Top Hops is a unique beer-obsessed hybrid: part-tasting bar, part-retail and online shop, part-mobile party in a three-wheeled Piaggio Ape Classic imported from Italy.
Top Hops owner Ted Kenny’s mobile tap truck is perfect for large and small parties. His passion and knowledge is as robust as his offerings and the Half Pint aims to satisfy a broad range of tastes. This summer, Top Hops Half Pint is poised to put your party “over the top” adding Wolffer’s Summer in a Bottle rosé, Kidd Squid beer, and more.
We caught up with Kenny to learn more.
Tell us a little about your background.
I was born in New York City and raised in the suburbs of northern New Jersey. I have two wonderful children and a fabulous wife. I have lived in and around New York City my whole life but I always loved to explore and see new places. I met my wife on a blind date in 2001. A short seven years later we were married on the west coast of Ireland in a beautiful fly fishing lodge. We were both avid travellers, and continue to be so. A few years post the nuptials we traveled to China to adopt our oldest son. Two years later we were back in China to adopt our younger son. We had many overseas adventures in the interim and somehow managed to squeeze in our fair share of brewery and tap room visits along the way in Ireland, France, Italy, China (such a surprise), Spain and, of course, the holy grail, Belgium.
Until Covid, my family and I lived happily in the City and spent most of our free time on Shelter Island and the North and South Forks.
Tell us about the concept for Top Hops and how you came up with the idea.
About 13 years ago I decided I needed a change. It was time to leave the world of big beer and open my own business. I had left my first career in finance to work for Anheuser-Busch six years prior. Beer has been my passion since my first Belgian beer in 1989. I can still taste that St. Sebastian Blonde. The idea for Top Hops unfolded in 2010, as all great ideas do, over dinner and beers with friends. It was a memorable evening and the plan was hatched. My dream was to open the best beer bar and bottle shop and we did. My wife and I opened Top Hops Beer Shop on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side in January of 2012. Anyone who paid us a visit will tell you that 94 Orchard Street was special. Beer tourists from around the world would come to our hybrid tasting bar, bottle shop, classroom, and our LES home became a required stop for any traveling beer enthusiast. I personally curated one of the most extensive bottle and can selections around. We carried 750 to 850 different brands of beer from all over the globe. We had 20 rotating draft lines, which changed daily. In a year we would pour approximately 1000 unique beers. Sadly, Covid dealt us a nasty hand in so many ways but especially when our landlord was forced to sell 94 Orchard Street. Our 10-year lease was up and we were out.
Fortunately, my wife and her sisters had bought a house in Shelter Island in 2002. When the pandemic arrived in 2020, we left the city for beautiful Shelter Island. During the pandemic everyone was forced to “pivot” and we were no different. All signs pointed to outdoor gatherings. We had always been big fans of 1943 Pizza and were well acquainted with the Rolling in Dough pizza truck. Inspired, we saw a similar opportunity to bring the spirit of Top Hops, with its knowledge, passion and selection, to private homes on the East End via the Top Hops Half Pint.
We spent a year getting the Piaggio Ape (a three-wheel big brother to a Vespa) customized with a refrigerated tap system. We have six taps so we can pour a wide range of drinks and not just beer. Most clients want a mix of beer styles as well as wine, usually a rosé and Sauvignon Blanc. We also have great non-alc options thanks to our pals at Athletic Brewing.
Talk a little about your experiences with events on the East End.
The Top Hops Half Pint has allowed me to bring my passion for craft beer from the Lower East Side to the Hamptons. I enjoy curating our tap list for individual events, a different kind of gathering and clientele, all with a seasonal bent. Everyone loves a great Pilsner and a hazy IPA, but how about a Kolsch, Belgian Wheat, Saison, or a tart Gose? A fresh, local draft is hard to beat on a sun-filled afternoon or evening. While I have access to beers from all over, I’m enjoying being part of the East End community and embracing local. The craft beer scene out here is well established with Greenport, North Fork, Twin Forks, and Montauk to name but a few. These are being joined by newer breweries such as Springs, Kidd Squid, and übergeek, all of whom are brewing top notch beers. The Half Pint allows me to get out from behind the bar and an indoor tap room and into the fresh air and sunshine. It is a tremendous treat for me to be outside in these beautiful communities talking beer with other beer enthusiasts and beer curious folks all while pouring the freshest Kidd Squid full moon IPA. Our truck has such a unique look and puts people in a great festive mood.
Our Tap Truck has been enthusiastically received at many events and private parties. We have poured our selected beers and wines at The Bridge in Bridgehampton, the Parrish Art Museum, The Church, Sylvester Manor, the Shelter Island Historical Society, and other organizations as well at private parties all over the East End.
It’s summer on the East End. What are your favorite things to do?
For me, the East End has always been for biking. Having to spend so much time in the Top Hops van battling traffic is a drag. I love biking to the beaches at Peter’s Pond and Town Line, a solid ride from Shelter Island. Add on a Dark and Stormy stop at The American Hotel and you have a perfect day. Taking a family bike ride to Orient Village for BLT lunch at the Orient General Store is always treat as is fishing with my boys, followed by ice cream at Shelter Island’s Tuck Shop. Of course, there’s not much better than watching Wednesday night sailboat races from the deck of the Shelter Island Heights Beach Club with the perfect summer picnic, surrounded by friends, neighbors, and happily screaming kids. Of course, I’m a grill guy and also love cooking swordfish and steaks for family and friends on our porch. Other summer faves include Vine Street Calamari Salad, picking up oysters from a roadside cooler, Candy Kitchen peach ice cream post a rough day of body surfing, regular visits on the ferry to Greenport for 1943 Pizza, Shelter Island Bucks games, and of course a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich from the Shelter Island Pharmacy. My go-to summer beer? Greenport Lucha Lager. Yep, I’m an exceptionally lucky guy and I know it.
