East End craft brewer heads west with Port Jefferson taproom

Montauk Brewing Company has signed a six-year lease for the former Port Jefferson Brewing Company space at 22 Mill Creek Road in Port Jefferson, where it plans to open a taproom and brewing facility in July.

The 800-square-foot location in Chandler Square would be the East End brewery’s second, after its original Brew Barn taproom at 62 South Erie Avenue in Montauk. Port Jefferson Brewing Company occupied the Mill Creek Road address for 15 years before closing last year. Owner Mike Philbrick had operated a seven-barrel brewing system there since the brewery opened in 2011.

Co-founder Vaughan Cutillo, citing a coastal parallel between Port Jefferson and the Montauk brand, said the expansion reflects support from the company’s distributors and retail partners.

“We’re excited and honored to open our first satellite location in the village of Port Jefferson,” Cutillo said in a statement.

Montauk Brewing is a subsidiary of Tilray Brands, which acquired the company in November 2022. Tilray also owns Blue Point Brewing Company in Patchogue, acquired from Anheuser-Busch InBev as part of an eight-brand, $83.4 million deal that closed in September 2023.

The brewery was founded in 2012 by Cutillo, Eric Moss, and Joseph Sullivan, three East Hampton High School classmates.