Lithology Brewing celebrated its eighth anniversary on July 20 by holding a tap takeover featuring the other Long Island craft breweries that like Lithology got their start at 211A Main Street in Farmingdale.
Lithology’s taproom and brewery was formerly the location of a microbrewery incubator, A Taste of Long Island. From 2014 to early 2016, the incubator gave six breweries a jump start into commercial production, and all six are enjoying success today.
A Taste of Long Island was launched in 2012 by Jim Thompson and his daughter Courtney as a food incubator with a commercial kitchen for local entrepreneurs to make their products, along with a small retail space for them to sell the finished goods. Jim Thompson, who was a homebrewer, installed a 3-barrel brewing system in 2014 and began brewing his own recipes. He then got a license to become a tenant brewery and began renting the brewhouse to other homebrewers looking to take the next step.
Among the first tenants were Bobby Rodriguez, an award-winning homebrewer who went on to open Po’ Boy Brewery in Port Jefferson Station in 2017; Charlie Becker, who along with Jon Brengel opened 1940s Brewing in Holbrook in 2016; and the homebrewing club The Brewers Collective, which opened in Bay Shore in 2017. Other breweries that started out at A Taste of Long Island were Bellport Brewing, Long Beach Brewing, and of course Lithology, which started brewing at the incubator in 2015.
Lithology’s co-founders – Kevin Cain, Manny Coelho, Lee Kaplan and Marc Jackson – started brewing together in 2007 and after winning a homebrew competition in 2014 decided to start a brewery. The brewery is named after a geological term, a nod to two of the co-founders, Cain and Kaplan, being environmental engineers. “The name Lithology pays homage to the rocks and sediment that filter one of our key ingredients, our delicious New York water,” said Cain.
When A Taste of Long Island closed in early 2016, Lithology jumped at the chance to take over the lease and raised more than $36,000 on Kickstarter to buy more equipment to expand production. John Ardito replaced Jackson as a co-owner and Coelho took on primary responsibility as head brewer operating the 4-barrel brewing system.
Lithology is a New York State licensed farm brewery and is currently required to use at least 60% of ingredients from New York. Some of these ingredients come from Restoration Farm at the Old Bethpage Village, and Lithology supports Restoration’s sustainable farming operations by donating spent grain from the brewery to use for mulching.
Coelho usually has eight Lithology beers on tap at any one time, ranging from hoppy IPAs to light blonde ales to darker ales including the deliciously nutty Brown Ale, which won a Gold Medal in April at the New York State Craft Beer Competition. “Our Brown Ale is one of our original recipes brought over when we became a professional brewery in 2015,” said Coelho. “It’s our baby and today it remains one of our favorite recipes and flagship beers.”
In 2021, Lithology decided to return to its heritage and become a tenant brewery, offering to rent out its equipment to start-up breweries looking to take the next step. The first tenant was Jones Beach Brewing, which began brewing its beers at Lithology in early 2022. Lithology and Jones Beach have brewed collaboration beers, including the tasty Outwash Beach Kettle Sour made with passionfruit, orange and guava, which was served at the anniversary party.
Lithology self-distributes kegs to select bars and restaurants on Long Island and both Lithology and Jones Beach bring in a mobile canner to can beers for sale in the taproom and off-premises. According to Coelho, a second tenant brewer will be coming to Lithology in the fall. “We feel passionate about giving homebrewers the same opportunity that we got,” said Coelho, “since we know how hard it is to get started in the business.”
Farmingdale’s downtown has boomed over the past several years and Lithology has been at the forefront of supporting the community, holding events featuring local musicians, artists, writers and book clubs. The taproom, which is dog friendly, also holds meet ups for individual dog breeds that are often sold out, even filling up the outdoor patio out back.
The brewery that got its start in an incubator is now paying it forward and doing its part to build a bright future for the future stars of Long Island craft beer, just like A Taste of Long Island did for Lithology and five other beloved breweries.
Lithology Brewing Co. is located at 211-A Main Street in Farmingdale. For more info visit lithologybrewing.com
Bernie Kilkelly is the editor and publisher of LIBeerGuide.com.
