Beachwood, one of Long Beach’s beloved local breweries, launches house-made spirits

It’s not just Beachwood Brewing anymore, it’s Beachwood Brewing and Distilling. The local brewpub that’s been a fixture in various Long Beach locations for years has started serving up cocktails made with its own spirits at its spot in Bixby Knolls.

The new in-house gin, vodka and rum are featured in tiki drinks alongside classics like the mojito, negroni and gin & tonic (in four different flavors).

Not only do they create all of the spirits, but other cocktail elements are also made in-house. That includes bitters, ginger beer, tonic water and even Campari — an Italian liqueur used in Negronis.

Brewmaster and co-owner Julian Shrago has been brewing beer since the mid-’90s but has recently focused on expanding his brewing mastery to spirits.

“We wanted to differentiate ourselves with grain-to-glass products served over our own bar,” Shrago said.

You can try the house gin in a $15 Saturn cocktail with passionfruit, lemon and orgeat — a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar and rose water or orange flower water.

The house vodka comes in the $16 Chi Chi, Beachwood’s twist on the piña colada with pineapple, coconut cream and fresh lime.

There’s also the 1944 Mai Tai for $15, which features house rum, lime, orgeat and orange curaçao.

Shrago worked in aerospace engineering for 12 years before leaving to pursue brewing full-time with Beachwood.

He said he uses knowledge from his engineering background daily to operate the production facility.

“My brain flexes just the same,” Shrago said.

He and co-owner Gabe Gordon were originally planning to serve the cocktails at Beachwood’s Blendery location in Downtown Long Beach, but the infrastructure at the Bixby Knolls location presented a better opportunity.

Two weeks ago, the Bixby Knolls location also began serving food.

Shrago recommends the Bixby Tropic Burger, which comes with grilled pineapple, paired with a rum cocktail like the mojito or daiquiri.

For $40, you can have the Painkiller, Jungle Bird or Chi Chi cocktails in a take-home souvenir mug.

The Painkiller comes in an octopus, while the Jungle Bird comes in a parrot and the Chi Chi comes in a tiki head.

The menu also includes the $16 Golden West burger with bacon, shallots, muenster and American cheeses, house BBQ sauce, pickles, jalapenos and mustard on a buttered and toasted brioche bun.

Salad, wings and fries are other food options along with wood-fired sourdough bread topped with whipped ricotta cheese, roasted garlic and herbs.

With the launch of its distilled spirits, the Bixby Knolls location joins Willie’s Tin Shop in California Heights and Broken Spirits Downtown as the only distilleries in Long Beach.

Eventually, they plan to ship their spirits and some pre-mixed cocktails, but for now, they are taking it one step at a time, Shrago said.

“To start we want to keep that experience at Beachwood, that way they get the full curated experience,” he said.

Beachwood Brewing & Distilling, 3630 Atlantic Ave., is open Wednesday and Thursday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

They also offer “Hoppy” Hour Wednesday and Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. with $2 off full-pour draft beers.

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