Long Island! Maybe you know it as the home of Billy Joel or Howard Stern, but after trying today’s brew you’ll recognize it as a craft destination.

You probably already have a favorite brewery or two in NYC, but that’s just the tip of the Empire State’s crafty ice-burg. Today you’ve got a chance to get a true taste of Long Island craft with 12% ABV Ryeno Rye Barrel-Aged Barleywine!

If you didn’t know Long Island had a beer scene, now’s your chance to find out why NYC craft fiends are willing to cram themselves onto a packed train for over an hour to get up there.

A collaboration between two award-winning local breweries, Destination Unknown and Spider Bite, this brew is aged in Rye whiskey barrels from LI Spirits. That's about as Long Island as a beer can be!

This BA Barleywine has only been released once before, last year, when it won Silver at TAP New York, the state’s largest craft beer competition. Fans have been pestering Destination Unknown for another round ever since. And it’s finally here!

Pop open a can of Ryeno and aromas of toffee and caramel come sliding out smoother than a Billy Joel piano solo. Take a sip, and Rye spiciness rides a wave candied date and raisin straight across the palate, bolder than a Howard Stern radio show. On the finish, malty caramel flavors linger along with mild oakiness and whiskey warmth, as delicate and nuanced as the poems of Walt Whitman.

Yep, he was from Long Island, too.

It’s time to expand your New York craft knowledge beyond the city! Grab a can of Ryeno, call up a few buddies, and find out why Long Island’s craft fiends don’t have to head into  Manhattan or Brooklyn to get their fix.

Silver Medalist at the TAP New York Craft Beer Competition

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