Root + Branch Brewing

Root + Branch Brewing, based in Long Island, New York, identifies itself as a nomadic brewing project. It was started by friends Anthony Sorice and Ryan Mauban, building on their shared passion for beer and brewing. Both Anthony and Ryan have enjoyed successful individual careers in the beer brewing sector.

Anthony began brewing at home and later worked with a number of reputable breweries, such as Threes Brewing in Brooklyn, Coney Island Brewing, and Long Island City Beer Project.

Ryan happens to be the only beer professional in NYC with a history of working under two Michelin Star chefs. Ryan’s accolades range from having appeared as a guest speaker at the New York City Wine & Food Festival to finding a place on Wine Enthusiast’s Top 40 Tastemakers Under 40 list in 2017.

The Story

Root + Branch Brewing opened its taproom in Long Island quite recently. The brewing project focuses more on mixed fermentation and fruit addition than the craft beers usually made available in the area. Before Root + Branch decided to open its taproom, the brewing effort had already released a range of memorable fresh and flavorsome juicy beers. The beers provided put a distinct emphasis on drinkability and quality.

The name Root + Branch is Anthony Sorice’s tribute to his former philosophy professor’s Libertarian Socialist zine. Root + Branch values history, and this reflects in their taproom launch beers too, which were made in collaboration with four of Sorice’s oldest friends working in the NYC brewing space.

Root + Branch allows Sorice to experiment with ancient brew styles, fruit additions, and to collaborate with friends, which wasn’t possible for him at the Long Island City Brewing Project. In fact, Root + Branch intends to continue with organic collaborative beers in the future too. The four beer styles they launched the Long Island taproom with were a pale ale, two DIPAs, and a Lichtenhainer.

Root + Branch is an intimate business effort, and even the logo, can design, and art for the brew project are conceived by Sorice’s girlfriend, who is a graphic designer.

Sorice plans to introduce and familiarize Long Island with mixed-fermentation, mixed-culture saison, and Berliner Weisse. He loves to mix fruit into his beers and plans to source apples, peaches, and berries from the fruit farms located on the eastern side of the island.

Root Branch had been using Great South Bay in Bay Shore to package their brews and sell them until now. New releases were held monthly, and the brewing enterprise had already earned itself a sizeable fan following. Recently, the brew project was named one of Hop Culture’s Best New Breweries in 2018.

Copiague Brewery and Taproom

Root + Branch Brewing has converted a former warehouse into their brewery and taproom in Copiague. The 4,000 square feet space now boasts of a ten barrel, three-vessel brewhouse furnished with additional wine and spirit barrels for sour and barrel-aged beers. It is housed right under the Long Island Rail Road station. Root + Branch only offers beers on-site now and has ceased launches at the Bay Shore brewery.

Beers Past and Present

Currently, Root + Branch Brewing is selling the following two beers:

• The Crystal Spirit: 8% ABV Double IPA brewed with flaked oats and wheat. The brew is hopped with El Dorado, Citra and Mosaic hops. Both the title and illustration on the can of the beer are derived from a George Orwell poem found in his account of the Spanish Civil War, “Homage to Catalonia” (1938).

• Dead Men on Holiday: 8.5% ABV Double IPA brewed using flaked oats and wheat. The brew is hopped with Comet, Citra, and Simcoe hops.The title and illustration on the can of this beer are inspired by Arthur Koestler’s novel Darkness at Noon (1940).

Root + Branch prides itself on its experimental brew offerings. An example of such is their series of Double IPAs, which have been crafted using difficult-to-source ingredients, information about which will be largely undisclosed to the public.

Life and Fate 1 belong to this unique brew series, brewed with a base of unmalted wheat and oats and hopped with a variety of South African hops. Life and Fate 1 provides drinkers with rich flavors of mango and pineapple.

Besides Double IPAs and IPA beers, the brewery also sells different kinds of Imperial Stouts and Kettle Sours. Small batch Berliner Weisse and mixed fermentation saisons are equally made available. Even though Sorice has extensive knowledge and brewing experience of hazy IPAs, he’s looking to provide more to Long Island City residents.

Many breweries are offering hoppy IPAs to beer enthusiasts in the locality, but not many are doing what he does with his beers at Root + Branch. It is Sorice’s ambition to widen up the crafty beer scene in Long Island and provide fresh, limited-quantity quality brews that incorporate fruit and mixed-fermentation.

Why You Should Visit

Root + Branch in Long Island, New York is worth your visit if you are already familiar with the delicious brews that this former nomadic brew project produces. With the opening up of their taproom in Long Island, they no longer sell their cans out of the Great South Bay brewery as they did in the past.

You might still be able to get your hand on an artsy Root + Branch brew can from one of their limited distributors. Nevertheless, we recommend you come down and experience their all-new taproom experience at Copiague instead. You will be able to pick up as many cans of Root + Branch experimental brews as you want and also witness how the beer is made.

If you have any questions or want to learn about their future plans, you can ask Anthony or Ryan, and they will be more than delighted to assist with your queries. The official website for the brew project is where you can stay updated with their current beer offerings. Plan your visit and drop into Root + Brewing at 360 Marconi Blvd, Copiague, NY 11726, United States.