There’s a new kid in town in Riverhead’s lively craft beer scene, but the new kid is also a longtime operator of popular bars and restaurants on Long Island. Lily Flanagan’s Restaurant Group, which dates back to 1987, opened the Riverhead Brew House (RBH) in May on East Main Street in a space formerly occupied by Peconic County Brewing. Riverhead has now regained bragging rights as the craft brewery capital of Long Island, having six breweries compared to five each in Bay Shore and Lindenhurst.
RBH’s 8,500-square-foot space, which includes a 2,000-square-foot outdoor deck overlooking the Peconic River, is on the ground floor of the Riverview Lofts building, which opened in the fall of 2020 with 116 rental units. Peconic County Brewing opened in December 2020 despite the pandemic and received strong support from the community and good reviews for its craft beer and food, but closed in August 2023 due to financial issues and management disputes.
Lily’s Group jumped at the chance to expand eastward and have its own brewery to supply the group’s other six locations: three in Babylon (Lily Flanagan’s Pub, The Local and The Villager), two in Oakdale (Oakdale Brew House and The Wharf) and one in Farmingdale (The Villager). The group has been a strong supporter of local craft breweries and for several years has contract brewed a house Blonde Ale to serve on tap. As part of taking over the space, RBH acquired Peconic County’s 15-barrel brewhouse with five 30-barrel fermenters.
Niall Crowe, founder of Lily’s Group, said, “We are excited to be in downtown Riverhead, which is busy year-round now with new apartment buildings, the beautiful riverfront, and many nearby attractions.” RBH is located just a block from the Long Island Aquarium and adjacent Hyatt Place Long Island/East End hotel.
Crowe emigrated from Ireland to the U.S. 38 years ago and quickly worked his way up from baker and barback to purchasing a pub with his brother that became the first Lily Flanagan’s. After several years of expansion, Lily’s Group was formed to build a corporate team able to manage several locations, with the team including Wayne Meehan, Crowe’s nephew who is also an Irish immigrant.
Meehan oversaw a major renovation of the Riverhead space in just four months, which included expansion of the bar area to include more seating, flat-screen TVs, and a glass wall overlooking the brewhouse. Lily’s Group also installed a new kitchen, which is now set up to serve a full menu overseen by the group’s executive chef, Chris Weiss. The menu includes upscale takes on pub classics including nachos, wings and burgers along with pizza, tacos and sandwiches including lobster rolls.
RBH’s team has several Lily’s veterans including general manager Anthony Ward and assistant manager Cassie Pierce. Pierce oversees the craft cocktail menu, including the top-selling smoke show made with Casamigos Tequila and chipotle-infused honey and the refreshing trendsetter beer cocktail made with IPA, Aperol and lemonade.
To run RBH’s brewhouse, Lily’s Group tapped Mattituck native Greg Doroski, who got his start in 2005 as an intern at Greenport Harbor Brewing working with founding brewmaster DJ Swanson. Doroski left Greenport Harbor in 2014 to join Brooklyn’s Threes Brewing as a partner and head brewer but came back in 2020 to Greenport Harbor in a newly created role as innovations director.
Doroski said, “I’m very excited to be working with the Lily’s team, which is committed to using the highest-quality ingredients for our beers.” RBH will initially focus on brewing three to four beers that will be served at all Lily’s Group locations. The first brew that debuted on tap in early June, Iron Pier IPA, is a delicious hazy NEIPA (6.8% alcohol by volume [ABV]) brewed with mostly Citra hops with some Nelson and German Tango. Next up in late June was Peconic River Pils (5% ABV), a crisp pilsner brewed with Czech Saaz and two German hops, Magnum and Spalter Select. Looking ahead to the summer, Doroski plans to brew a Blood Orange Radler.
Special events at RBH include many Lily’s Group stalwarts such as Happy Hour with $5 draft beers, Taco Tuesday discounts, and Wednesday $15 beer and a burger. Pierce also plans to launch trivia nights, a brunch exclusive every Sunday with a DJ and drink specials, and a murder mystery night. Now that Lily’s Group has moved in, there’s no mystery about where to enjoy great craft beer, cocktails and food on the riverfront in Riverhead.
Riverhead Brew House is located at 221 E. Main St. in Riverhead. For more information see riverheadbrewhouse.com.
Bernie Kilkelly is the editor and publisher of LIBeerGuide.com, where you can find info and listings on where to enjoy great beer on Long Island.
