From his backyard tiki bar in the Bixby Knolls neighborhood of Long Beach, Dutch Van Fleet has long shared his love of craft beer with home-brewed beauties. Now, at the just-opened Dutch’s Brewhouse in LB, he’ll teach you how to brew your own delicious IPAs or Belgian-style beer—the choice, as they say, is yours.
But wait, there’s more! Dutch’s Brewhouse also carries craft beer on tap from local breweries and has a menu full of pizzas, sandwiches and appetizers. Bring the kids—there’s plenty of board games, and live music on one recent night was provided by a young man named John who played about 10 instruments. It was LIT.
Dutch isn’t offering his own beers just yet, but the man knows quality. The Fugli IPA by Oskar Blues Brewery (5.8% ABV) uses two fruits that seem to have been grown specifically for beer making: yuzu and ugli. You, gentle reader, probably already know about yuzu (a super-tart and -sour Japanese citrus), but far more fascinating is the ugli, a Jamaican tangelo. This IPA is fruity without being too sweet, smooth and enjoyable, and combined with the hops and ugli, you get the tartness at the back end. Chug-li!
Citrallenial American Pale Ale (5.6% ABV) comes from Ten Mile Brewing, a new brewery that opens next month in Signal Hill. It’s a classic Pale Ale, slight citrus on the nose, mild hops on the back, very enjoyable and we’ll be looking forward to drinking more from Ten Mile. And Summit Seeker IPA (7.5% ABV) from Eagle Rock Brewery is a homage to Mt. Whitney. Using Galaxy, Simcoe and Summit hops, this beer has plenty of punch along with hints of pine, citrus and tropical fruit, a great summer IPA.
Enjoy these and other brews at Dutch’s Brewhouse, they rotate pretty quickly so don’t hesistate to stop by and say, “Hi Dutch!”
Dutch’s Brewhouse, 4244 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, (562) 336-1326; www.dutchsbrewhouse.com
