Sand City Brewing Co.

Perfect local hangout in small, Long Island town.

Taster pour of the Infinite Dimensions (Triple IPA)

This past weekend we had the first beautiful-weathered Saturday this spring, and we took full advantage of it. We took a trip to Long Island to visit Sand City Brewing in Northport, NY, about a 1.5 - 2 hour car ride from our home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. It has been on our short list of breweries in New York to try ever since a colleague of Shannon’s brought her two packs of ‘Red Sand’, their Amber ale, as a holiday present.

The brewery itself is nestled in the back of an alley between a Chase bank and a wine shop on Main Street, and sported several flags to let patrons know its location. As long as you know this for your first visit, you’ll know exactly what to look for and you will not miss it.

Since we visited on a Saturday, the place was packed with locals. Long, wooden tables housed multiple parties, barrels set out as tables had beer drinkers standing around them, and there was space to stand at the long, beach wood bar. A musician was playing to the left of the entrance, by the merchandise. It was loud and raucous, but this did not distract from the decor or the beer. I noticed Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels by the door, most likely to age beer in. Like most modern craft brewing taprooms, the brewery located in the back of the establishment was visible through glass windows. Now, on to the beers.

The service was fast and efficient at the bar, even with the large amount of people ordering beer. There were ten beers on tap, as well as a number of cans, bottles, and growlers available to go. My wife and I each started with 12-ounce pours. She had their "Putting out Fires", which was a sessionable IPA. It poured a little cloudy, and the juiciness provided by the Citra hops was balanced with the dryness of Simcoe hops. I enjoyed their Even Mo Mofo, which is a double IPA brewed with Mosaic hops. It was smooth, even with the high ABV. Deciding to try as many of their beers as possible, we shared a flight. We enjoyed five beers: Southdown Breakfast Stout, Infinite Dimensions (Triple IPA), Tafelbier (Belgian style table beer), Lava Dome (Imperial stout), and Dirty Herbie (Kellerbier). All five tasted good and were strong examples of their styles. The Lava Dome really stood out. It is a collaboration with Great Notion Brewing of Portland, Oregon, and has strong-bodied flavors of chocolate and vanilla.

We were very satisfied with our experience at Sand City. Beer was great, service was great, and the place was clean and efficient. I would highly recommend this to anyone who gets out to Northport, especially when the weather is gorgeous and you can take in the rest of the small, boat town as well.