What’s Tapping (12/14)

Welcome to San Diego Beer News‘ weekly list of beers tapping for the first time or returning to beer lists at breweries throughout San Diego County, including links where you can find additional info or purchase the beers online. For more details regarding release/tapping dates, times and locations, consult the official website or social-media accounts of the brewing companies listed.

And keep scrolling for Bottlecraft staffers’ recommendations about beers they are excited about that can be found at their bottle shop locations in North Park, Little Italy, Point Loma and Oceanside!

• Abnormal Beer Co. (Rancho Bernardo): Helles Bier German-style Helles, 5.4%
• AleSmith Brewing (Miramar): Non-alcoholic Speedway Stout, < 0.5% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Barley & Sword Brewing (North Park): From the Ashes American Porter, 5.4%
• Barley & Sword Brewing (North Park): Staffordshire’s Best Bitter, 4.2%
• Barley & Sword Brewing (North Park): Staffordshire’s Best Bitter on Cask, 4.2%
• Barley & Sword Brewing (North Park): Yule Tidings Spiced Winter Ale on Cask, 5.4%
• Black Plague Brewing (Oceanside, Escondido, North Park): Gothica Mexican-style Lager, 5% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Black Plague Brewing (Oceanside, Escondido, North Park): Hazy Scandal Hazy IPA, 6.3% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Black Plague Brewing (Oceanside, Escondido, North Park): Olde Ways American Light Lager, 4% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Black Plague Brewing (Oceanside, Escondido, North Park): Stay Chill Gluten-reduced Blonde Ale, 4.8% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Black Plague Brewing (Oceanside, Escondido, North Park): Trouble Maker IPA, 6.8% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Booze Brothers Brewing (Vista, Oceanside, Fallbrook): Winter Coast Coffee Oatmeal Porter, 7.5%
• Burgeon Beer Co. (Carlsbad, Escondido, Little Italy): 3-Day Window Hazy IPA, 6.8% (collaboration w/ Horus Aged Ales) – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Carlsbad Brewing (Carlsbad): Palomar by Air Pale Ale
• Chula Vista Brewery (Chula Vista, Eastlake): Humble Imperial West Coast Double IPA, 9.3%
• Chula Vista Brewery (Chula Vista, Eastlake): Pepino Perez Hazy Blonde Ale w/ Cucumber & Lime, 5%
• Creative Creature Brewing (San Marcos, El Cajon): Green Jello Smoothie Ale w/ Orange, Lime, Pineapple & Vanilla, 5%
• Deft Brewing (Morena): DeftHopt Rustic Hazy-ish IPA, 5.8%
• Deft Brewing (Morena): DubBelGique Belgian-style Dubbel, 7%
• Deft Brewing (Morena): Fear the Deft Star Kottbusser, 6.2%
• Division 23 Brewing (Miramar): All in a Haze Work Hazy IPA

• Harland Brewing (Scripps Ranch, South Park, Bay Park, Carmel Valley): Biggie Smalls Petite Pastry Stout, 6.5%
• Harland Brewing (Scripps Ranch, South Park, Bay Park, Carmel Valley): Time Slips Away Bourbon Barrel-aged Stout w/ Orange Peel, Orange Honey & Vanilla, 11.5%
• Jacked Up Brewery (Escondido): Chocolate Imperial Stout, 10%
• Jacked Up Brewery (Escondido): Freedom Rings Pale Ale, 5%
• Jacked Up Brewery (Escondido): Serpent’s Tongue Pepper Beer, 5.5%
• Kilowatt Brewing (Kearny Mesa, Ocean Beach, Oceanside): Guava 250 American IPA, 7.6%
• Kilowatt Brewing (Kearny Mesa, Ocean Beach, Oceanside): Hazezoose Hazy IPA, 6.9%
• Laguna Beer Co. (Vista): Lagunatics Hazy IPA, 7.5%
• Mcilhenney Brewing (Alpine): Dankstser for Life Double Dry-hopped West Coast IPA, 6.7%
• Modern Times Beer (Point Loma, North Park, Encinitas): Visible Ink Espresso Macaroon Stout, 6%
• Mother Earth Brew Co. (Vista): Fantasia Hazy IPA, 7%
• North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers Hill): Art is Hard Double Dry-hopped Hazy IPA, 7% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers Hill): The Dank Vault Quadrupel Dry-hopped Hazy Quadrupel IPA, 12% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers Hill): Save Versus Fire Nelson Rye Pilsner, 4.7% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers Hill): Triple Dry-hopped Dankers Hill West Coast IPA, 6.5% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Pizza Port (Ocean Beach): Capt’n Kolsch, 5.2% (collaboration w/ Puesto Cerveceria)
• Pizza Port (Ocean Beach): T90 Til Infinity IPA, 7% (collaboration w/ TapRoom Beer Co.)
• Pizza Port Brewing (Carlsbad, Solana Beach, Ocean Beach, Imperial Beach): Burn Out the Night Black IPA (collaboration w/ Smog City Brewing)
• Pizza Port Brewing (Carlsbad, Solana Beach, Ocean Beach, Imperial Beach): Vacant for the Winter West Coast IPA, 7%
• Protector Brewery (Miramar): Organic Raspberry Blueberry Kettle Sour Ale, 10.3%

