The Session #42 A Special Place, A Special beer

By Michael Stein

The South Fork. Out there, the bumper stickers read “The End” in description of Montauk, Long Island’s easternmost point. And somewhere in between “The End” and the City That Never Sleeps, lies “The Hamptons.” It’s a place often cited within the scriptures of New York art history. Its been home to a plethora of artists just to name a few: Jackson Pollock, Alec Baldwin and Steven Spielberg (also host to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ fantastic white parties). The list reads like a who’s who of contributors and influencers of national dialogue. The South Fork has also been giving what many Americans consider the ultimate sacrifice for freedom for over a century: the lives of their sons and daughters. I’m speaking of a special place where many Americans would not expect to find any personal sacrifice.

It’s a place many Americans associate with the greed of Wall Street. It’s a place where the “haves” and the “have nots” both spend time on the beach. It’s a place where the service industry brings in workers from many countries—Australia, Belarus, Ireland, Mexico, Peru, and Russia—just to name a few. The place I’m talking about is East Hampton, New York and the brewery that reminds me most of my roots here is the Southampton Publick House and Brewery.

The neighborhood that most reminds me of the East End is Springs neighborhood. No, not “the Springs,” just “Springs.” The way the year-rounders say it. Chances are if you are a year-rounder, or a Bonacker, you’ve never contemplated how you say where you’re from. Bonacker is truncated from the word Accabonac, otherwise the people of Accabonac Bay. Such is the nature of places that are unaware of their own significance. These places are magnificent because they do not question their place in history or time. They do not rest on their laurels because they are too busy cranking the mill, harvesting the barley and hammering the tap into the bung before cellaring the firkin.

The Southampton Publick house has a fantastic list of “products.” They have faith in what they’re selling; it’s as obvious as looking at the bottle and seeing brewmaster Phil Markowski’s face. Markowski has created products on par with almost every beer in your craft beer superstore (for me, it’s Total Wine in McLean, VA). Their products range the spectrum from their Abbot 12 (10.5%) to their Montauk Light (3.5%). For a parity taste, I’d take Montauk Light over Bud Light, Miller Lite or Coors Light, any day. While at the brewpub I was able to sample the seasonal Southampton Keller Pils which is single-hopped with the Hallertau Tradition. This pilsner is a fantastic representation of the style and is an amazing summer-sipper. This beer is a lawnmower beer in the best way possible, however it is so thirst quenching you may want one before, during and once your done mowing the lawn. At 5% alcohol by volume it would seem tempting not to put away a half a six-pack before the lawn is looking high and tight.

Beyond the Keller Pils and the Abbot 12 the two standout beers were their award-winning Saison Deluxe (7.4%) and their newly released VIC “antique” Porter (7.2%). The Victorian barrel-aged Brettanomyces porter was truly a unique ale. The bottles’ description reads, “VIC is what we imagine a typical London Porter tasted like during the Victorian era when beer was stored in wood and Brettanomyces was the rule, not the exception.”

When I first tried Markowski’s (now world-famous) double white I was a sophomore in college. I had bought the 22 oz bomber from Bavarian Beverage in Elmsford, New York. These bombers are on every table in the brewpub—filled with olive oil. Now you can buy six packs of double white in many more places than you could back then (they’re even at my local Harris Teeter and Giant supermarkets in Arlington, VA). Back in the days of its bomber release, the words “secret ale” were printed on the bottle. I originally thought that Southampton was in England, perhaps a brewery funded by a king or member of the monarchy. Well Southampton is in England, but not the Southampton Publick House. It has taken me six years to make it out to the pub but I was like a kid in a candy store once we got there. Despite having had Southampton’s double white many times since they were last only offered in bombers, I had yet to try it on draft. My fiancé ordered the double white and it did not disappoint. With the amazing flagship double white on draft, in combination with the three specialty beers—Deluxe Saison, Abbot 12 and the VIC Porter—I can honestly say that the over-300 mile trip was well worth the travel. A pilgrimage to this special place is a journey I look forward to making again next summer.