USA, NY: Westhampton Brewing Company to open at Gabreski Airport

A team of four entrepreneurs looking to open a brewery in Westhampton finally secured a location for their operation: a 4,700-square-foot space within the Hampton Business park at Francis S. Gabreski Airport, 27east.com reported on March 2.

Brian Sckipp, one of the founders of Westhampton Brewing Company, said he and his partners signed a letter of intent a couple of weeks ago with cousins Gregg and Mitchell Rechler, who own the space.

“We’ve had nothing but a good experience so far,” Mr. Sckipp, a former wine executive, said of working with the Rechlers.

The letter of intent, Mr. Sckipp explained, is one of the first steps in getting their brewing license with New York State. In about two to three months, Mr. Sckipp expects to be able to secure his temporary brewing license. A permanent license would be issued sometime after that.

Once the temporary license is issued, Mr. Sckipp and his co-founders—David DeTurris, Kate Tedesco and John Salvaggio—will be able to start brewing beer and, hopefully, begin having their product stocked in local stores. At that point, the Rechlers would also be able to start setting up a tasting room in the brewery, Mr. Sckipp said.

The space that the Westhampton Brewing Company is looking to lease measures about 4,700 square feet, about a third of which will be dedicated to a tasting room. The rest of the space is planned to be used as a warehouse and brewery.

Mr. Sckipp said he is excited about the support they are receiving from the community, specifically pointing to a GoFundMe page set up—titled Westhampton Beach Brewing Company—to help with start-up costs. As of earlier this week, the fundraiser already generated $4,400.

“It’s been a great response,” Mr. Sckipp said.

02 March, 2017