Beloved Bethpage bar plans fun events before February close

One of Long Island’s celebrated live music venues and pioneering craft beer bars, Mr. Beery’s, announced over the summer that it is closing next February after 33 years of delighting beer lovers and fans of local bands. Owner Steve Beery is planning to go out on a high note with special beer and whiskey tasting events along with live music festivals. Beery grew up in Levittown and was a bartender at The Peacock Lounge on Hempstead Turnpike when the bar closed in the early 1990s. He took over the location in 1993 with his father, Wallace Beery, and saw an opportunity to meet emerging demand for craft beers. “I always loved to try different beers and would go to the Village Deli in Syosset to check out their selection,” said Beery. “When I opened Mr. Beery’s, the only American craft was Pete’s Wicked Ale, so we served a lot of German, Belgian, and British beers like John Courage.” When the U.S. craft beer industry started to explode in the mid-’90s, Mr. Beery’s was one of th