Husband and wife Rob Kurtz and Skye Hamburg’s booze plans brewed for years.
Their ideas became reality last August when they purchased and took over operations at the Riverhead Brew House.
As of next week, they’re pouring as Moonfish Brewery (221 E. Main St., Riverhead, 631-212-1265), a name they developed in the process of finding their footing as craft beer connoisseurs. They’ll host a grand opening on Dec. 5 at the brew pub.
Not much has changed from the Riverhead Brew House’s model, says director of operations and co-brewer Kurtz. But for now, “the goal for it is to be a beer-first place.”
The East Main Street beer hub will still have a large pub grub menu and full bar; however, a few more of the 14 taps will be reserved for Moonfish brews versus other local beverages that Riverhead Brew House brought in.
Though they don’t have a flagship beer yet, some Moonfish brews that have received a lot of love are the West Coast IPA, the Iron Pier Hazy IPA and the Kolsch.
Kurtz and Hamburg, who is co-owner of the space, plan to always have one or two seasonal beers on draft. Most recently it was their Oktoberfest and Pumpkin beer, and soon they’ll unveil their Moonfish Yule — a Christmas beer close to an English brown ale with molasses and Amburana wood.
Despite Kurtz’s respect for European beer styles, he finds it important to explore all styles and the newest processes.
Greg Doroski, who was previously a brewer at Greenport Harbor Brewing Company and Threes Brewing, also brews for Moonfish, along with assistant brewer George Sullivan.
The business will be doing limited distribution of kegs and will have 16-ounce crowlers to go at the brewery.
Kurtz and Hamburg have been in the alcohol business since 2016. Kurtz was a server at the former Martha Clara Vineyards and Hamburg worked at Woodside Orchards. They both grew interested in their respective workplaces’ beverages, but Kurtz’s love for the craft beer scene prevailed and he pursued a brewing education in Asheville, North Carolina in 2017.
“Skye and I wound up packing our bags and moving down to Asheville and on the same day getting hired at Wicked Weed Brewing,” says Kurtz.
Hamburg worked in merchandising and Kurtz worked as a barback and bar manager, later moving into serving and brewing by the time he finished school.
In 2020, the pair returned to Long Island with the dream of opening a craft beer space of their own. They found a Bayshore property for sale, fit for a brewery that Richard Hamburg, Skye’s father, wanted to go in on with them.
At the time they pursued the property, Kurtz and Hamburg worked at Blue Point Brewery.
Unfortunately, the Bayshore brewery did not pan out, but the stars aligned last summer when Riverhead Brew House went up for sale and the trio became business partners.
Hamburg says “we’ve kind of held our breath for the past five years and been a little bit like, is this going to happen, is it not? And [it’s great] to finally see it come to fruition.”
They’re looking forward to collaborating with local distilleries and wineries to offer other products in the beer space unique to eastern Long Island.
Swing by Moonfish Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 9 p.m. or Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. The business will cut back hours after December.
