Bayside Brewery Launching in July

Within just 15 minutes of walking into the library, three people stopped to talk excitedly to Anthony Losardo, and they all want to discuss one thing: beer. Losardo, a senior at accounting major, started Bayside Brewery about three years ago, and he plans to officially launch his business this July.

According to an article published by metro.us in January, “Losardo opened up his grandmother’s garage in Bayside, purchased a how-to- book, trademarked the company name and got to work” on developing a signature beer.

The Pioneer profiled Bayside Brewery in October 2015, describing how students from multiple majors at Post, including the biology, dance, marketing and film/audio departments, help run and develop the company. Since then, the company has expanded the outreach with bioresearch to Hartwick University, and is in the process of developing graphic art with the art department. Jason Rubenfield, a junior business marketing major, said that about nine students are currently involved in running the business.

The company brews its seven types of beer in Bayside and will soon be moving to Long Island City. Because Bayside Brewery has yet to officially launch, it has not sold any of its beer. Up until this point, their beer has only been involved in networking events where people are introduced to the products, merchandise, and the team. Losardo said he met many investors at these networking events, and he is looking forward to two upcoming networking events before the launch of the company, the Pink Tie 1,000 and Taste of Queens. Bayside Brewery is involved with the Queens Economic Development Board where they were put on the international tourism guide for Queens.

“We don’t sell beer, we provide beer,” Losardo explained of their current services.

Since Bayside Brewery’s office is moving from the library to Long Island City, the company will be able to get licensed and sell its beer.

With Losardo and two other students who help run the different departments of the company graduating this spring, the dynamic of the company will also undergo some changes. Losardo said the “business will have 100 percent of his time” after he graduates and that he plans on hiring many of the other graduating seniors as employees. He also plans on hiring more interns, especially from the Biology department, and his goal is to “stay in touch with the local market” and continue to generate new ideas.

The future of the company seems to be headed in the right direction as the have been consulting with former Guinness Brew Master Fergal Murray. According to Rubenfield, Murray is helping scale their recipe from a small scale to a large scale commercial brewing, and it is information like this that will help them gain the interest of investors.

Bayside Ale is the company’s flagship ale, and Rubenfield said it is the only sweet pale ale on the market. “It has a light, hoppy flavor on the front half and a sweet, gentle finish on the back half,” he said.

After Bayside Brewery launches this summer, all seven brews will be available on tap in multiple bars in Long Beach, Freeport, Bayside, Queens, Huntington, and near Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. Losardo said that because Bayside brews a “higher end beer,” it will sell for about $8 a glass.