Our Story

At Rites, we believe great beer brings people together—and our story starts with family.

Chris has been brewing beer at a high level for over a dozen years. Tim’s background is a little more eclectic—his resume includes time in the bond market, bartending, boat captaining, and even historic restoration. What connects us? Marleen—Chris’s mom and Tim’s sister.

Back in 2018, we started tossing around the idea of opening a brewery. The dream was there, the ideas were flowing, but the timing never felt quite right. Then, in April 2025, we found the perfect location in Bay Shore. Suddenly, everything clicked. We signed the lease in May, got the keys on June 2nd, received our licenses 87 days later, and opened on day 109. That might be a record!

While waiting for our licenses, we got to work transforming the space—and that’s when we came across something special. Chris found a rare Peter Austin Open Fermentation Brewing System for sale in Arkansas. Peter Austin (1925–2014), a brewing legend, built only 74 of these systems in the U.S.—ours dates back to 1983. He built 40 more in the UK and 140 in 17 other countries, from France to Nigeria to China. We inspected it in June, trucked it to Bay Shore in July, and paired it with other hand-selected pieces from Florida and Long Island.

Our mission at Rites is to brew classic European-style beers—styles that are increasingly rare in today’s microbrewery scene. We use only the finest ingredients and time-honored methods to create beer we’re truly proud of.

Our taproom is designed to be as welcoming and unique as the beers we serve—a place for gathering, conversation, and sharing a pint (or two). We can’t wait to welcome you in.