Breaking Bread (and Belgians) at the Congregation Ale House

Congregation Ale House – Menu

Parking: Street, Free Lot after 7PM Credit Cards: Yes

Last week Taylor and I were looking for a new place to have dinner before our bi-weekly spot on Swoop’s World. I had seen The Congregation Ale House on Broadway and Promenade and heard a little bit about it from Dianne and Swoop, so we decided that was a good choice and headed over. Located right next to the entrance to The Cellar, the Congregation Ale House not only has a welcoming name, but also a warm and inviting ambiance despite the low light and ubiquitous Gothic arches. When you walk in, the menu is on the wall and one of the most expansive beer selections in Long Beach – especially when it comes to Belgian beers – is on display behind the many glass door refrigerators.

The first order of business is figuring out what to eat, which you need to do before sitting down as you order at the counter. They have burgers, sandwiches, sausages, and salads. I ordered the Rib Eye Burger, which comes topped with white cheddar and rosemary garlic mayo. The burger was tasty and cooked to a perfect medium rare, and the rosemary garlic mayo was an excellent addition that I have not seen before.

The menu category with the most choices (after beer of course) is sausages, so we needed to try at least one. Taylor ordered up the Duck and Bacon sausage, which was served up in a soft fresh roll topped with grilled onions and bell peppers. We actually cooked up several pounds of Duck and Bacon sausage at the Wild Game Feed that was very similar and quite delicious.

Because the entrées are served a la carte, we also ordered a side of the Sweet Potato Fries. These slender sticks come with your choice of two different dipping sauces from a list of 8, and, at the behest of waitress, I chose the Sweet Chili and Sour Cream as well as the Curry ketchup. I loved the Sweet Chili and Sour Cream as it reminded me of the holidays when we would have Jalapeño jelly and cream cheese. The Curry ketchup was less memorable, but I generally care for curry so I suppose that isn’t a shocker.

When it comes to finding a beer to drink it is exceedingly difficult. They have so many different choices, and many of the beers and breweries are not well know except by Belgian beer aficionados. We had a bottle of Gouden Carolus’s Cuvee van de Keizer, which is a Belgian Strong Ale. Coming in at 11% alcohol, it was a “big beer” with tons of different flavors as it crossed my pallet from front to back. It starts out very sweet and then mellows to a nice chocolate flavor. I would compare it to a Chimay blue, but Belgian beers are so distinct from other styles of beer that they are easy to associate with each other despite their variations.

The Congregation Ale House is a great place to go and hang out, take a few friends, sample some of the many different beers, eat a little food, listen to great music, or watch a game. Make a trip over, tell them that LB Food Review sent you and start your beer adventure; you might like a beer that you can’t afford to drink more than one or two of, but most of the bottles have as much alcohol as a bottle of wine so keep that in mind when you see the price points. Come in for “Mass”, the Congregation’s version of Happy Hour, all day Monday, 3-6PM Monday-Friday, and midnight Sunday-Thursday, for specials on food and drink.

Until Next Time, Keep Eating and Drinking Long Beach,

Cliv