Farm-to-glass brewery coming to Manorville

Waterdrinker Family Farm, owned by the Weiss family, will convert a 4,000-square-foot barn into a brewery and tasting room on their Manorville site. The plan was presented to and approved by the Brookhaven Planning Board last month.

The brewery will have a 1,200-square-foot tasting room, with another area set for retail sales, in addition to the 1,600-square-foot production room. The site plan presented creates an organized parking flow, where there will be some pavement and designated handicap stalls. There will also be a separate area for overflow parking.

Reactions were mixed at a May 13 public hearing in front of the planning board, where concerns were raised about the amount of traffic on Wading River Road and the lack of space for parking. But several speakers also acknowledged that the farm has been an important part of the community, and those who enjoy craft beer would be excited to see this built. Supporters conveyed the typical scene for craft breweries as family-oriented.

“It’s not a bar scene, it’s not a sports bar, it’s a family environment,” said Kurt Garth, a Manorville resident.

Bill Zallacar, a Medford resident and a member of the Brookhaven Agriculture Advisory Board, said the Weiss family has been an important part of agriculture on the East End for five generations. Also, as vice president of the Long Island Farm Bureau, he is supportive of the brewery, which is using its own grown ingredients to produce the beer.

“It’s been a hard endeavor for our industry out there,” he said at the hearing. “And our industry is constantly changing.”

Zallacar added that the family’s history, experience and professionalism will make their commitment to the brewery sustainable and not second rate. He is confident that the operation will run smoothly and that the Weiss family will continue to be a significant part of the community.

Concerns were raised mainly about parking and traffic, with residents citing the heavy flow that is frequent on Wading River Road. It was also a concern to have a school, which is right across the street, open or being used by students at the same time as the brewery.

“The traffic on that intersection is horrendous now—I can’t imagine what it would be like with the addition of a brewery there,” said Bruce Meyer, a Manorville resident.

Members of the planning board requested that larger vehicles, like busses or limos, could carry larger numbers of people. Staff recommendations indicate that during peak months between April and October, there are no vehicles with more than 10 riders allowed. The tasting room would be able to hold fewer than 100 people. There are no plans for a kitchen, but there may be food trucks that visit on the weekends. The hours would be about 4 p.m. to 9 or 10 p.m.