World Beer Cup Awards — Beachwood’s World Beer Cup Runneth Over

Photo by Dan Becker, The Full Pint

There must be something magnetic about Beachwood BBQ and Brewing. How else could you explain why the Long Beach brewpub attracts so many medals at beer competitions?

While LA County’s other breweries did not have a great showing at the World Beer Cup Awards announced the evening of May 3 at the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville, Beachwood’s co-owner, brewmaster and hophead Julian Shrago brought home the bacon, so to speak, with four medals (three silvers and a bronze)*. And all for dark beers. I guess black beers do matter!

Snagging Silver were Beachwood’s Pablo Escobeer (Coffee Beer), Mocha Machine (Coffee Stout or Porter) and Udder Love (Sweet or Cream Stout), while Bronze was awarded to Hoppa Emeritus (American Style Black Ale).

*(Technically, Mocha Machine and Hoppa Emeritus were credited to Beachwood’s production brewery in Orange County’s Huntington Beach.)

“I’m humbled, to say the least,” Shrago texted the Celebrator shortly after his grand slam. Beachwood is a frequent multiple award winner at the WBC and GABF competitions.

LA’s only other winning breweries were MacLeod Ale Brewing Co. of Van Nuys, a Silver medal for Van ICE in the Light Lager category, and North Atwater Village’s Golden Road Brewing, the AB InBev wholly-owned pseudo-craft brewery, that struck Gold in the Fruit Wheat Beer category for Mango Cart. (Interestingly, several of AB InBev’s “High End” stable of formerly independent craft breweries medaled at the WBC.) See worldbeercup.org/winners/ for the complete list of 2018 World Beer Cup winners.

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While local breweries did not fare so well at the World Beer Cup (aside from Beachwood, of course), Los Angeles’ breweries kicked some beer booty in the recently announced results of the Los Angeles International Beer Competition, with a total of 43 wins spread over 22 separate breweries — a marked increase over the 27 wins reported last year.

The big winner was DTLA’s Arts District Brewing, which took home five awards given to LA breweries, including three Gold medals and two Honorable Mentions. Ladyface Ale Companie of Agoura Hills, was right behind with four medals: one Gold, one Silver and two Bronzes. Pulling hat tricks (one each of Gold, Silver and Bronze) were DTLA’s Angel City Brewery, Lancaster’s Brävery Brewing and Claremont Craft Ales. Torrance’s Smog City Brewing scored three Silvers, while the rest won either two or one medals and/or mentions. Following are the winners, their beers, and the categories:

GOLD – 12 WINS

Arts District Brewing Company, Gretzky (Historical Beer)
Arts District Brewing Company, Honeycut (Session IPA)
MacLeod Ale Brewing Co., Van ICE (American-Style or German-Style Light Lager)
Angel City Brewery, Marilyn Blonde Ale (American-Style Cream Ale)
Claremont Craft Ales, Pistil Pale Ale (American-Style Strong Pale Ale)
El Segundo Brewing Co., Hammerland (Imperial India Pale Ale)
Verdugo West Brewing Co., Brass Jar Hoppy Amber (Imperial Red Ale)
Sanctum Brewing, Your Destiny (German-Style Sour Ale)
Brävery Brewing, Hammer Hef (German-Style Wheat Ale)
Arts District Brewing Company, Spirited Saison (Classic French and Belgian-Style Saison)
Pocock Brewing Company, Being All Fancy (Special Saison)
Ladyface Ale Companie, Trois Filles (Belgian-Style Tripel)

SILVER – 12 WINS

HopSaint Brewing Company, Fistful of Peel (Belgian-Style Fruit Beer)
Smog City Brewing, The Nothing (Chocolate or Cocoa Beer)
Innovation Brew Works, Cattle Rancher (American-Belgo Style Ale)
Smog City Brewing, Bourbon O.E. (Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer)
Brävery Brewing, Bourbon Barrel-Aged The Shroud (Wood and Barrel-Aged Stout)
Angel City Brewery, Pinot Fresa (Wood and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer)
Alosta Brewing, Highway 39 (Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest)
Smog City Brewing, Sabre-Toothed Squirrel (American-Style Amber or Red Ale)
Claremont Craft Ales, Buddy (American-Style Black Ale)
Ladyface Ale Companie, La Grissette (Belgian and French-Style Ale)
Old Stump Brewing, P Town Porter (Brown Porter)
Eagle Rock Brewery, Stimulus (Imperial Stout)

