Beachwood BBQ & Brewing

charlzm

California

4.13/5  rDev -10%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

Visited just after lunchtime on a weekday in early August 2011.

The decor is retro Americana streamline diner, not overdone to the point of theme restaurant but noticeable. Staff was uniformly helpful, friendly and talkative.

My friend and I sat at the bar; he ordered a brisket sandwich, I had a tater tot casserole (with duck fat gravy and cheese curd). His was delicious; mine was far too heavy and caloric for me to order it again.

I had a taster flight of their own beers and found all of them to be at least respectable iterations of the style. Several were beyond this level and were good enough to order on their own next time (Kilgore Stout and Knucklehad Red, specifically).

The only downsides to me were that the lunch menu is somewhat limited and that the prices were a little high for this to be a regular habit.

09-07-2011 19:41:20 | More by charlzm

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.68/5  rDev +2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.75 | $

Beachwood BBQ is definitely my favorite current beer destination in LA. The beer list isn't the most extensive in the area but it is definitely filled ONLY with beers that I would be happy to imbibe. The guest taps are ridiculous. Here's a sampling from this week:
RR Pliny the Elder
Port Dusk Till Dawn
RR Supplication
Bear Republic Cognac Old Baba
+ like 8 others.

The house taps are really good too, I especially appreciated the IPAs. Melrose was great, the cask Melrose + Simcoe was sublime. SUBLIME.

To top it off the food is really down my alley. Excellent BBQ with all of the correct sides, prices were reasonable too. Especially during happy hour when you can get a full-sized sandwich + side for $5. That is unreal value.

In summary I will do whatever I can to stop at Beachwood BBQ on subsequent visits to LA.

05-12-2013 02:55:42 | More by TurdFurgison

BRANDY818

California

4.3/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

It's worth driving to Long Beach to try the beers these guys are cooking up. The Hop Ninja was the highlight of our afternoon there but every beer brewed in house was amazing.

It's in a funny space that feels more like a malt shop than it does a bar or brewery. I like it but it's not for everyone.

The staff and beers won us all over and we got to meet the owner and brewer. He is VERY friendly and gave us more time than any of us expected.

I knew the beers would be great but I was surprised how great the food was. I can get great beer anywhere in Los Angeles these days but great Barbecue is hard to find.

04-25-2013 20:49:55 | More by BRANDY818

chugger14

California

4.65/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

Beachwood in Seal Beach has long been among the best beer bars in Southern California. When their brewery opened up a couple of years ago there were huge expectations. HUGE expectations and somehow they weren't just met, they were exceeded.
Julian is making some of the best beers anywhere. Thrillseeker IPA is about as good as any IPA I've ever tried and it is good every time (more than I can say for a lot of IPAs).
The food is unfreakingbelievable. I think the owner is the chef and there is good reason why BBQ comes before brewing in their name. And I already told you how much I love the beers.
Kind of an odd diner feel, not very bar like but it's comfy and clean. Worth the drive from LA.

04-07-2013 06:23:15 | More by chugger14

BeerEngineer

California

4.83/5  rDev +5.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75 | food: 5 | $$

Beachwood BBQ & Brewery is amazing. If you are in the Long Beach area for any reason and you like to enjoy quality beer and excellent food you have to go to this place. My wife and I live around an hour away and we still go there about once a month for lunch or dinner and then walk around Long Beach.

Let's start with their beer menu, it is extensive and quality. They have their own on tap for pints, growlers and tasting. Their tasting is around $4.50 for 4 of their tastings, a pretty good deal considering that their beer is top notch. Additionally they always have a long list of other breweries listed; normally Russian River, Stone and a few other quality places. This is one of the only places that I've found Pliny the Elder so I immediately fell in love with the place!

The location itself is really nice, they have a moderately sized bar area with sitting for maybe 20 people or so. They have around 15 tables inside and another 20 tables outside under a covered patio. The location gets a nice breeze off the ocean so on a hot day sitting outside isn't that bad at all! The bar area is somewhat industrial with the exposed ceiling area, a really nice look for this brewery. The back bar has a glass window that overlooks some of their tanks.

