Cuisine Scene: Breweries

Long Beach is one of the West Coast’s most exciting craft beer destinations, with a growing roster of standout breweries reflecting the city’s creative culinary spirit. Tapping into their unique perspectives, local breweries produce hop-forward IPAs, bright fruited sours, refreshing lagers, and acclaimed ales. Whether enjoyed on a bayside patio or with some delicious sourdough pizza, these are the signature pours from some of Long Beach’s most beloved breweries.

ISM BREWING

ISM Brewing’s (210 E Third St) wide selection of more than 20 house brews varies from light and easy blondes to heavier more malt forward types. It’s most recognized is Western Standard Time, a bright, crisp beer with dry, balanced malt foundation and a layered hop character. Yeah, there’s a lot going on there: citrus zest, pine and grassy notes mixed with soft berry undertones. It’s complex and simply delicious, which is why it captured the gold medal for West Coast Style IPA at the prestigious World Beer Cup.

ALTAR SOCIETY BREWING

Altar Society Brewing and Coffee Co. (230 Pine Ave) offers more than a dozen house-brewed beers including the popular and fruit-forward Tango Haze–showcasing both tangerine and mango–as well as a rotating roster of seasonal offerings. But its signature pour is probably the hoppy and intense All Eye Seeing IPA, a sharp and subtly citrus blend that delivers clean, bright refreshing flavor.

BEACHWOOD BREWING

One of Long Beach’s best loved breweries–with locations Downtown, in Bixby Knolls and a stall at 2nd & PCH–Beachwood is celebrated for an inventive, award-winning lineup of everything from hop forward IPAs to barrel-aged sours. Amalgamator has risen in popularity thanks to being packed with juicy notes of tropical fruit and citrus as well as a touch of pine. The combination gives it a crisp flavor with just enough bitterness to keep things interesting.

TRADEMARK BREWING

Trademark Brewing (233 E Anaheim St) is the first production craft brewery and taproom in Long Beach, and has 30 taps featuring Trademark Brewing beers that can be enjoyed inside or in their large outdoor biergarten. Codebreaker IPA is popular for its bold, crisp flavors of tropical fruit and piney bitterness, while A La Playa is a lighter, smoother Mexican-style lager with a splash of lime and a touch of salt—perfect for warm days.

SMOG CITY BREWING

Smog City Brewing’s laidback, dog-friendly location at SteelCraft Long Beach (3768 Long Beach Blvd) makes it an exceedingly accessible destination for beer lovers and the beer-curious alike. Snugglebug is a lively fruited kettle sour—light in alcohol and bursting with bright raspberry and boysenberry flavors, delivering a clean, tangy, berry‑forward punch without any funky aftertaste. Smog City IPA is a classic West Coast India Pale Ale—bright, bold with tropical fruit aromas like pineapple, mango and citrus.

LONG BEACH BEER LAB

Long Beach Beer Lab (4000 E Anaheim St/518 W Willow St) is a unique brewery and bakery known for creative beers and incredible sourdough pizzas. Their flagship LB Blonde is a crisp, easy-drinking American blonde ale that is their top seller and earned third place at the Brewers Cup of California. Light, refreshing, and approachable, LB Blonde pairs beautifully with one of Beer Lab’s fresh, tangy sourdough pies straight from the oven.

BALLAST POINT BREWING

The craft beer world we live in was arguably started, and certainly accelerated, by Ballast Point (110 N Marina Dr). And the beer largely responsible for that was, of course, Sculpin. It’s a spirited, well-balanced India Pale Ale known for its citrus-forward flavors and subsequent Grapefruit and Aloha versions burst with fruit flavors all their own. They’re great to enjoy on Ballast Point’s elevated patio deck overlooking Alamitos Bay at Long Beach’s southernmost tip.

About the Author

Steve Lowery

Steve Lowery is a longtime local. Over the years he has written for the Los Angeles Times, ESPN, and others. If you're looking for the hidden gems of Long Beach, Steve is your go-to.