BRONZE – 13 WINS

The Dudes’ Brewing Company, Juicebox Series: Boysenberry Wheat Ale (Fruit Wheat Beer)
Three Weavers Brewing, Southbounder (Coffee Beer)
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Why We’re Here [Black Lime] (Wood and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer)
Angel City Brewery, Black Lager (Schwarzbier or Black Lager)
Pacific Plate Brewing Co., German Kölsch (German-Style Kolsch)
Three Weavers Brewing, Deep Roots (Ordinary or Special Bitter)
Pocock Brewing Company, British Volunteer (Extra Special Bitter)
Ladyface Ale Companie, Lady La Blonde (Belgian-Style Blonde or Pale Ale)
Eagle Rock Brewery, Manifesto (Belgian-Style Witbier)
Beachwood Blendery, Careful With That Peach, Eugene (Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale)
Ladyface Ale Companie, Blind Ambition (Belgian-Style Dubbel or Quadruple)
Claremont Craft Ales, Irish Dry Stout (Classic Irish-Style Stout)
Brävery Brewing, The Shroud (Imperial Stout)

HONORABLE MENTIONS – 6 WINS

San Fernando Brewing, Marty McRye IPA (Rye Beer)
Verdugo West Brewing, Turning One Saison (Experimental Beer)
Arts District Brewing Co., Aurora Croceus (Wood and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer)
Iron Triangle Brewing, Lager (American-Style or International-Style Pilsner)
Frogtown Brewery, Kinky Blonde Ale (Golden or Blonde Ale)
Arts District Brewing Company, Scotch, Scotch, Scotch! (Scottish Ale)

See fairplex.com/competitions/beer-competition for the complete list of Los Angeles International Beer Competition winners.

On the heels of the LAIBC results, the San Diego International Beer Competition announced its top brews, with LA breweries capturing 28 of the medals. The big winner of the whole competition was (surprise) Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, which won six medals (three Gold, two Silver, one Bronze), and was named 2018 Champion Brewery. In addition, sister outlets Beachwood Blendery, also in Long Beach, and Beachwood Brewing in neighboring Orange County took home a medal each.

Also in the competition, Covina’s Alosta Brewing scored a hat trick, while Pomona’s Innovation Brew Works nabbed a Gold and two Bronzes, and Van Nuys’ MacLeod Ale Brewing, San Fernando Brewing, Claremont Craft Ales and Torrance’s The Dudes’ Brewing each won two medals. The rest had one win. Here are the winners, their beers, and the categories:

GOLD – 11 WINS

HopSaint Brewing Company, Fistful of Peel (Fruit Wheat Beer and Vegetable Beer)
Innovation Brew Works, Cattle Rancher (Hybrid Belgian-Style Ale)
MacLeod Ale Brewing Co., Van Ice (American-Style Lager)
14 Cannons Brewing, Marooner Marzen (Amber Lager)
Alosta Brewing, Sally (Golden or Blonde Ale)
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Hoppa Emeritus (American-Style India Black Ale)
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Knucklehead Red (American-Style Amber/Red Ale)
Three Weavers Brewing, Deep Roots (Bitter)
Eagle Rock Brewery, Manifesto (Belgian-Style Wit or White Ale)
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Saison du Kashi (French & Belgian-Style Ale)
San Fernando Brewing Company, Imperial Death Star Stout (Imperial Stout)

SILVER – 9 WINS

Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Pablo Escobeer (Coffee Beer)
San Fernando Brewing Company, Marty McRye (Rye Beer)
Claremont Craft Ales, Royal (Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout)
Alosta Brewing, Highway 39 (European Lager)
MacLeod Ale Brewing Company, London Lager (European Lager)
Claremont Craft Ales, Buddy (American-Style India Black Ale)
El Segundo Brewing Company, Hammerland (Imperial IPA)
Beachwood Blendery, Careful with that Aprium, Eugene (Belgian-Style Sour Ale)
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, That’s What She Said (Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale)

BRONZE – 8 WINS

The Dudes’ Brewing Company, Juicebox Series: Blood Orange Amber (Chocolate and Chili Beer)
Arts District Brewing Company, Honeycut (Session Beer)
Innovation Brew Works, New World Bavarian Rye (Rye Beer)
Smog City Brewing, Bourbon O.E. (Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer)
The Dudes’ Brewing Company, Cerveza (Golden or Blonde Ale)
Alosta Brewing Company, Manky Langer (Irish-Style Red Ale)
Innovation Brew Works, Brethren Belgian (Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale)
Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, Udder Love (Specialty Stout)

See sandiegobeerfestival.com/beer-competition/winners for the complete list of San Diego International Beer Competition winners.

Congratulations to all the winning LA breweries!