A lot of local breweries make good India Pale Ales, but when it comes to variety, consistency and skill in making one of craft beer's most ubiquitous styles, no one even comes close to Beachwood BBQ and Brewing. Maybe that's because brewmaster Julian Shrago spent years perfecting recipes as one of Southern California's best-known IPA homebrewers. Or maybe it's all the good beer juju swirling around the Beachwood BBQ name (its Seal Beach sister bar is consistently ranked one of the top beer bars in the country). Either way, the downtown Long Beach brewpub for the last two years has been steadily churning out bitter, West Coast–style brews at a pace that makes hopheads nationwide weep for more keg distribution. From the flagship Melrose IPA to a seemingly endless stream of seasonals (the Falcon, Pole Position), one-offs (Fahrenheit 342) and double IPAs (Denver Jackhammer, Hop Ninja), Beachwood's coveted hoppy beers are best drunk fresh, so buy a bottle or a pint when you see it and savor some of the best palate wreckers in the biz. Beachwood BBQ and Brewing, 210 E. Third St., Long Beach. (562) 436-4020, beachwoodbbq.com. —Sarah Bennett

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