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Four Years

December 9, 2013 · by · in drunken missives

Editor’s Note: On Saturday, Melba posted a nice notice for our four year anniversary on our Facebook page. We’re reposting it here as it expresses well our happiness at growing with our Long Island craft beer counterparts.

Four years ago last Saturday, we posted our first article on Drunk and Unemployed. Just two friends who have, over the course of 20 years, spent many a late night talking about (but mostly drinking) craft beer and cocktails. We weren’t sure where our interweb scribbling would take us, but we never imagined this.

When we started, we were lucky enough to be around when craft breweries, and distilleries, began to boom on Long Island. It was an exciting time, also nerve-wracking. We were never quite sure how these owners/brewers would receive us. But, to our surprise, we were welcomed with open arms. Brewers embraced and encouraged us, as they openly discussed their own struggles and passion for their craft and business.

We have watched with glee as breweries like Long Ireland, Greenport Harbor, Great South Bay, Barrier, and Port Jefferson grew from tiny tanks and one van to thousand-plus square-foot buildings and bottling lines. We continue to cheer for nano-breweries like Moustache, Barrage, Montauk, and Blind Bat as they work toward opening their doors or expanding. And we look over at the horizon at new breweries taking shape like Long Beard, Outer Lands, and The Brewers Collective.

And it has not been just the breweries. We can’t ignore the strong craft beer community that has been firmly established on Long Island for the past 20-plus years. It could have been easy for them to ignore us as just another blog, but instead they have lovingly dragged us to their well-stocked table and pushed us to learn more about craft beer everyday. Every. Day. (We are looking at you David Schultzer.)

We can’t believe that it took us four years, but we now realize that we are not alone anymore—we are part of a very special community and we do not take that for granted.

So to all the brewers, distillers, fellow beer writers/podcasters, distributors, adult beverage industry workers and EVERY imbiber who has supported and followed us we want to say:

Thank you. Thank you so very, very much. Cheers, and here is to another four years.