Tap Handle #240: Fire Island - Lighthouse Ale

This is a gorgeous tap handle, pictures don't really do it justice. The detail and paint are excellent, and of course I really like lighthouses.

Fire Island Beer Company started in Long Island, New York in 1999 with brothers Tom and Bert Fernandez and their cousin, Jeff Glassman. Tom began homebrewing at his family’s beach house in Fire Island and the three developed their craft beer. They served early batches of Lighthouse Ale to Fire Island residents at the The Shack, a lunch counter and bar in Atlantique, one of the towns on Fire Island. They founded Fire Island Beer Company in 2007 to formally put their beer into distribution. Their first offering, Fire Island Lighthouse Ale, was launched in May 2009. The name was chosen as a tribute to the Fire Island Light, a lighthouse that sits on the island’s west end. Fire Island Lighthouse Ale was initially launched and sold in the New York City Metro area, Long Island and Fire Island. In June 2009, Lighthouse Ale was named the “Official Beer of Summer” by NBC New York. Fire Island is brewed under contract through Olde Saratoga Brewing in upstate New York. Their goal is to build up a local base until they have enough loyal beer drinkers to open a brewpub on the island.

Lighthouse Ale is an American pale ale that was made to be light enough to drink all day long, with a soft carbonation and light caramel finish. It’s a beer for all seasons, all foods, and all friends, but pairing with herb roasted fish is especially recommended. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 2.77 out of 5.

Fire Island Beer Company Official Website (note: points for being creative, but this site is all kinds of broken)