Long Beach, the beach city with countless reasons to visit. So many in fact that even if you are a regular to Long Beach there is always a surprise around the corner. There are the iconic spots such as the Aquarium Of The Pacific and the Queen Mary, so many different beach locations and Belmont Shores just to get you started. Long Beach has also become quite the foodie city and to pair with that food is some amazing beer so whether you want to spend the day, a weekend or your entire vacation, you will never be bored.
There is no better to place to begin your day than the recently opened Long Beach Tap House. Just envision everything that you love about your favorite local pub and the Long Beach Tap House has it. They offer up an always changing great tap beer lineup as well as a menu that is very pub like in choices, but very un pub like in flavor. Finally it is just a very cool spot with a patio that is great to enjoy the beautiful Long Beach weather and an incredible staff that makes you feel at home.
If beer selection is a must for you the Long Beach Tap House might have selections from well known breweries as Pizza Port and Three Weav3rs as well as some less well known but equally great beers from breweries such as Slo Brew. The great thing is you won’t know what is on tap until you walk through the doors that day. You can’t go wrong with a flight of beers, but if you want something boozy, fun and unique, the adult milkshakes are a must. There is nothing like your favorite childhood flavors turned up a notch. The Luck of the Irish give you mint chocolate chip ice cream, cold brew and plenty of Baileys Irish cream. The show stealer is the 50/50 Bar, or if you prefer a dreamsicle, but whatever you call it, it is pure goodness. They take vanilla ice cream, house made orange marmalade and house infused citrus vodka which combined gives you the perfect orange and vanilla flavor you remember from your childhood.
The Long Beach Tap House has a menu that will keep you coming back anytime of the day. The Bixby Benny is that breakfast sandwich with the perfect bite the encompasses everything there is about breakfast. The combination of a perfectly cooked burger, house made bacon, organic poached egg and hollandaise aioli, served on a toasted English muffin just screams breakfast. For fans of the wildly popular chicken and waffles combination you will have a new favorite after trying the Spruce Goose. This dish has a crispy fried chicken breast sitting on top of a freshly made funnel cake which is smothered in fresh berries, maple syrup and Chantilly cream. The softness of the funnel cake is just a wonderful alternative to the waffle and the tender and juicy chicken breast sets this apart from other brunch dishes. If you can drag yourself away from the fun of the Long Beach Tap House, head to the beach, hang a right and enjoy the scenic 12 minute walk and head over to Belmont Brewing Co.
When it comes to Long Beach history, beer and an unbeatable ocean front view, you won’t do any better than the Belmont Brewing Co. Literally located at the foot of the Belmont Pier, the patio takes you ever so close to the ocean and gives you the dining experience you came to the beach for.
Head-brewer Blackwell has been perfect his recipes for literally decades at the Belmont Brewing Co. While breweries are common place now in Southern California, Blackwell was brewing beer when brewing beer wasn’t the trendy thing to be doing. If you pull a seat up to the bar you get a scenic view of what is being brewed up and it is great collection of beers. The Long Beach Crude gives you a classic strong stout, allowing you to enjoy the flavors and richness of the chocolate malt without the over-the-top sweetness that so many stouts have become known for. The Strawberry Blonde was made for a day at the beach. A subtle sweetness that is strawberry forward, the blonde ale is light and refreshing and only 4.5% abv so you can enjoy a few while taking in the Southern California sunshine. If you are looking for something a little different, the Half and Half combines the Long Beach Crude and the Marathon, a light blonde ale, creating a wonderfully beautiful and balanced combination.
If you want to break up your day of restaurants and beer or you just want to come to the beach for a fun experience to celebrate anything with a group, London Boat Rentals will leave you with a memorable day.
London Boat Rentals can set you and your group of up to 10-12 people in one of their 21′ boats. They give you the keys and you are the captain of your boat. They also give you ice as well as cooler as you can bring your own beverages as well as your dog if you are so inclined. This is just a great way to see Long Beach from a different view as well as a fun way to celebrate any occasion.
A little further into Long Beach you are going to find Scholb Brewing and their tap room that has something for everyone. In addition to the 25 beers on tap, Scholb has also created an incredible food menu and a setting that is not only perfect for the beer connoisseur, but it is also very family friendly.
The white stout is a bit rare and always worth a try when you see it on the menu and the Gun Shy White Stout is better than most versions. A very light and drinkable beer that really allows the flavors from the Goat Hill coffee and cacoa nibs to shine through and the fact that it is on nitro just enhances the experience. The Bon Fuego Brown is a unique brown ale that gives you all of those dark flavors with a hint of the cherry smoked wood malts. The Bee Keeper’s Daughter is a Gruit style ale that really showcases the wheat and allows the honey to be the focal point of this easy to drink beer. That is just a few of the great beers from Scholb and great is the key word as I did not have a single beer that I wouldn’t order again. As good as the beer is, the gastropub portion of the menu is amazing as well. If you just visit Scholb’s for lunch or dinner, you will leave very happy.
That is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Long Beach, but if you love beer and just want to have a fun day in the sun, that is a perfect day at the beach. Long Beach is so much more than a beach town, it is a city that will keep you coming back and will keep surprising you at every turn.
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