The staff is extremely knowledgable. We sat at the bar last time and started talking with our bartender. He knew the ins and outs of the beer manufacturing process and all the varieties of beers that they served. I wish that I remembered his name because he was awesome. We started talking about the beer that I liked and then he would pull a taster out of something that I hadn't tried before to taste.

The last thing that I want to talk about it the food. I could go on about the food at Beachwood for hours but I will try and keep it short. Whoever the chef is at this location deserves an award, and I say chef because that is clearly what he/she is. They have the most amazing food I've ever had at a brewery (Stone included which I also love). If you go you have to try the Tater Tot Casserole with the Duck Confit. It is amazing, I can't say enough about it. All of their appetizers are great, one time we intended to get actual meals but just ended up eating 4 appetizers and it worked out to be a full meal! They have a really good Buffalo Sloppy Joe and Pulled Pork Sandwich also. The one thing that I was surprised about was the ribs. While the ribs were cooked perfectly and flavored very well, unlike other ribs I've had, the meat didn't fall off the bone. They were actually surprisingly lean which is part of the reason. Regardless of that, I would still order them again, they were just more work to get all the meat off.

Overall I recommend if you live within 2 hour of this place, you need to make the trip. Make a day of it, go to Beachwood then go to the Aquarium or something (it's a short 15-20 minute walk away). Make sure to go there on an empty stomach because you will be eating a mountain of really amazing food and drinking quality beer. If you go in the next few weeks they may still have their "Full Malted Jacket" Scottish Ale which was excellent if you like a strong Scottish style ale with a lot of malt!!! Get to this place and enjoy it!

04-07-2013 00:50:47 | More by BeerEngineer

dionlbc

California

5/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

I've been a loyal patron of Beachwood BBQ since they opened in Seal Beach in 2006, and continue to visit either the SB or LB location at least once a week. I've had friends visit from nearly every continent in the world and after landing, this is the first place I take them for a good meal and a great pint. For those that have made return trips, the first place they ask to go for a pint is Beachwood, thus making this place literally world famous. (Gabe - When you start exporting beer, I expect some royalties... paid in beer).

Gabe and Lena are great people and I'm really happy to see all the success and recognition they've garnered over the years. If you're in the LA/OC area and love great beer and food, Beachwood BBQ is a must-visit.

03-22-2013 19:28:40 | More by dionlbc

OneBeertoRTA

California

5/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

I have been frequenting this place since they opened 6 years ago.

The menu hits the spot for BBQ lovers and bar food lovers alike. The appetizers: Loaded fries, Chicken Nachos (personal favorite), tots in duckfat, deviled eggs and fried pickels are world class. Don't get me started on the burger or buffalo sloppy Joe!

The beer? The Hopcam was the first I recall and outside of the occasional April Fools prank it is filled with some of the best and often special releases. Always a good mix of styles and the bottle list is back in full form and then some. '09 Black Tuesday anyone?

Service is great at both locations. Well educated and informed and true beer lovers. I take every out of towner to one of the locations and have made several beer trades.

The only down side is that they aren't open on Monday's and for some reason my wife and I always seem to forget.

Can't say enough about this place.

02-26-2013 18:58:57 | More by OneBeertoRTA

AndrewSmith

California

4.56/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 5 | food: 4.25 | $$

Great place with the best beer selection in town. House taps are delicious, Foam Top is our current favorite. Staff are very knowledgeable about all beers. Guest taps are always on point, Russian River, Bear Republic are some of my faves. I love the smoked sausage, goes great with any beer.

02-11-2013 23:51:48 | More by AndrewSmith

jdense

Oregon

4.55/5  rDev -0.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.75 | food: 5 | $$$

Visited 2.6.13. I don't do many reviews after the demise of beer karma, but thought I should provide update given lack of recent reviews.

Located in the "new" downtown Long Beach, a bit hard to find as the location on website isn't correct. There is a parking lot behind the brewpub with validated free parking for up to three hours, but the lot isn't parked well. On way in we walked by a couple who were just as confused as we were. From there you have to walk down an alley between buildings, needs much better signing.

