photo credit: Tweaking Frog Brewing Co.
Exciting news for Tweaking Frog Brewing Co. this week! The brewery, which has been open since April 1, is celebrating their commercial launch this Saturday July 9 at Bellport Beer in Soda from 2-6pm. Guests will have the opportunity to taste and purchase Ribbit Red Ale, Raging Pollywog IPA, Twerking Blonde Ale and our brand new Metamorphosis IPA Series – Release 01.
I caught up with Joseph Curley, founder & owner of Tweaking Frog Brewing Co., located and operated out of Lithology Brewing Company’s facility (211-A Main Street, Farmingdale). Joseph who has been brewing since 2007, is joined by Karen Curley (Marketing & Sales), Aaron Diodato and Joe Posillico (Brewers), and Phil DeFilippi (Brewery Engineer).
How did you get into brewing?
It was something that interested me for a long time, so when my wife [Karen Curley] and I moved into our house I believed I ordered the equipment within the first month or two. From that point I snowballed right into All Grain after 4 batches of extract and never looked back.
What do you like about craft beer the most?
That’s tough since there are so many aspects to like, but if I had to pick the one I like the most, it would have to be the sense of community and commodore that craft beer has created.
What inspired you to open up a brewery?
I would have to say that what Paul Dlugokencky has done with Blind Bat was a huge influence. His story of how he got started really got my brain cranking on how I could do something like that too. It showed me that it was possible and the trick is just figuring what is your way of doing it.
What are some of your favorite beers you like to brew/drink?
Honestly, I do not discriminate among styles, I enjoy just trying something that is new to the market. It’s amazing at the diversity of beers that are being created but some of my personal favorites are Red Ales, IPA’s, ESB’s and Saisons.
photo credit: Tweaking Frog Brewing Co.
How did you come up with the name?
I have another business called Fat Blue Frog, this is a business that I do my web design and development work under. That’s what I do currently. I am the Vice President of Digital Systems at Sokolin Fine and Rare Wines. I do all of their web, eCommerce and graphics work. So with wanting to keep with my ever-changing endeavors I wanted to bring something over from that. So that’s where Frog came from. And before Fat Blue Frog, Frogs came from my mom. She always liked frogs.
Now, Tweak came from my friend Ryan. That is a nickname he gave me a long time ago. He always said I reminded him of Tweak from South Park. When I was trying to figure out a name for the brewery, I was bouncing ideas back and fourth between Karen and my friend Jay. Karen pulled the frog into the name and Jay pulled Tweak into it. From that day forward Tweaking Frog Brewing Company was born. I felt it fit just right, kept true to what I have done with my life so far and have it be something that I could have some fun with.
What type of beers do you hope to have on tap, and how many?
We hope to have three to four different beers being distributed at any given time. In the tasting room, we plan to always have two beers on tap and hopefully more. In terms of styles, we love beer so we won’t be ruling out any styles. To start, we are brewing our Ribbit Red Ale which is on tap in some locations; Raging Pollywog IPA, which is going to be kegged this week, and our Tweaking Blond Ale; which is slatted to be brewed next. These will be our first initial offerings. From here, we will go where the customers want us to go. In the end its all about the drinkers and we want to brew great easy drinking craft beer for the people. We’ll just TWEAK everything a bit to put our take on it.
In your opinion, what makes Tweaking Frog Brewery stand out from other breweries?
Tough question because in all honesty I am still figuring it out. What I can tell you is that I have a level of passion and dedication that goes right to my core. Anything in my life that I ever believed in I have always put myself on the line. With starting a brewery and having the opportunity to become a part of something that is so exciting I do not take lightly. I know that if I don’t fully dedicate myself to it and have faith in it then it won’t work out in the long run. So I am whole heartedly vested into taking a chance on trying to become a part of the craft beer revolution that is happening. I vow to stay humble, listen and learn as much as I can throughout this process. In the end I hope to put my passion and all that I have to give into my beer.
What tips do you have for home brewers who are thinking about opening up a brewery?
There are a couple of key things that I learned. No matter how much you researched and prepared there is going to be stuff that you missed and will have to learn. Brewing is hard work and is not a laid back job. Blood sweet and tears is what is needed to get everything up and running. Lastly, you also at some point will just need to begin doing the job and deal with everything one day at a time. Like any job there is a learning curve so keep calm and don’t stop learning. Keep refining your method of operation and constantly strive to be better. This is an occupation that requires true passion and dedication. I couldn’t be happier about going on this journey
How do you feel about the craft brew scene on Long Island?
The craft beer scene on Long Island is awesome. It is filled with such great people and is very different from other corporate atmospheres that I have worked in during my career. Craft Beer in general and especially here on Long Island has such a group of passionate and honest people ,which is a breath of fresh air for myself. I am just excited that I get a chance to make my mark on the Long Island Craft Beer scene and will be doing my very best to make sure Long Island Craft Beer gets the recognition that it deserves.
