After years of searching across Long Island for a space to open a tasting room, Paul Dlugokencky of Blind Bat Brewery followed his sonar back to his hometown of Centerport.
Blind Bat Brewery Bistro & Take-Away opened in July and has become a favorite neighborhood spot. His wife and co-owner, Regina, is an organic farmer who grows produce and herbs used in Blind Bat’s beers and at the bistro. Together, they created a fun menu featuring burgers, sausages, sandwiches, and house-made knishes and hummus made with organic ingredients.
“We’re happy that people are coming in as much for the food as for the beer,” says Dlugokencky.
Founded in 2008, Blind Bat Brewery, playfully named in part for Dlugokencky’s nearsightedness, is a nanobrewery — a three-barrel brewing system in a cottage behind his house — making beers with wood-smoked malts and locally grown ingredients. The brewer has been a regular at local farmers markets for years, but finding a commercial space proved frustrating, with some deals falling through.
“Happily we ended up right in our hometown and hope to find additional space to expand our brewery here,” he says.
The bistro has eight taps featuring brews ranging from light citrusy Belgian saisons and German hefeweizens to robust porters, IPAs, and stouts.
Dlugokencky received a New York State farm brewery license in 2017, but even before that he was using mostly local ingredients, as does the bistro menu. Several menu items incorporate Blind Bat beers, including porter in the sloppy joes.
“We expect to add soups to the menu in the winter,” says Dlugokencky, “which will also use our beer as an ingredient.”
The bistro is currently open on Fridays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m., with plans to add more days later this year.
Craft beer lovers should set their sonar on Centerport and make a stop at the bat cave.
Blind Bat Brewery Bistro & Take-Away is located at 94 Washington Dr. in Centerport. It can be reached at 631-944-3333 or blindbatbrewery.com
Bernie Kilkelly is the editor and publisher of LIBeerGuide.com
