DUBCO plans major operations shift, seeks downtown Bay Shore taproom

Destination Unknown Beer Co. (DUBCO) — a fixture in Bay Shore’s craft beer scene for nearly a decade — is embarking on a huge transition that will reshape its local presence and expand its upstate operations.

Chris Candiano, who co-owns DUBCO with his wife Jennifer, revealed plans to relocate DUBCO’s primary brewing operations to DUBCO Acres, the company’s taproom and 50-acre farm in Warwick, New York, where DUBCO grows a small percentage of the barley it uses to craft its beer.

The move coincides with DUBCO’s efforts to sell its existing brewing equipment and space on Chicago Avenue, while actively pursuing a new location for a taproom a mile and a half away in downtown Bay Shore.

“Our focus is Bay Shore. We’ve been in Bay Shore for 10 years. We want to stay here. We love this town,” Chris Candiano told Greater Long Island on Thursday. “So our ideal spot would be somewhere on Main street in Bay Shore.”

Candiano stressed the importance of finding the right buyer for their current 7,000-square-foot facility, where they brew some 2,000 barrels of beer each year: “We really want to set up whoever’s buying this location for success. We want to make sure it’s a good fit.”

Part of the deal for the new tenants would be sharing access to the brewing equipment with DUBCO. Candiano explained that DUBCO — while their new brewing facility is being built out in Warwick — would temporarily need the equipment to produce its product for its two taprooms, in Warwick and Long Island.

Potentially, DUBCO beer could continue to be sold at the Chicago Avenue taproom. It just depends on the who the buyer is.

The arrangement “is beneficial to all parties,” Candiano said. “We still need to keep brewing our own beer. And one of the buyers who we have been in negotiations with is a much smaller brewery and has much smaller production than us.”

DUBCO’s brewing set up in Bay Shore has a capacity to churn out up to 3,000 barrels of beer annually, Candiano said. DUBCO’s production level will provide a steady revenue stream for the new occupant while they establish their own brand, he said.

“We’ve had a couple smaller breweries that are looking to increase production,” Candiano said. “It’d be a perfect situation for them, where they could just walk in on day one and be up and running and brewing and making money in the taproom here.”

As for DUBCO’s continued local presence, Candiano wants the space to be bigger than their current 700-square-foot taproom, with a larger seating area and a small kitchen for in-house food preparation. At its current digs, DUBCO relies on the presence of food trucks to keep its hungry customers happy.

Candiano is hoping for a seamless transition, ideally opening the new taproom just as the brewery changes hands.

_{Top photo: Courtesy image.}