To celebrate their fourth anniversary, Beachwood BBQ & Brewing had more than 40 beers from brewmaster/partner Julian Shrago on tap. Each year, they also produce a special anniversary beer. This year, that meant Hopernicus Double IPA, a 10% ABV brew that clocked 99+ IBUs and combined “an intergalactic blend of hops” – Citra, Mosaic, Comet, Galaxy, Millennium and Equinox – to deliver “a shockwave of tropical fruits, vectors of sticky resins and pulses of citrus.” This was a terrific double IPA that definitely packed a hop wallop, but also proved refreshing on a hot day, in a way that belied its double-digit alcohol level.

By the time I arrived, Beachwood was packed, with a line out the door. People were raiding the house-made pickle bar, and a unicyclist was juggling on the bar. Co-owners Gabe Gordon and Lena Perelman were speaking with long-time friends and fans, and bottles of Hopernicus were flying off shelves in an outdoor tent. Shrago named the beer for Nicolaus Copernicus, a famed Polish mathematician and astronomer who figured out that our universe revolves around the sun, rather than the earth. Beachwood BBQ & Brewing once again proved that they’re at the center of L.A.’s IPA universe, and that we merely drink in its hoppy orbit.