The Southampton Publick House

by A. Craig Snyder
(Long Island , New york)

The Southampton Publick House, Long Island, NY, USA

The Southampton Publick House is one of my favorite drinking spots on Long Island. It is a micro brewery that brews some damn fine beers.

As the name implies its located in Southampton, Long Island, NY. (40 Bowden Square.) It is always filled with locals from around the island and yuppies from the city. The bar area features a long L-shaped bar with plenty of TVs and copper topped tables. The brewing vats are plainly visible through a large glass window. The seasonal brews are listed on the chalk board along with the standard beers that are always available.

Not only is it a great restaurant, but it's a better brewery/bar. I hesitate to say that it's slightly upscale, but don't let that deter you. Go in and drink up with the snob-nosed investment bankers who are visiting their summer homes in the hamptons. Soon you'll both be half-way to crocked and best friends, or you'll hate each other. Either way you'll be drunk, so it shouldn't really matter.

On Wednesday and Saturday nights there is a live DJ at the Southampton Publick House and it can get quite crowded; it stays that way til about 3am. It's a great opportunity to drink good beer and people watch. Every other night of the week there's a good sized crowd in the Tap Room (the bar area). The lighting is low enough to create a good atmosphere, but it's not too dark and the music is a good mix that never gets annoying.

The prices for beers are average for the area: during happy hour, pints are $3. Not too bad. The beers offered vary from the ever-present Montauk Light, which is a clean and crisp lager, to the Publick House Porter, which is a meal in itself. There are a variety of beers available, all of which are of excellent quality. Too numerous to mention.

The bar tenders are more than happy to let you sample a beer or three before you buy. You can order a flight of six beers to taste for a small fee and see what you like best. In my opinion some of the best beers they have made are no longer available. This includes their Hefeweizen, Oyster and Obsidian Stout. About three years ago they did away with the availability of getting a cask-conditioned beer, which was kept in a cask and "pulled" up by the bartender and served slightly warm (about 50 degrees F). I've constantly pestered Brady, the ever-present bar tender, to bring it back, but with no such luck. Damn.

Anyone in the area should certainly make it to the Southampton Publick House for a round of beers. It's a staple of the Hamptons and passing up the fine beer and food here would be foolish.