GET TO THE (BLUE) POINT (Blue Point Brewing Company)

My search for the best beer in New York continues….

When I think of Blue Point, two things come to mind: oysters and beer. Less food obsessed minds might think of boats or the ocean, but unless I can eat it or drink it, I’m not terribly interested.

Since we were spending the weekend on Long Island for a wedding and had a Saturday afternoon free, I insisted on slipping away and checking out the Blue Point Brewing Company.

Years ago I used to confuse Blue Point with Blue Moon, which I’ve since learned is a very egregious mistake. Blue Moon is a Belgian-style wheat beer that is produced by MillerCoors. Blue Point is truly a craft brewery that makes a wide range of styles and is well-respected in the greater NYC beer world.

The brewery is actually located in the town of Patchogue, which is just next to Blue Point. From the outside, it feels like a large warehouse but inside is a bustling bar area with roomy seating outside on the back porch.

On Saturdays they offer free tours of the facility and beers are available for samples (you get three generous tastes) and purchased pints. Between the two of us, we got six samples which probably equalled close to two pints. It was a good way to taste their variety (they amazingly had 12 tap beers and one cask).

Michelle, the bar manager, lead the tour. It was a pretty standard brewery tour, showing off the small facility and talking about the different styles of beers and the brewing process. She had great energy and a genuine passion for the product. She made the stories interesting and down to earth. It was fun to listen to her tell the history of the owners Mark and Pete.

While we were out on the short but sweet tour, the bar area filled up. We took all three of our samples at once and brought them outside for a little more breathing room.

The entire process was witnessed by Big Ugly, the brewery cat (which made me miss Brooklyn’s Monster even more).

I haven’t explored Blue Point’s beers too much before this visit, so I did my best to be strategic about which 6 to taste. Since I was trying to hold on to the summer as much as possible, we started with two of the lighter options. The Summer Ale was light and crisp with a low hop content. It was very drinkable, but quite watery for my tastes – especially when compared to Brooklyn’s same beer. The Blueberry Ale looked almost identical in color to the summer with a fruity floral smell. The flavor was not overly sweet with a subtle fresh blueberry backbone balanced with some mild citrus.

From there we decided to go a little more intense. The Hoptical Illusion had a hazy peach color with almost hints of pink. The nose was a little flat, but the flavors came alive upon sipping it. It played with my mind a bit since the initial  taste was sweet with strong pink grapefruit, but then it dissipated into a hop bitterness. I quite liked the illusion.

Smoke and coffee were the highlights of the cola-colored oatmeal stout. It wasn’t as creamy as I expected and the oats and grains take a back seat. I appreciated the subtle smokiness but wish there were more balance in flavors.

Our final two samples were both IPA’s and it was interesting trying them side by side. The White IPA is one of their newer concoctions and was quite original. This combined a wheat beer with a full-hopped IPA. So the big bold hoppiness was balanced with a spicy and fruity banana quality. The beer also had a creaminess that gave it some body. I could have drank this all day long.

And finally we finished with the Toxic Sludge, which I suppose is the opposite of the White IPA. This is a Black IPA. These tend to be my favorite since they are unique and balanced. This dark beer had a rich chocolate flavor up front and then settled into a piny hop character.

All in all, it was a good day of drinking and exploring. But as we left Blue Point Brewing Company, all I could think about were oysters. We finally got some down the street, but they were frustratingly not from Blue Point and rather the North Shore. I just wish the brewery would make an oyster stout and then I could taste all of Blue Point in one glass – or at least my perception of Blue Point

Is Blue Point Brewing Company the best brewery in NY? They offer lots of great options to connect with their local customers and it’s a fun place to visit but the beers were a little inconsistent for me. 7 out of 10.

Is Blue Point’s Summer Ale the best beer in NY? I found it rather watery and bland although it was light and drinkable for a 6 out of 10.

Is Blue Point’s Blueberry Ale the best beer in NY? 8 out of 10 for capturing authentic blueberry flavor without a cloying sweetness.

Is Blue Point’s Hoptical Illusion the best beer in NY? I really loved the fun transformation from sweet citrus to hoppy bitterness. It was a 9 out of 10 experience.

Is Blue Point’s Oatmeal Stout the best beer in NY? Smoky, coffee flavors are some of my favorite and this one was passable at a 7 out of 10 but could have used a bit more grain and oat freshness.

Is Blue Point’s White IPA the best beer in NY? It gets a 9 out of 10 for being very unique and allowing the spicy wheat flavors to play with the hop bitterness.

Is Blue Point’s Toxic Sludge the best beer in NY? It’s a nicely balanced and flavorful play on two of my favorite styles so it earns an 8 out of 10.