Over the next two months craft beer lovers will be able to enjoy tastings of their favorite brews at beer festivals across Long Island. Many of these beerfests are popular annual events that draw crowds not just for the beer but for great live music, food trucks, and fun vibes.
The 7th Annual Cask Ales FUN-draiser kicks off the fun on May 4 and for the first time will be held at Po’ Boy Brewery in Port Jefferson. This year’s festival will have cask ales from more than 25 Long Island craft breweries and from Long Island’s three homebrew clubs: Brewers East End Revival (BEER), Handgrenades Homebrew Club and Craft Beer, and Long Island Beer & Malt Enthusiasts (LIBME). There will be live music, raffles, and food trucks, including Island Empanada and Maui Chop House.
All the beer served at the festival, and the event space, is donated by the breweries to raise funds for The Barton Center for Diabetes Education, located on the grounds of the historic Clara Barton Birthplace in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Jennifer McLaughlin Davis, who has been the organizer of the event since its beginning, said the festival raised over $10,000 in 2024 and has a six-year total of over $40,000. The festival’s donations help fund summer camp programs for kids with Type 1 diabetes.
South Shore Craft Brewery in Oceanside will hold its 3rd Annual Brew Fest on May 10 with beers from South Shore and over 15 local breweries, including neighboring Barrier Brewing and Bright Eye Beer Co. The festival will have live music, multiple food trucks, local vendors, and games including a golf simulator.
The 2nd annual Long Island Feast Fest will be held on May 10 at Great South Bay Brewery in Bay Shore with beers from Great South Bay Brewery and Ghost Brewing Company. The festival runs from noon to 8 pm and will feature over 20 food trucks, dozens of vendors, and live music all day.
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Das Bock!, the beerfest sponsored by the New York State Brewers Association, will return to Plattduetsche Biergarten in Franklin Square on May 17. Das Bock! is billed as New York’s Original Lager Festival and will feature beers from more than 45 breweries across New York State, including over 15 Long Island breweries. Festgoers will enjoy traditional German-style bock beers, also known as Maibocks, made with darker malts for a rich flavor. There will be live music from Die Spitzbuam and German food such as brats and Bavarian pretzels.
Blue Point Brewing Co. will hold its 5th annual Shakedown on Main Street Festival at the brewery in Patchogue on May 17. The beerfest is being held in May because the usual date of 4/20 was Easter Sunday this year. Shakedown on Main Street features craft beer from Blue Point, food trucks, live music, and a vendor market of more than 50 local arts, crafts and snacks-makers. VIP tickets include access to stage view seating and free grilled cheese and ice cream.
The Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum will hold its annual Whales & Ales Fundraiser at the museum on June 7. The festival features craft beers from local breweries and homebrew clubs, along with food tastings, live sea shanty music, crafts, and tours of the museum. This year there will also be private beer tastings and lectures from the brewmasters of local breweries.
Six Harbors Brewing Company in Huntington will hold its 4th annual festival on June 14, which this year has been renamed the Gold Coast Bourbon, Bacon, Beer & More Festival. Festgoers will enjoy unlimited tastings of spirits from Six Harbor’s new sister distillery, Harbor Lights Stillhouse, and 10 other distillers from Long Island, New York City and the Hudson Valley. There will also be craft beer from Six Harbors and other Long Island breweries, bacon food items from a food truck, freshly shucked oysters, and live music.
More information about upcoming Long Island beer festivals can be found at LIBeerGuide.com/beer-festivals.
Bernie Kilkelly is the editor and publisher of LIBeerGuide.com.
