The countdown is on for the grand opening of Greenport Harbor Brewing Company’s second location on Route 25 and Peconic Lane in Peconic.
According to Rich Vandenburgh, who is opening the second location with his partner John Liegey, momentum is picking up on the project, which has been in the works for some time, with an initial opening slated for last summer.
But now all systems are go, Vandenburgh said, with big plans brewing.
First off, he said, the production side of the brewery is closest to coming to fruition. The balance of the brewhouse, including vessels and tanks, are expected to arrive by the end of March. Already, six of the tanks, 90-barrel fermenters, are in.
“It’s exciting,” Vandenburgh said. “It looks cool.”
Once they arrive, it takes about a month to pipe, plug in, turn on and fine tune the system, he said.
“We’ll be doing that throughout the month of April,” Vandenburgh said.
The goal, he added, is to “fire up” production by May 1, with beer made, kegged, and rolled out to market by sometime in May.
Next, Vandenburgh said, the next objective is to get the tasting room open, hopefully by June.
Then, later in the summer, Vandenburgh hopes to open the kitchen.
Once the new location opens on the parcel where the former Lucas Ford dealership was located, Vandenburgh assured that the brewery’s first location in Greenport, on Carpenter Street, will remain open and fully operational.
When all is said and done, the new location will feature the company’s popular brews, a beer garden, food, outdoor seating and live music.
Now that the big day is finally close, Vandenburgh said he’s filled with a mix of emotions. “Nobody is more excited to open than I am. But it’s been a long up and down and, like most things in life, sometimes a battle. Now than we can actually begin to really visualize it, with the tanks going it, it’s getting really exciting.”
After some initial delays, there were new challenges this year with some equipment deliveries, Vandbenburgh said. “Now I’m feeling really, really excited, and we can really focus. I’m really anxious to cross the finish line and open the doors. But you have to remember to take the time to do things right, and not rush, just for the sake of getting open.”
