When Craft Beer & Brewing calls Beachwood Blendery one of 10 Breweries with Bang-Up Blending Programs, it’s almost an understatement.

This under-the-radar California brewery is so tirelessly committed to the art and science of barrel-aging and blending, you might not be able to tell their beer apart from Cantillon’s. 

Seriously! They actually brought probes into Cantillon and recorded the temperature, humidity, and other environmental attributes of the brewery for a whole year! Then, they took those measurements home and mimicked that same environment for their own brews.

It’s a level of dedication that you can taste in their Lambic-inspired treats like Umeboshi.

To craft this zippy, fruity Sour Ale, the award-winning* brewers age and ferment the brew in oak barrels with plums and sea salt. 

It’s dominated by tangy fruits and funk on the nose, but every sip is “plum full” of bright, stone fruity juiciness and hints of honeydew. All the while, the mouth-puckering acidity is undercut by the presence of salt, allowing each sip to taper off into flavors of satisfying sweet-tart candy.

From start to finish, Umeboshi is one bang-up blend of fruit and funk that’s worth watching out for. And it’s not just me who thinks so — @Todd on Untappd agrees that Umeboshi “definitely stands up to the well-known beers of this style!”

Grab a bottle or two so you can see how well this bang-up brew stacks up against your own favorite Sour Ales! 

Rated 4.06 on Untappd

*Certificate of Excellence award-winner at the Brussels Beer Challenge

*One of Thrillist’s Essential LA County Breweries You Need to Try

*Multi-medal winners/Best of Show winners at the 2019 California State Fair Commercial Beer Competition

*Multi-medal winners at the San Diego Int’l Beer Competition

*Multi-medal winners at GABF