I got a few different set-ups, but the bike that gets the most miles outta me right now is a Worksman INB with fenders, dynamo lighting, singlespeed coaster out back, and drum brake up front.

My go-to for short-distance jaunts in nice weather is a 80s Trailmate industrial bike, with low ss-gearing and a coaster. Nothing else going on, drivetrain/brakes-wise.

I'm not as rigid as squid-puppet, but I think once you put a derailer or 2 on a cruiser, you've turned it into something else. Nothing wrong with it; i'm in the process o slowly building up a 2x5 Worksman with rim brakes. But it ain't quite a cruiser anymore, once i'm done, anyway.

As for the term "beach cruiser", I don't use that kinda jargon. That's shoebee lingo. If I ride my road bike to the shore, does it become a "beach road bike"? Hardly. Therefore, my cruisers are just that.... cruisers, regardless of the context. None of mine have seen the beach, at least not since I've built'm. (Old frames can have a storied past, though...) Only sand they see are on the sugary trails of the NJ Pine Barrens....