LI Gluten-Free Brewery, Necromantic, Celebrates 1 Year: 'The People Have Been Great'

FARMINGDALE, NY — Necromantic Brew Co. of Farmingdale, a gluten-free brewery, celebrated its one-year anniversary — one with many ups and a few downs all ultimately overcame by owner Ralph Mandarino.

Mandarino, 40, said it has been "kind of surreal" being back in Farmingdale, the town he grew up in.

"It really felt like coming home," Mandarino told Patch.

The 253 Main Street space is adorned with horror movie-themed props, posters, collectibles and ambiance, as Mandarino has always had a passion for the genre.

His other love, however, is providing people with gluten intolerances or celiac disease a space to enjoy craft beer again. Mandarino himself has been gluten intolerant for 11 years, meaning it triggers an immune response in the small intestine of anyone with celiac disease.

Mandarino said it's been "very emotional" seeing people who otherwise could not drink beer come in and enjoy a pint or flight.

"People who are gluten-free appreciate it more than words can say," he said. "Some people who are gluten-free would prefer it if it was more easily accessible through distribution channels. To that, I would say first you have to show us that you want it. You’ve got to come in, check it out, enjoy it and then we’ll talk about all the different channels of distribution that can be done. Restaurants, beverage barns, or whatever else."

Traditional beer is made with wheat, barley, rye, malts and hops. Of those, hops are the only ingredient that is naturally gluten-free.

To make gluten-free beer, Necromantic Brew Co. uses buckwheat, Millet flour, flaked quinoa, rice, and in some instances, organic corn. Their ingredients come from a dedicated gluten-free facility: Grouse Malthouse in Wellington, Colorado.

The customers are Mandarino's favorite part of his first year in business.

"The people have been great," he said. "Getting to know not just the locals, but people coming from all over."

The brewery has attracted people from New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Colorado, and Washington.

Necromantic's first orbit around the sun wasn't without its challenges: it ran out of beer at one point, and in February, a heating coil broke, causing it to close temporarily.

"We kind of never really got back on track since then," Mandarino said. "As good as things have been, they could have been better. Other than that, no complaints at all."

Things have been looking up, though. The recent Halloween season brought many event opportunities. Over the summer, Ari Lehman, the first actor to play Jason Voorhees in the "Friday the 13th" horror flick franchise, visited the brewery for an event.

Mandarino plans on welcoming other scream queens and kings in the future.

Brewing beer, running the tap room, organizing events and mingling as a bartender are all hats that Mandarino wears at the brewery. But that's just the brewery. He still has his responsibilities as a father, husband and son. Managing time for everything is a lesson he's learned and worked at over the year.

"Everything can kind of mishmash at some point," he said. "But you’ve got to take a breath. One thing at a time. That’s a big lesson to learn."

Mandarino expressed his gratitude to his customers, as well as the officials of Farmingdale Village.

"The people in charge here do an exquisite job of keeping things so great in the village," he said. "We’ve never had to need really for anything. We’re really just thankful for everybody we’ve come in contact with and who have supported us during the course of the year. For people who haven’t checked us out yet, hopefully that will come soon. But we’re definitely very thankful for those who have."