Blind Pig and Black Butte XX at Beachwood BBQ

My first visit to Beachwood BBQ in Seal Beach, CA, and it was a great time. I arrived just before 4pm and was the first person to take a seat at the bar. Waiting for my friend I decided to order a Deschutes Black Butte XX as my first beer. XX is a great beer, I just wish I hadn't ordered it first without anything in my stomach because 11% can kick your ass. Anyway, for a brief description of Black Butte XX let me tell you that Deschutes did a masterful job with this. I am amazed and pleased that they kept this 11% "imperial" version within the realm of the porter style. The body was not full like an imperial stout would be, and the flavor wasn't too roasted, but contained just enough chocolate, sweetness, and a bit of coffee to make for a great porter flavor. My friend Steve ordered a Weihenstephaner hefeweizen which I haven't gotten around to having at all. I took a small sample and man that is a good hefe.

Moving on, we had asked the owner Gabe if what we heard was true about them putting a keg of Russian River Blind Pig IPA on tap tonight and he said yeah he could since one of his kegs had just blown, although he was busy at the moment putting a food menu together for a friend of his. So we ordered another round as the Angels-Yankees game started. I went with the Stone Levitation with Amarillo and Centennial hops that was on cask. This wasn't the most enjoyable beer ever, although the taste certainly wasn't the problem. I understand cask is suppose to have a very subtle carbonation and be served at cellar temps, but this was 70 degrees and flat. Believe me I can tell when something is flat. Anyway I still got a whole pint of that down thankfully because the flavor was still pretty good.

As the Angels took a 6-0 lead and eventually a 10-2 lead on the Yanks, Gabe finally got around to putting the Blind Pig on and I got the first pint pulled from the keg. This was so amazingly fresh and to be honest the times I have had Blind Pig on tap down here in So Cal I've enjoyed it more than on tap at the Russian River brewpub. Down here it seems to be pressurized with a bit more CO2, so it's a little livelier on the tongue, whereas at Russian River I've found the carbonation to be more subtle, just a notch below how I would want it. Anyway, it was awesome of course yet the weird thing was all the pints being drawn were cloudy which nobody has ever seen before. Usually Blind Pig is crystal clear. Anyway, is there anything wrong with unfiltered Blind Pig? Not for me.

That completed the day for the most part and I am looking forward to many returns to Beachwood BBQ, even though it's about a 45 minute drive.