Craft beer enthusiasts will have something new to tap into this summer.
Top Hops, a Manhattan craft beer spot, is coming to the North Fork with the Top Hops Half Pint, a vintage-inspired, three-wheeled tap beer truck. The trucks, two converted Piaggio Ape Classics, will be available for both private rentals and to show up at various events throughout the season. The trucks are about 8 feet long, 4 feet wide and 6 feet tall and will have six taps.
The Half Pint concept is the brainchild of Top Hops owner Ted Kenny, a longtime craft beer enthusiast.
“I’m a craft beer nut, basically,” said Kenny, who started drinking craft beer in the late ’80s. Top Hops stocks a large variety of beer from all over the world.
“Craft beer drinkers really go after the esoteric and don’t want to try the same beer twice in the same night,” he explained.
With the Half Pint, Kenny is offering a selection of curated packages for private events, including one that focuses on Long Island beers.
“We’ve been big fans of the Long Island breweries from the beginning,” said Kenny, who has a house on Shelter Island. “Greenport [Harbor Brewing Co.] has a special place in my heart. I used to go in there all the time when I was building out my business plan [for Top Hops]. The craft beer scene has been exploding on Long Island, and the North Fork especially. I’m a Jersey guy. My wife introduced me to the North Fork and the vibe is just fantastic.”
The Half Pint is not like a kegerator, Kenny said. The trucks emulate a tap room, with a refrigeration unit in the back. “We’re basically doing a miniature version of a tap room on the back of the truck,” he said.
Other options will include wine and mead.
Kenny wanted the design of the truck to be distinctive and unique and he points to the Rolling in Dough pizza truck as an inspiration.
“We’re hoping that our little tap truck becomes as part of the North Fork fabric as the Rolling in the Dough International Harvester,” Kenny said.
For more information on booking a Top Hops Half Pint truck, as well as where they will be in the coming months, visit the Top Hops website.
