For the third week of Beers and Benders, I decided to go check out the Congregation Ale House in the downtown Long Beach Promenade.
Heres a quick map to get to the bar.
See you there!
Located off of 201 E Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802, Congregation Ale House opened to the public in 2012 and presents a rustic gastropub with many craft beers and classic American eats to choose from. The restaurant was designed in style of a traverse monastery and the name stems from getting people to gather together for a common purpose: food and beer.
Walking in, the lighting was very low and tavern like. The restaurant was clean and taps of former keg handles could be seen lining the roofs of the place.
Tom, the bar manager of the last two months, was kind enough to inform me that the Ale House routinely stocks 32 different craft beers on tap. The tap variety includes dark ales, stouts, golden ale, double ale, German KÖLSCH, IPA’s and a gose. The Ale House commonly stocks imported German beers and local breweries that you won’t necessarily find at your typical sports bar.
I decided to settle on a Consummatum American style double IPA brewed by Congregation Ale House in Azusa, CA.. Sitting at 8.7 ABV, this IPA pours a clear, dark honey orange with a foamy head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Strong smells of citrus fruit, citrus zest, herbal hop, and onion and garlic hop aromas. The taste is much the same with citrus zest, grapefruit juice, and onion and garlic flavors on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. For me, this tasted as if a Red Trolley by Karl Strauss was an IPA. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, I really enjoyed this one in comparison to some of the other IPA’s I have tried in the past. It is a very good beer with a great mix of citrus and herbal hop qualities all around.
My buddy Mitchell settled on a Pacific Ocean BlueGose, brewed by Libertine Brewing Company out of San Louis Obispo. Gose is a warm fermented beer that originated in Goslar, Germany. It is usually brewed with at least 50% of the grain bill being malted wheat. Dominant flavours in gose include a lemon sourness, a herbal characteristic, and a strong saltiness.
Coming in at a mild 5.0% ABV, this Gose carries a light, hazy body and evokes aromatic notes of an ocean breeze with hint of spice and vinegar. The taste begins salty and sour, eventually becoming sweeter in the middle that lasts to the end of the sip. I personally wasn’t a huge fan of it do to it’s sour nature but Mitch seemed to really enjoy it.
The space inside has indoor seating and an outdoor patio.Seating is available on mostly long tables, some tall and some short. The atmosphere is modern and very casual, even though there were men dressed in business attire. If beer isn’t your thing, Congregation Ale House stocks a full bar including a wine menu. The staff was friendly, informative, and knew their craft very well.
This would make a great spot to bring a group of friends and throw back a couple cold ones while enjoying some pub food as well.
Beers & Benders 