Abigaile, the original restaurant and test kitchen concept from restaurant group Blackhouse Hospitality in Hermosa Beach, California, recently appointed new brewmaster Paul Papantonio. Most recently brewing at Oskar Blues (Longmont, Colorado) and St. Archer (San Diego, California), the 29-year-old Papantonio is spearheading Abigaile’s menu of in-house beers, and curating its menu of primarily Southern California selections on draft. Abigaile, whose kitchen is helmed by Chef/Partner Tin Vuong and chef de cuisine David Bartnes, is the only restaurant in Hermosa Beach with an on-site brewery.
While IPAs and porters are the most requested styles in the South Bay, Papantonio is keen to make less popular brews such as lagers, as they are harder to find, and “few people are actually making them well,” he says. Papantonio fuses traditional brewing techniques with unexpected ingredientsto create the following brews at Abigaile:
Vienna Lager 4.6 percent—Papantonio achieves an amber lager by using darker malts and more hops than the average amber lager.
Midnight Mass Black IPA 5.6 percent—made with roasted malt, this brew lies somewhere between an IPA and a pale ale.
Palm Porter 6.5 percent—made with lager yeast, Papantonio will experiment with one-off kegs of this beer combined with ingredients such as coffee and coconut.
Jam Session Pilsner 4.8 percent—the most recent addition to the lineup is a straightforward German pilsner.
Punchbowl IPA 8 percent—Papantonio uses an eclectic blend of unique hops (including Pacific and Wakatu hops from New Zealand) to create one of the most popular beers at Abigaile.
Papantonio recently added a special R+D section of the menu consisting of small batch brews, where guests can help decide what the next in-house beer may be. The selection currently includes Doppio Cappuccino Porter 6.5 percent, and Zest Fest Black IPA 5.6 percent.
Papantonio’s love for brewing began during his senior year of college when his dad bought him a home brewing kit. He began experimenting with various techniques, and joined a home brewing club at Captain Lawrence Brewing in his hometown of Elmsford, New York. He then went to work at a traditional English-style brewery called Shipyard in Maine, where he further fostered his passion for the brewing process.
