Jones Beach Brewing, the brewery that named its first beer after Jones Inlet recently opened a taproom on the west side of the waterway in Point Lookout.
Eight years after its founding as a New York State farm brewery and three years after releasing Jones Inlet IPA, Jones Beach Brewing is embarking on a new growth stage with plans to expand production and distribution.
“Our team is excited to open our flagship taproom in Point Lookout where people can come taste our beers and buy cans to take away,” said founder and CEO Chris Mills. “We are very familiar with Point Lookout from growing up and living in Freeport, and we have great relationships with the bars and restaurants in town.”
The taproom is located at 101 Lido Blvd. in a small house on a 4,000 square foot lot, which for several years was a cozy breakfast and lunch spot, the Salt Air Cafe. The large outdoor area will be a brew garden with picnic tables and the brewery is partnering with local stores and restaurants in Point Lookout to develop a select menu of food offerings. Jones Beach Brewing also plans to install a one-barrel brewing system to test out new recipes.
“We want to stay true to our roots as homebrewers,” said Mills, “so having a microbrewery will allow us to experiment with different ingredients and hops.”
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Mills hopes to introduce some of the new beers as the 101 Series in specially designed bottles.
The brewery will continue to brew and can most of its beer at Lithology Brewing in Farmingdale, where it has been a tenant brewer since 2022. In addition to the flagship Jones Inlet IPA, over the past three years the brewery has made more than a dozen beers, including popular summer beers Bathhouse Blonde, Pencil Pilsner, and West End Watermelon.
Seasonal beers have included Piping Pumpkin Coffee Ale, Light Show tropical stout, Toasted Theatre Amber Ale, and 1929 Dark Lager, named after the year of Jones Beach State Park’s opening. The brewery’s cans are easy to spot with their colorful labels depicting landmarks from Jones Beach.
Recipe development is led by brewmaster Matt Jones, who is assisted with brewing by Brian McEvoy and Randy Mills, Chris’ brother who is president of the brewery. Other members of the team include Doug Knab, director of sales, and Tucker Williams, director of distribution. Michael May (Chris and Randy’s cousin), Sean Wall and Jon Held also represent the brewery at farmers markets and community events.
In addition to brewing at Lithology, Jones Beach Brewing has brewed and canned its beers at other Long Island breweries to meet strong demand, especially in the summer months.
“We appreciate the support we’ve received from partner breweries,” said Chris Mills, “including Great South Bay and Westhampton Beach.”
Jones Beach Brewing has had success providing its pilsner beer to local golf clubs with a custom label.
“We are working with about seven clubs,” said Mills, “where we design a label that includes a scorecard for their golf course.”
The brewery also partnered with Storm Marketing LLC in 2024 to custom produce The Storm Pilsner, with purchases supporting the NIL initiatives for St. John’s University’s Red Storm athletes.
With their roots on the waterways of Freeport and the Jones Inlet, the brewery’s team remains committed to helping keep local waterways safe and clean. The brewery continues to donate portions of the sales from Jones Inlet IPA to local organizations that share its mission, including Operation SPLASH, Surfrider Foundation and Jones Beach Power Squadron.
The team also has strong ties to the Freeport Fire Department, with team members serving as volunteer firefighters and having friends and family serving. Since 2022, Jones Beach Brewing has made Muldowney Irish Red ale, brewed and named in honor of Richard T. Muldowney, a New York City firefighter and Freeport volunteer firefighter who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the beer are donated to the Tunnels to Tower (T2T) Foundation, with over $40.000 raised for T2T through beer sales and events to date.
As the brewery moves into its new growth stage, Chris Mills has left his marketing position with a major Long Island company to focus full-time on Jones Beach Brewing.
“We are looking to build our brand over the next 10 years to be a significant regional brewery in New York with a presence along the entire East Coast,” said Mills. “I’m proud to be leading our highly motivated team as we continue to build strong partnerships to help us grow.”
Jones Beach Brewing’s new taproom and microbrewery is located at 101 Lido Boulevard in Point Lookout. For more info visit jonesbeachbrewing.com.
Bernie Kilkelly is the editor and publisher of LIBeerGuide.com.
