Jamesport Farm Brewery is open under new ownership this season, with brothers Kirk and Joe Weiss and Nick Giuffre, the team behind Long Island Farm Brewery at Waterdrinker Family Farms, taking the helm.
Founded by Anthony and Melissa Caggiano, Jamesport Farm Brewery was the first farm brewery on Long Island and has been open since 2017. To attain a New York State farm brewery designation, beer or cider must be made primarily from locally grown farm products. According to the New York State farm brewing law, no less than 60% of the hops and 60% of all other ingredients must be grown in New York State. (As of January 1, 2029, that requirement will rise to 90%.)
The Weiss brothers and Giuffre, who bought the business in 2024, have extensive experience with farming and running a brewery. The Weiss brothers are fifth generation farmers—their family owns both Waterdrinker Farm in Manorville and Riverhead and Kurt Weiss Greenhouses, based in Center Moriches. Along with longtime friend Giuffre, they started Long Island Farm Brewery in an old potato barn on the 80-acre Waterdrinker Farm in Manorville.
“We got a lot of inspiration from the previous owners [of Jamesport Farm Brewery],” says Giuffre. “It’s a small industry and we all help each other out,” add Kirk. “We knew this place well when the opportunity came up to purchase it. It’s a 40-acre property, with lots of room for a big hop yard in the back.”
The operation’s head brewer is Brian Smith, who also makes the beer at Long Island Farm Brewery (located at Waterdrinker’s Manorville location). Each location will have a separate set of beer, with local wines and ciders also available.
“We started out growing hops and selling them to local breweries and we decided to get in on the other side,” says Kirk. “All of our beers are made with a majority of New York-grown ingredients, and some are made with 100% New York-grown ingredients.”
Hops are hard to grow as they are very susceptible to disease, and harvesting by hand is extremely labor-intensive. Luckily, the team’s friend, farmer John Condzella of Wading River, owns a German-made hops harvesting machine, which may prove to be a time-saving option for them.
“One of the events we want to bring back is the fresh hop harvest,” says Giuffre. “We’ll make a wet hop beer, which means that it is brewed within 24 hours of the harvest. Most of the hops that you use in a beer typically are sent off to be dried and compressed; with this situation, you pick them and put them into the hop boil the same day,” making for a beer with an exceptionally fresh taste.
A small hop field is planted near the brewery’s entrance, so patrons can check out the vines climbing up tall trellises, each section labelled with the different varieties, such as Magnum, Columbus and Centennial.
This year, the brewery will have expanded hours, closing at 8 p.m. on weekdays with the hope of enticing locals on their way home from work. Live acoustic music will be on the bill Friday nights, starting at the end of June.
The new owners have done away with the cover charge of years past for live music on the weekends. Food trucks will be on site every day, and in another big change, the brewery is now kid- and dog-friendly.
“We both have young kids,” says Kirk, “and Nick has a dog.”
“We want to make this a place that we would want to go to,” says Giuffre. Planning for more local vendor popups, featuring oyster farmers, crafters and other small businesses, is under way.
Patrons can expect to see some new beverages within the next few weeks. “We have a lot of new beers on the way…that’s one of the fun things about a brewery compared to a winery. It’s more of a reason to come back two or three weeks later…you’re probably going to see something new on tap,” says Giuffre. The first brew on tap will likely be a new summer blonde—a light, crisp and refreshing low-alcohol summer beer.
Currently, the brewery’s most popular beers are The Windmill (a pilsner), North Fork Blonde (a blonde ale) and North Fork Wheat (a mash-up between a classic American wheat ale and an east coast IPA).
Four-packs are available to take home, and while growlers will not be available, crowlers will soon. A crowler (or “canned growler”) is a 32-ounce aluminum can, filled with beer from the tap and sealed, offering another option for taking beer to go. Unlike growlers, which are made of glass or ceramic and usually contain 64 ounces, crowlers can keep beer fresh for several weeks.
Jamesport Farm Brewery does not take reservations; all seating is first come first served. No outside food is allowed on the premises, and party buses are by reservation only. For the latest on their schedule of live music and events, check their website or their social media.
Jamesport Farm Brewery, 5873 Sound Ave., Riverhead, 631-779-2133; jamesportfarmbrewery.com.
