So an anesthesiologist walks into a brewery. There's no joke here, because he owns the joint.
Rick Sobotka was a licensed anesthesiologist, who found his calling in making quality beer when he opened up Great South Bay brewery in 2009. He brought on Greg Maisch, previously an assistant brewer for Blue Point Brewery, and the pair built a small one barrel system in Bayshore, Long Island. A year later, they brought Phil Ebel onto the team.
Ebel, now Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of Great South Bay Brewery, got his start as many homebrewers do--with a Mr. Beer kit. Dissatisfied with his results, and the simplified process, Ebel sought new routes.
"I said to myself, 'There has got to be more to it then this,'" said Ebel.
Fortune favored the brewer, and Ebel found his way into the Long Island homebrew scene; he joined up with Long Island Beer and Malt Enthusiasts (LIBME). The organization taught him the ropes of brewing, and Ebel was a quick study.
"They taught me about styles, brewing, and enjoying craft beer," said Ebel. "At that point, I was hooked."
Ebel's new obsession put him on the path to joining up with Great South Bay, just before they received their state licensing. Ebel has been a part of the team ever since. They have grown since their single barrel beginnings, and have moved into new digs in a different part of Bayshore. In fact, they have built a brewery over 10 times the size of their original that produces 30 times more beer.
"Every drop of beer we make, every keg & bottle we sell are all done right here in house," said Ebel.
The brewery has stepped out into the space and asserted themselves with a fast-paced and constantly-changing beer roster. Before their new brew house opened, the brewery needed to contract brew with larger companies. Smaller breweries send their recipes to larger brew houses and pay money to get their product produced--with occasionally mixed results. Now, in the freedom of their own brew house, Great South Bay will be producing an aggressive beer menu.
"This year we are releasing a new limited release beer every month, which we make 22 oz. bottles of just for the tasting room, as well as draft that gets sold to bars and retail beverage centers. We are also releasing a new IPA every 2 months," said Ebel. "It's a pretty aggressive release schedule, but we feel since our creativity was a bit stifled when we were contract brewing that now is the time to wow people."
Great South Bay also has plans for some apple brandy barrel aged beers, and perhaps some wine barrel aged beers, leading to an exciting future for the popular local brewery.
