Tag: Huntington Beach

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Fall in Huntington Beach

Recently, I was chauffeured around the Huntington Beach area to check out some beer locations on my long list of need to visit spots.

First up was actually some hotel beers. 4 Sons Brewing supplies the Shorebreak Hotel with two beers for rooms and for their social hours each night. There was a session pinepapple IPA and a light lager. Safe choices for a vacation crowd. The lager was too light for my taste and did not have the needed zing. The pineapple was better but, again, not zingy enough with the pineapple. (I will return to this fruit again)

Way past my bedtime (you do not want to know) was my first visit to Beachwood Beer + Pizza. I really likes the spot even though it starts at a disadvantage of being in a typical corner mini mall location. It is bright and airy and the beer selection is all over the board. The Rustic pilsner, Barrels to Bavaria worked well with the excellent pizza. I also had a dessert beer of Mocha Machine Picoso which had a little chile kick but was still filled to the brim with coffee.

Next day was two close to each other PCH breweries. First up was Riip Beer where I went for my first taster tray of the day. And it was all IPA, NELTRA, Stratacaster, Cache is King and my choice for best based on uniqueness alone, Pineapple Panacea which was the least hoppy and has a crazy pineapple smoothie look and taste.

Last up was Green Cheek in Sunset Beach. In an all blue building, no green, this is like an In ‘n’ Out but with Evan Price’s beer. My smashburger was super carmelized and delicious and my taster tray had a golden coffee stout, a Fest Bier and a couple more IPA’s. The space also has an upstairs seating area which is great on beach days. I probably should have tried the G&T inspired hard seltzer but stuck with the beer this time.

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Riiped

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Sometimes, my mind doesn’t make connections fast enough. When I got an invite to visit the latest Beachwood location in Huntington Beach, I went days without remembering that one of the breweries on my “to visit” list, Riip Brewing was close by.

But my synapses fired in time and I head out to PCH to check out the GABF medal winning brewery. It has a corner perch in a strip mall and that silver medal in the IPA category was right there by the taps. There is a bit of a skater/surfer vibe to the place. The barrels used for table legs were graffitied up with some art and shout-outs.
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There were nine beers on tap when I visited and I sampled through seven of them including Super Cali IPA which is where we will start with the capsule beer reviews:

Super Cali
Very tropical at first. Burst of pineapple before settling into a heavy dankness as the beer warms up. I can see why this would strike a judge’s chord.

Raider Bob
Appropriate for their resurgent NFL season. Big and bitter still very different. Grassy and on the edge of harshness. A bit spiky on the tongue from the carbonation.

Riipalicious
Third IPA and this one puts a focus on grains. The least harsh so far but it still has a dankness to it along with what is that signature spiky quality.

Dan-k
A little pepper skin here. Again a sharp bitterness with a dankness at the end. A bit of stone fruit as well. Tiny though.
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Shifting from hops…..

Billy the Redbeard
Least favorite so far. Seems plainer and more one note than the IPAs previous.

Billie Jean
All oak chips. If you like that. Cool. Otherwise might be too woodsy for most

My Name is Mud
The rarely seen wheat stout. This one hits all the marks. Has some chocolate, some tobacco and some smaller coffee to it.

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Beachwood’s 3rd Location

Two days ago, I made the trip down south to Huntington Beach to see the production facility for Beachwood Brewing.

The entryway into the production facility.
The entryway into the production facility.

The facility on the musically named Woodwind Drive was formerly Beach City Brewing. You enter the building to a few plants and the Beachwood logo on the wall. The outside and the initial look could almost lead you to believe it was a dental office but then you make a left turn and in one room is a bottling line and as you turn to the right you see the tanks looming up.
The well designed menu board in the tap room.
The well designed menu board in the tap room.

Five core beers will be the primary focus here. Amalgamator, Foam Top, Alpha Galatic, Citraholic and Mocha Machine. Which means that you will start seeing a more ready and steady supply of those than you had before. There are plenty of others to choose from. Blendery beers will appear sporadically and other Beachwood brews will circle in and out.
The bottling line in the front parlor.
The bottling line in the front parlor.

The first location grew as a restaurant, the second was the brewery with a restaurant and this new space is restaurant free, though food trucks will make appearances. If you those five beers on the top of the board are your jam, then this is the place for you. It will be freshest place to get them and the vibe is pure Beachwood plus a little more relaxation since the bustle of food is not there.