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Greenport Harbor, Destination Unknown team up for big win at L.I. Craft Classic

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It was the first-ever BREW’D competition. Here’s how it all went down.

Nine Long Island breweries were pitted against one another in a head to head taste-off.

The judges consisted of everyone at the Long Island Craft Classic at Heckscher State Park in East Islip, which happened last weekend, Aug. 12.

Each brewery that signed did so knowing they would have to brew with one mystery ingredient. That mystery ingredient was revealed on June 30; it was the peach. The breweries had six weeks to brew any style beer they chose, so long as peach was involved.

All attendees got a chance to cast a vote for their favorite peach beers that day at the park.

In the end, Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, together with Destination Unknown Beer Company (Dubco) of Bay Shore, took it all with their Fuzzy Flamingo collab, a fruited berliner weisse (4.8% ABV), also brewed with fresh raspberry, peach and milk sugar.

“I was fortunate to be on hand … to witness the response from the crowd,” said Jon Kelly, the sales director at Greenport Harbor Brewing Company. “As the line grew and grew with more patrons sending their friends over to try Fuzzy Flamingo we felt we had a pretty good shot.”

“We were stoked to win mostly because the competition was judged by beer drinkers,” he added.

The winning beer was brewed by two long-time friends, Chris Candiano, president of Destination Unknown Brewery and Pat Alfred, head brewer at Greenport Harbor.

“We’re all super happy with the way the beer came out, and even happier that the public liked it too,” said Candiano. “We are so humbled by the love and support of the whole craft beer community.  We love doing local events like this, and the BREW’D competition added even more fun to an already exciting event. Winning is the icing on the cake,” he added.

competitors included:

Blue Point Brewing Company (Patchogue), Great South Bay Brewery (Bay Shore), Greenport Harbor Brewing Company (Greenport), Lithology Brewing Co. (Farmingdale), Long Ireland Beer Company (Riverhead), Moustache Brewing Co. (Riverhead), Port Jeff Brewing Company (Port Jefferson), Saint James Brewery (Holbrook), and Spider Bite Beer Co. (Holbrook).

Top: Greenport Harbor Brewing Company and Destination Unknown Beer Company accept top honors in BREW’D competition at Long Island Craft Classic at Heckscher State Park in East Islip. (Credit: Karl Mischler/courtesy) Click here to check out more photos.

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