Many a friendship has bubbled up over a beer or two. But for Brian Sckipp and John Salvaggio, it’s their friendship that created the beer.
“We met in the 8th grade, so we’ve known each other for a long time, long before we started brewing,” says Salvaggio. “I think we met in homeroom; we probably bonded over a cute girl.”
Sckipp laughs at his friend’s recollection and the teenage truth of it — a warm, low gut-bust at the memory, and maybe even a little side-eye, elbow-in-the-side joke between the two owners of Westhampton Beach Brewing Company. The history between the two of them is clear, in the way they finish each other’s sentences, crack up over each other’s jokes and the in-sync vibe that only the oldest of buddies can pull off.
“We’ve just been friends ever since. Even when my wife and I moved out east, and then John and his wife came to visit and they loved it, and moved here, too,” says Sckipp. “I think we’ve hardly lived more than four miles apart most of our lives. We’re like family.”
Indeed, the school chums from Kings Park have lived life in tandem for around four decadeds. Both even became teachers — English for Sckipp; business for Salvaggio — but they also dreamed of opening a business together one day.
While the brewery’s motto — “every day’s a beach day” — sets the easy-going tone for their tap room and crushable brews, it’s that relationship that’s not only helped them to start one of the East End’s best craft beer success stories, it’s put Sckipp and Salvaggio on tap to flow into the foreseeable future.
Surf and sip
Step into the WHB Brewing Company located in the Gabreski Airport industrial park at 220 Roger’s Way, and you feel like you just found one of the last un-Hampton havens around. Or, maybe better, the good, chill, jolly beachy vibes that you love about the Hamptons without the fussy stuff and overpriced accompaniments.
The tap wall and bar is made of a horizontal scattering of reclaimed wood, adorned with their surf-board logo and motto, and smaller wooden surf board placards displaying the names of the beers on tap. Adjacent to that, a giant window lets you peer into the 15-barrel system where all the beer is made. Above it hangs a trio of large screen TVs — sometimes displaying a game, sometimes beer choices — and above that, five oversized, eye-catching photos of cresting waves with pocket curves begging for a board. Atop that, an American flag. All around the tap room hang surf boards of myriad size and color. Beneath a smattering of fairy lights, metal and wood tables, each with a different sea-centric set of chair colors, meant to represent shades of water in light blue, royal blue and turquoise. Twenty-foot-high windows flood the place with sunshine.
There are 12 taps to dispense their suds: a trio of flagship brews and evolving seasonal and experimental beers made by head brewer Mike Rizzo. There’s also local wine and canned cocktails for a little variety, offering something for everyone to love here. It feels comfortable and fun and like at any given minute, you’re going to bump into an old friend. Or maybe make a new one.
But those beers are certainly the main attraction.
“The core of the feel here is the vibe created in that tasting room. There’s that giant window we have so you can see the brewing process,” says Sckipp. “And obviously making that beer is the heart and soul of everything we do.”
They opened in 2016 with three flagship brews: Jetty Four lager, Hurricane IPA, and Irish Eyes milk stout, and they remain the core beers today. From there, Rizzo also riffs out with seasonal, one-off and even special give-back beers, where part of the proceeds to go help out local organizations dear to Sckipp and Salvaggio, something that was part of their mission statement from the get-go.
“A percentage of all of our Tropical Storm, a New England-style IPA, goes to the Marty Lyons Foundation. They grant a wish to children who are terminally ill or who have life-threatening illnesses. They’re a really wonderful organization and Marty is a super guy,” says Sckipp.
“We also have our Rip Tide, and a portion of the proceeds from that goes to the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which helps support people with cystic fibrosis,” says Salvaggio, adding, “We also have another beer called the Copper Ale, a pale ale which gives to first responders in the military, police, EMS, firefighters. We’ve always been about giving back to the community, especially because we’re teachers. It’s about being involved and helping out as much as we can.”
There’s also just the general community spirit they encourage through gatherings at the tap room. Open daily from noon to 8 p.m., the days here are filled with music from local bands, a robust Tuesday trivia gathering, a collaboration with the Cornell Maritime Program and ArtSea, their stand-up comedy night and even their “Run Club,” where local joggers head out for a healthy spin on Mondays and then for relaxing (and cost-happy) $6 pints after.
Linger over lager
Both Sckipp and Salvaggio tinkered in homebrewing to the point where the idea of opening a craft brewery on the South Fork began to ferment in their minds and discussions. But while they were looking to kick off this then-new side career in 2005, a different opportunity presented itself in the form of the recently shuttered Sherwood House Vineyards, where Sckipp and Salvaggio were partners. But while it might seem like a bit of an odd decade-long side-step from their original path, it turned into an opportunity to get schooled in the beverage biz.
“Being in the wine business, we took sommelier classes and that really gave us an education of the palate. And it definitely introduced us to doing things in a commercial way,” says Sckipp. “It probably would have been much more difficult for us if we’d just jumped into the brewing business in 2005. We learned a lot about wholesale and retail and manufacturing.”
In 2016, they filed the paperwork to launch WHB Brewing, armed with the knowledge to start off on the right foot.
“Whereas the partnership in the vineyard was already set up and there were things we wanted to fix and change, with the brewery we could customize it to what we thought was beneficial to the business,” say Salvaggio.
They immediately started off with a larger than typical brewing system that they could grow into instead of making the mistake of starting small (and quickly outgrowing it). They found a space that not only could fit their 15-barrel brewing system, but also allowed the all-important access to important facilities (like a sewer system). They bought a canning system so they could be self-sufficient in distributing their product.
This month marks six years in business for the old friends. And while they still feel like every day is a beach day, they’re excited about the future, too. They’re hoping to get their beer in more retail spots and restaurants beyond Long Island, New York City and Westchester, and into the tri-state area. They want to keep creating more great brews and doing good in the community. They want to keep working with great people, like Rizzo and their long-time tasting room manager, Christian “Migs” Migliara who not only mans the taps and handles the crowds but has created a sort of panoply of exotic plants all around the tasting room. (“He’s got a green thumb like no other,” says Sckipp. “The guy is irreplaceable.”)
And they even have their eye on opening a neighborhood-y walk-in brew pub in the area “…where people can come with their families and get a good meal for a decent price,” says Salvaggio. “And to enjoy the beer, too.”
But right now, they’re just happy that summer’s here again and the taps are flowing.
“When people come and celebrate in the summer, it feels good,” says Sckipp. “The staff loves it and we love it. We want to keep coming back ourselves and we hang out with our own family and friends here whenever we can.”
