TOMPKINSVILLE — Beer fans can now take a taste of Staten Island brew home with them.
Flagship Brewing Company — the borough's first brewery in 50 years — has only been open for about a year, but it's already planning to expand production, start bottling and distribute its suds to stores across the city beginning next month, according to the brewery's co-owner Jay Sykes.
"Things have been going well," Sykes said. "We want to be able to make it so you can go into a supermarket or a small store and head home with a six-pack."
Six-packs of Flagship's American Pale Ale and American Wit will be the first to roll out, and the owners want to make sure everyone knows what borough they're coming from.
"We're definitely going to have Staten Island on the front," Sykes said. "We want to let it be known where we're from and that we're brewing every last drop here."
The prototype for the six-pack carrier is labeled with an image of the ferry, an outline of the borough, and the words Staten Island in big letters, Sykes said.
Flagship has always had the equipment to bottle, but it needed enough funds to start doing it on a larger scale. In about a month, the brewery plans to distribute its brews in stores in Staten Island, Manhattan and Brooklyn.
"It will be a lot more [local] with the bottles right off the bat," Sykes said. "It'll definitely be something that we grow into. We try to win it at home first."
The young brewery will also expand production by adding two new fermenters, which can pump out 930 gallons of beer each.
Flagship's Indian Pale Ale will be added to its year-round offerings on May 16 to celebrate the Brewery's one-year anniversary.
Despite Staten Island's nickname as "the forgotten borough," Flagship's beer has been well received in Brooklyn and Manhattan, Sykes said.
"It was kind of surprising," he said. "When people gave the beer a chance even without some of their preconceived notions of where it's made, I think people just want good beer."
