MoonFish Brewery Brings Good Vibes to Downtown Riverhead
By Bernie Kilkelly
A change in ownership at MoonFish, Riverhead’s only riverfront brewery, at the end of 2025 has brought a renewed focus on making great craft beer. New owners Rob Kurtz and Skye Hamburg Kurtz, who in August took over the space that was Riverhead Brew House and relaunched as MoonFish Brewery in December, are committed “to being a beer-first place.”
MoonFish is the culmination of a long journey for the married Long Island natives, who have worked in the beverage and hospitality business for over a decade and dreamed of owning their own brewery.
The couple moved to Asheville, North Carolina in 2017 where Rob completed a two-year brewing program at the Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. While there, Rob apprenticed as a brewer at Wicked Weed Brewing and Skye worked for the brewery in merchandising.
They returned to Long Island in 2020 and both worked for Blue Point Brewing while developing plans to start a brewery in Bay Shore, where they live. “While the Bay Shore location didn’t work out,” said Rob, “we were fortunate to find this opportunity in Riverhead, which Skye and I were both familiar with from working on the North Fork.”
The Lily Flanagan Restaurant Group had operated Riverhead Brew House for just over a year before deciding to concentrate on their properties in Babylon. Rob and Skye jumped at the chance to take over the 8,500 square-foot space, which includes a 2,000 square foot deck and has beautiful views overlooking the town’s Riverwalk Park and the Peconic River.
MoonFish is a family affair, said Skye, with the owners getting lots of support from their parents, including Skye’s father, Richard Hamburg, a retired physician.
After taking ownership, Rob and Skye kept on key staff including head chef Chris Mulcahy, whose menu has upscale pub grub including gourmet burgers, fresh tacos, artisanal pizzas and handcrafted sandwiches. Weekly deals include $20 burger and a beer on Tuesdays, wings and flights specials on Wednesdays, and Taco Thursday specials.
Greg Doroski, who was head brewer for Riverhead Brew House and previously brewed for Greenport Harbor and Threes Brewing, is assisting head brewer Rob in the 15-barrel brewhouse. Rob said MoonFish will have up to 10 house-made beers on tap along with guest taps from other local breweries and cider from Woodside Orchards in Jamesport.
“We want to have a good mix of year-round offerings such as pilsners and pale ales as well as seasonal beers made with high-quality ingredients,” said Rob. The beer menu currently has three pale ales on tap including Krush Pale Ale made with Krush hops for a fruit-forward, “crushable” flavor. A holiday Yule ale was brewed in December using molasses and finished with Amburana wood, a Brazilian oak, for extra smoothness.
MoonFish is distributing its beer to restaurants and vineyards on the North Fork while also collaborating with local distilleries. The full bar features cocktails made with spirits from Twisted Cow Distillery in East Northport, with Twisted Cow’s vodka in a blood orange cosmo and reposado tequila in a blueberry reposado old fashioned.
Downtown Riverhead has undergone a transformation in recent years with several new residential buildings springing up on Main Street. MoonFish is located on the ground floor of Riverview Lofts, a 116-unit apartment building that opened in 2021. Another new building, Heritage on Main, is under construction next door and will have 165 units.
“We see a lot of potential for future growth in Riverhead,” said Rob, “and we’re excited to be a part of making it happen.”
MoonFish Brewery is located at 221 E. Main Street in Riverhead. For more info visit moonfishbrew.com.
Bernie Kilkelly is the editor and publisher of LIBeerGuide.com.
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