The vibe is faux post-industrial, the neighborhood has been turned into ground floor businesses with lofts above for yuppie youth. Nice outdoor seating area, 12ish seat bar, and numerous booths, though the narrow tables across from the bar were made for drinking not heating, not sure though tables work. All in all, not close to the vibe of Seal Beach location. 3/5

The quality of the beers was outstanding. The hop cam on the website only scratches the surface on what was available. During my visit they had a number of stouts on tap, Eclipse Elijah Craig 18, Mikkeller Black Hole, Stone RIS, along with a range of pretty rare imports. Ruination on cask was a nice touch. However, being from Beervana, my steely focus was on trying the made in house beers. Note that currently they had **18** house beers on tap, which a viewer of the hop cam would not be privy to. I tried to sampler trays (4 5 oz. pours for $6, a pretty good deal) and they were all pretty solid. The El Verano saison stood out, certainly worthy of its GABF medal, and the IPAs and stouts I enjoyed were all solid. The brewer has certainly hit his stride, and in tandem with the guest beers, the quality and selection was of the utmost quality. It takes a lot of confidence to have such a killer guest beer list to compete with your house brews. Quality 5/5, selection 4.75/5 (could have had more than one sour on tap).

We were fortunate to get in during happy hour (have to smile thinking of the late Don Younger's famous quote, "Happy hour is for whores", miss you Old Tavern Rat) and we enjoyed a plate of fried pickles along with a bowl of chicken nachos, both very tasty, we had enough to eat. I'll be going back for the barbecue which I know to be top notch. The four different barbecue sauces are extremely tasty, though the spicy could have used an additional kick. Note the barbecue prices re ribs, etc are on the high side. Can't complain about the prices, house beers were 5-6.50, a good value for the quality, and after traveling to DC, the mecca of overpriced beers, I can't complain. Food 5/5 value 4/5.

The service was attentive though not being obtrusive. The young lady at the bar during the daytime always had a smile on her face, and her successor during the evening was quite knowledgeable, and willing to serve me a beer at last call when I went back for a nightcap. The wait staff didn't seem too happy, though a slow night/low tips might have been the culprit. 4.25/5

All in all, a very enjoyable beer geek experience, I'm lucky to be staying down the street for 4 nights, will be making a daily pilgrimage to this location. The word on the street is that they will be bottling soon, and given what I was able to sample, this will be grounds to rejoice. Now if I can just figure out what beer to pair with the baby back ribs tonight. Decisions, decision.

An absolute imperative for the traveling beer aficionado. In tandem with the Congregation Ale House a few doors down, and a side trip to The 'Stache for a late night classic cocktail, The Beach is turning into a real beer destination. Skip at your own peril. Very Highly Recommended.

02-07-2013 18:29:00 | More by jdense

oggg

California

4.5/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, I stopped in to check out this highly rated brewpub. Construction going on outside - it looks like when it's done, beach wood will have a gorgeously awesome and green promenade outside their front patio.

12 Beachwood taps. Available for growler fills. Cream, hefe, two light Belgians, ESB, APA, two IPAs, red, hoppy brown, and two big stouts. Samples available in flights o four. All were well made beers. I tried eight samples, and the ruxio (sp?) Belgian and Alpha bomb and ESB were my favs. The IPAs were strong and intense, nearing DIPA land. Both stouts were heavy 8%? and super bitter. The first was to style, an American impy. But the other was advertised as a double oatmeal stout, and it was too burnt and bitter for me. However, the beers were all well made and I think a hophead or a impy stout fan would love them. Something like 15+ guest taps. Alesmith brown, like 3 DIPAs, 3 imp stouts, 3 barleywines, 3 quads. Something like that.

When I was younger and more of a hophead, I would have been totally satisfied. However the selection is lacking in some variety: no light or medium darks, no sours or wilds, not enough session ales.

Staff was fairly knowledgeable and attentive.
Food: ribs were dry and tough. Pulled pork and brisket were smoked beautifully. Creamed spinach and tangy slaw were both winners. Vinegar sauce at the table was very nice. $21 for the trio.

It was a bit dead when I was there, but the staff was friendly and there always seemed to be one or two beer geeks around (who else asks for sours?).

Overall: if you're looking for high abv craft beers, the selection here is awesome.

11-26-2012 22:31:10 | More by oggg