BAYSHORE, NEW YORK

Just off Sunrise Highway in Bayshore’s Industrial section, DESTINATION UNKNOWN BEER COMPANY opened for business May 2015. Created by head brewer Chris Candiano and Brad Finn, two local West Islip natives who began as garage-bound zymurgists, DUBCO (as it’s affectionately known) proves to be another worthy New York farmhouse brewery.

An overhead door leads to the 10-stooled serving station sparsely decorated with a side-walled Destination Unknown insignia, wooden L-shaped pew and amber-tiled floor. Wood-furnished mezzanine seating is also available at the small 2,000 square foot space. A large projection screen TV is set along the back wall.

A wide variety of ambitious liquids ranging from sundry India Pale Ales to two Belgian-styled ales to a coffee stout and sour ale pour from the tap handles as my cousins and I settle down at one of the three outside patios on a sunny Sunday afternoon in June ’19.

Approachable flagship moderation, hopped-up pale ale, It’s A Shore Thing, retained a sedate citrus piquancy and mild woodsy dryness above mineral-grained cereal malting.

Easygoing smoothie, Sonar Saison, let lemon-bruised green grape souring gather rummy bourbon sweetness for bristling ethyl alcohol astringency.

Placing dry wood tones next to mossy dewiness and floral orange-peeled grapefruit zest, plainly monikered DUBCO IPA seemed to blend an earthen English IPA with a juicy fruited West Coast style.

One of the most popular amongst locals, tranquil dry moderation, Sore Thumb Double IPA brought limey grapefruit, pineapple and orange tanginess to resinous pine hops over its delicate caramel malt base.

Part of DUBCO’s “Milkshake Series,” Science Of Selling Mango Milkshakes IPA overwhelmed its lemony mango tartness with lactic vanilla yogurt souring and zestful orange-grapefruit-pineapple punch.

Lactose-sugared sour yogurt milking pervaded the juicy orange-peeled pineapple tropicalia of fruitful Water Taxi Triple New England IPA, gaining tart green grape, gooseberry and guava goodness.

Tartly white-wined Sour Science IPA retained lemon-soured green grape tannins and relegated straw-dried barnyard musk.

As for the two Belgians, wood-dried rusticity contrasted the dark candi-sugared citrus persuasion of off-dry Dubbel Rainbow. Pleasantly elegant Tripel Rainbow imbued its dried fruited candy sugaring with tea-like earthen dew, leaving sweet fig-date-raisin illusions to fade lightly.

Soft-toned milked coffee, hop-charred nuttiness and buttered molasses breading saddled Red Eye Breakfast Stout, finishing like a mild espresso.

destinationunknownbeercompany.com