East End craft beer lovers can add a visit to Westhampton Beach Brewing Co. to their summer bucket list.
The tasting room opened in the Hampton Business District at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in late June with a selection of five beers on tap: the Westhampton Beach Blonde, Thom’s Elbow IPA, Copper Ale, Irish Eyes Cream Stout and Hurricane IPA.
Westhampton Beach Brewing was founded in 2016 when co-founders and childhood best friends Brian Sckipp and John Salvaggio teamed up with longtime Long Island businesswoman Kathleen Tedesco and brewer Dave DeTurris.
Sckipp and Salvaggio, former partners at Sherwood House Vineyards in Jamesport, said the stars aligned after Tedesco introduced them to DeTurris, the former brewer at the now defunct John Harvard’s Brewery and Ale House in Lake Grove.
“Wine came to us, but we’ve had a passion for beer and when the opportunity to make the switch happened, we jumped on it,” said Salvaggio, who left Sherwood House in 2015. “The missing ingredient was the right brewer and now we have the right team in place.”
The partners inked a deal on the 4,800-square-foot space in the spring. The location was the perfect size for the tasting room, which is outfitted with reclaimed barn wood, cozy seating areas and exposed duct work that make for a modern yet rustic scene befitting of the brewery’s motto “Everyday is a beach day.” It’s also enough space to brew and can the beers onsite while the vacant storefronts neighboring the brewery give ample room for a future expansion.
“That is the goal,” Salvaggio said. “You always have to think a few years head.”
In addition to its staple brews, Westhampton Beach Brewing will offer different types of seasonal beers throughout the year.
“I don’t want to be known for three styles of beers,” DeTurris said. “I want people to be able to taste the rainbow of beers.”
Westhampton Beach Brewing Co., located at 220 Roger’s Way Suite I in Westhampton Beach, is open seven days a week.
