One keg at a time at Beachwood BBQ

PHOTO by RUSS ROCA

I can’t say exactly when it happened, but at some point beer became like fast food—something consumed, but not necessarily enjoyed; something purchased not for flavor, but for price. Beer—Bud Light, Coors Light—was a drink whose very lack of taste was matched only by the lack of thought I put into sipping it. In short, I was just like them—any one of the millions of beer drinking Americans who’d happily buy a twelver of Miller High Life because, at 70 cents per bottle, well, it’d be a crime not to.

So I’m not too shocked when Beachwood BBQ chef and owner Gabriel Gordon tells me about a customer who once split—after ordering, with the wife and kids in tow—because the restaurant doesn’t serve Bud Light. In a way, I can sympathize with the man: We’re conditioned this way. We want what we know, like kids who throw fits when there’s no mac and cheese on the menu.

Fortunately, Gordon’s got mac and cheese, and it’s not just for kids—more than one of my friends raves about the dish, which is made with bacon. Beachwood—”Where the Fork Meets the Pork”—also serves fish (salmon and albacore), ribs, brisket, beef short rib, pulled pork, smoked chicken . . . a farm full of meat. And it’s all dry rubbed and slow smoked with applewood, pecan and oak. (For vegetarians, there’s a formidable fried green tomato sandwich with smoked fresh mozzarella, basil, mixed greens, balsamic and Tabasco—outstanding.)

And while you won’t find Bud Light or PBR at Beachwood’s bar, Gordon does stock beer—23 great ones on tap—although if you’re not a beer enthusiast (more like a wine snob, less like an extra from Animal House), chances are you’ve never heard of a single one of them. At press time—because he orders single kegs and serves ‘till they’re dry, Gordon changes the beer list by the day and sometimes by the shift—Saison, Hop Rod Rye, Vanilla Smoked Porter, Night Rider and Oaked Arrogant Bastard were all on the menu, plus Madrugata Obscura, a Cask-conditioned Stout served warm and nearly flat.

I won’t lie: It’s intimidating. But it also speaks to the atmosphere Gordon has created at Beachwood—relaxed, but definitely not your pop’s neighborhood sandwich joint. “I want to give you five star service and food in a place where you can wear shorts and T-shirts,” Gordon says. “It’s fine dining for our generation.”

To that end, Gordon and his staff are tremendously accommodating and helpful, especially when it comes to the beer. When I confess I’m a PBR girl, Gordon meets me with what appears to be a blank stare, until I realize he’s waiting to hear more. Every beer drinker has a story—the characters are sight, smell, mouth feel and taste, as Gordon notes—even a bottom feeder like me. So I continue: I don’t like IPA, never have, never will (it all stems from a bad beer I once had in Seattle, and I can’t even drink Sierra Nevada) and so on.

Turns out IPAs are big business at Beachwood—“The West Coast kills on IPA,” Gordon boasts, pointing to the number of breweries out here that he buys from—and he brings a few tasters to the table. Initially, I’m hit with the only thing I’ve ever taken away from an IPA: the bitterness. But unlike pale ales past, there’s something different here, too, something citrusy—almost like grapefruit? Yes, grapefruit!

After a decade of drinking beer, I had tasted one for the first time.

Later, I tried the Oaked Arrogant Bastard (rich and sweet, my favorite of the day) and some warm Cask-conditioned beer, a delicious experience in itself. And a note about “warm”: You won’t find any beers cooler than 40 degrees at Beachwood—41 to 43 degrees for Belgian beers, 48-50 for darker beers, depending on the weather. Even if that ice cold Natural Ice you’re drinking were to have a taste, you couldn’t taste it if it’s freezing. Warmer beer equals better flavor.

Hours after my meal at Beachwood I happened to find myself at a Sizzler, where the menu listed wine by the glass for $6.95 and domestic bottles of beer for $4.75. It got me thinking about Beachwood and Gordon, and something he’d said about beer prices and how people are happy to pay $6.95 for the worst glass of wine on the menu, but scoff when a beer—and normally the better beer—costs that much. “If you can serve something better, you should,” Gordon had said. “If you can buy something better, you should.”

So I ordered water. It never tasted better.

BEACHWOOD BBQ 131 1/2 MAIN ST | SEAL BEACH 90740 | 562.493.4500 | BEACHWOODBBQ.COM | OPEN TUES-SUNDAY 11:30AM-10PM | FOOD FOR TWO, $20-40

Tags: barbeque, beachwood bbq, craft beers, Food, seal beach