Patchogue’s Hoptron Brewtique is now serving Long Island wine

It wasn’t a decision taken lately.

But owner Amanda Danielsen now admits it should have happened awhile ago.

Hoptron Brewtique, Long Island’s craft beer-only bar since November 2012, is now serving — gasp! — wine.

“Most of the hardcore regulars understand that one thing has nothing to do with the other,” said Danielsen, explaining that the new wine offerings don’t mean less beer choices.

“And some others haven’t even noticed,” she added. “They’re really just coming here with a mission in mind.”

That mission is often to locate a certain craft beer on the rotating tap line that’s updated in real-time on the Hoptron Brewtique website.

Many of those folks won’t realize there’s now a small wine preserver and pourer machine behind the bar.

So why the move to wine?

Some larger parties weren’t sticking around, often because there was at least one person in the group who wasn’t a beer fan, Danielsen explained.

“And they would all leave because the one person wasn’t happy,” she said.

Since Hoptron’s move to wine earlier this year, the staff has noticed larger groups are staying longer. 

Thus far, Hoptron has been serving two reds and two whites from McCall Wine in Cutchogue. Future installments of Hoptron-featured wine will also be produced on Long Island, Danielsen said.

“It’s all still high quality and craft-oriented,” she said, explaining how the wine really does fit with Hoptron’s mission. “And we still have killer beer.”

Hoptron still doesn’t serve liquor. There are no bar stools. And, there won’t be any more TV’s added.

Yet Danielsen realizes that if a craft whiskey industry suddenly exploded on Long Island, that might be something the staff at Hoptron would have to think seriously about offering.

“I thought we would never have wine,” she said. “I reserve the right to flip-flop.”

mike@greaterpatchogue.com

Photo: The new wine machine at Hoptron Brewtique on West Main Street in Patchogue. (Michael White)