.
Truth Serum, Montauk Brewing Co.
Montauk
It’s no fib: This new pale ale was brewed in collaboration with the staff at Truth Training, a fitness studio in East Hampton.
“When we were designing the beer together, spring was so close we could almost taste it. Sharing an appreciation for an active lifestyle, we thought about what we would want spring to actually taste like after doing something active outdoors like surfing, hiking, or running,” explains Vaughan Cutillo, who, with Eric Moss and Joseph Sullivan, carved Long Island’s easternmost brewery from a woodworking shop in 2012.
With bitterness dialed low and aromas of citrus and tropical fruit cranked high courtesy of Cascade and Citra hops added later in the brewing process — a method known as dry-hopping — Truth Serum rides that same wave. 5.2% ABV.
BETWEEN FORKS
Dune Cottage, Shelter Island Craft Brewery
Shelter Island
This cloudy, caramel-colored saison is spiced with lemon thyme, lemon verbena and black peppercorns. It has a deep herbal fragrance and a dry, thirst-quenching taste courtesy of a traditional saison yeast as appealing as a lazy spring afternoon — spent on Shelter Island, of course. 5.4% ABV.
