Beachwood BBQ & Brewing opened on the Promenade in Long Beach in July 2011 as a brewpub version of the original Beachwood BBQ in Seal Beach. With co-founder/head brewer Julian Shrago (partnered with Gabriel Gordon and Lena Perleman) leading the way, the brewery is rapidly developing a reputation for making great beers that are backed by impressive awards.
In 2012, Beachwood won a Gold Medal at the World Beer Cup and two medals (Gold and Bronze) at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). With 745 breweries competing in 2013, Beachwood brought home five medals (two Gold, one Silver, and two Bronze) from the GABF as well as being named the Mid-Size Brewpub and Mid-Size Brewer of the Year. Impressive!
I was thrilled to finally visit Beachwood BBQ & Brewing yesterday for lunch and beer. As my wife and I walked in and sat at the bar, we were greeted by Bonnie. Bonnie did an excellent job of making certain we enjoyed our visit. Our lunch choices were the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich and the Brisket Sandwich. Both were delicious.
I tried four of the 10+ Beachwood beers available – Foam Top American Cream Ale; Hop Vader Black IPA; Udder Love Milk Stout; and Kilgore American Stout. My tasting notes follow.
Beachwood Foam Top American Cream Ale (5.5% ABV / 17 IBUs): A cream ale is an ale version of the American lager style. Winner of a Gold Medal at the 2012 World Beer Cup and a Gold Medal at the 2013 GABF, Foam Top pours a clear pale straw gold color with white foam that leaves a nice lace. The beer has a sweet fruity aroma backed with malt biscuit. Foam Top is light-bodied and crisp with mild carbonation. This cream ale tastes of grain and malt biscuit followed with a sweet fruity flavor reminiscent of apricots to me. Foam Top has a semi-dry, clean finish with a complementary hint of hops bitterness at the end. This session beer is outstanding for style and an overall thirst-quenching, refreshing delight!
- Suggested Pairings – Fruit Plate with Mild Cheeses
- Serving Temperature – 40-45 degrees F
- Glassware – Pint Glass
Beachwood Hop Vader Black IPA (7.1% ABV / 99 IBUs): Hop Vader pours a dark brown (almost black) color with rich Wookiee-tan foam. The beer has a Force-full aroma of pine with hints of citrus and dank roasted malt. Hop Vader is medium-bodied with light hop oils and prickly moderate carbonation. One sip results in a massive Death Star energy burst of pine resin flavor with toasted malt, followed by threads of citrus and grapefruit pith in the middle. Hop Vader has a dry finish with delightful lingering hops bitterness. This impressive, hoppy giant lures me to the Dark Side. Being bad never tasted so Firkin good.
- Suggested Pairings – Evil Emperor BBQ Brisket Sandwich
- Serving Temperature – 40-45 degrees F
- Glassware – Pint Glass
Beachwood Udder Love Milk Stout (5.9% ABV / 30 IBUs): Winner of a 2012 GABF Gold Medal and 2013 GABF Silver Medal, Udder Love pours a dark black color with rich brown lingering foam that leaves nice lacing. The beer has an aroma of dark toasted malt with coffee and sweet milk chocolate. Udder Love is light- to medium-bodied and silky with mild carbonation. The beer tastes of roasted coffee and dark chocolate initially, followed by sweet milk chocolate and malt. The beer has a smooth and creamy chocolate milk finish with a lingering hint of bittersweet dark chocolate. Absolutely delicious, you milk the cow and I’ll drink the Udder Love.
- Suggested Pairings – Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream
- Serving Temperature – 50-55 degrees F
- Glassware – Pint Glass
Beachwood Kilgore American Stout (7.1% ABV / 71 IBUs): Winner of a 2013 GABF Gold Medal, this American Stout pours a black color with rich tan foam that laces well. Kilgore has a toasted malt and rye aroma with a citrus bouquet. The beer is medium-bodied with moderate and prickly carbonation. Kilgore tastes of roasted malt and rye with integrated flavors of coffee, cocoa chocolate, hop-based pine resin and grapefruit pith. The beer has a pucker dry finish with wonderfully assertive hops bitterness. Kilgore has a mountain of delicious flavor!
- Suggested Pairings – Wild Game Meat Pie
- Serving Temperature – 45-50 degrees F
- Glassware – Pint Glass
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing also serves a great selection of guest brewery beers on tap and in the bottle. During my visit, one of the guest beers on tap was Emelisse Imperial Russian Stout. Brouwerij Emelisse was founded in 1994 in Kamperland, Netherland by brew master, Kees Bubberman, and their specialty beers are recent favorites of mine – especially the barrel-aged stouts. I have never seen any Emelisse beers on tap in Southern California so I wasn’t about to miss the opportunity to try Emelisse IRS.
Emelisse Imperial Russian Stout (9.8% ABV): Aged in Ardbeg Scotch Whisky barrels, Emelisse IRS pours thick dark black with rich, frothy brown foam. The beer has bold aromas of dark chocolate, espresso coffee, charred grain, and currants. Emelisse IRS is full-bodied, rich and viscous, and has mild carbonation. This Imperial Russian Stout brings assertive flavors of espresso coffee, dark chocolate, and toasted malt. Once the initial assault of flavors has passed new flavors of currants, prunes, charred wood, and subtle peat whisky arise. The finish is rich with dark fruit and chocolate. Excellent!
- Suggested Pairings – Bitter Dark Chocolate
- Serving Temperature – 50-55 degrees F
- Glassware – Snifter
If you want good food and award-winning, great beers then get to Beachwood BBQ & Brewing. My only regret is that I didn’t visit Beachwood sooner. My return visit will not take so long.
A big thanks to Bonnie at Beachwood for making our visit so fun. Thanks also to my awesome wife for supporting the trip and performing as the designated driver.