• Pure Project Brewing (Vista, Carlsbad, Miramar, North Park, Bankers Hill): Crystal Lake Pilsner, 5.2%
• Pure Project Brewing (Vista, Carlsbad, Miramar, North Park, Bankers Hill): Day Moves West Coast IPA, 6.7% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Pure Project Brewing (Vista, Carlsbad, Miramar, North Park, Bankers Hill): Pacific Memories Murky Double IPA, 8.5% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Resident Brewing (Downtown): Ginger Red, Man Gingerbread Red Rye Ale w/ Ginger, Cinnamon, Allspice, Clove, Brown Sugar & Molasses
• Resident Brewing (Downtown): Zaza Helles Freezes Over Bavarian-style Helles Lager, 5.3%
• San Diego Brewing (Grantville): 30th Anniversary Red Gratitude IPA, 7%
• Seek Beer Co. (North Park): Fortune German-style Pilsner, 4.8%
• Seek Beer Co. (North Park): Same As it Ever Was West Coast IPA, 7.4%
• Seek Beer Co. (North Park): Warm Smile Tropical Punch-inspired Fruited Sour Ale, 5.5%
• South O Brewing (Oceanside): Shadows of Tomorrow Imperial Stout, 14%
• TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park): Creative Differences West Coast IPA, 6.8% (collaboration w/ Pizza Port Ocean Beach)
• Thr3e Punk Ales Brewing (Chula Vista, Little Italy): La Flama Roja Mexican-style Amber Lager
• Viewpoint Brewing (Del Mar): Imperial Barrel-aged Stout, 8.6%
• Viewpoint Brewing (Del Mar): Penitent Man IPA, 7.1%
• Viewpoint Brewing (Del Mar): West of the 5 West Coast IPA, 6.7%
• White Labs Brewing (Miramar): Coffee Lager fermented w/ WLP023 Burton Ale Yeast, 4.8%
• White Labs Brewing (Miramar): Coffee Lager fermented w/ WLP925 High Pressure Lager Yeast, 4.6%
• White Labs Brewing (Miramar): Hansen Hefeweizen fermented w/ WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale Yeast, 5%
• White Labs Brewing (Miramar): Hansen Hefeweizen fermented w/ WLP410 Belgian Wit II Ale Yeast, 5%
• White Labs Brewing (Miramar): Oatmeal Stout fermented w/ WLP005 British Ale Yeast, 4.1%
• White Labs Brewing (Miramar): Oatmeal Stout fermented w/ WLP036 Dusseldorf Alt Ale Yeast, 4.2%

Gene Fielden | North Park Bottlecraft Manager

El Segundo Simcoe | West Coast IPA (6.8%): Perched up in the pocket underneath LAX, between Highway 1 and the ocean, El Segundo Brewing has made consistently excellent West Coast IPAs for the better part of a decade. Very few ever denote the hops used in their titles, however, preferring terminology taken from aviation or Americana. Returning release Simcoe is a notable exception, communicating precisely what to expect – a blast of Simcoe hopes.

Russian River STS Pils | Unfiltered Pilsner (5.3%): This beer was selected for inclusion in this week’s column not because it is a new release – far from it! – but as it is now available in a new packaging format. Drumroll, please…12-ounce cans! While 16-ounce cans of core hoppy offerings have been available since the opening of Russian River Brewing’s Windsor production facility, none have ever hit distribution in our corner of California. This development is thus momentous, unprecedented and a little mind-bending. Oh, and the beer is (as always) delicious – a dry-hopped German pilsner recipe with a mineral tinge.

Firestone Walker XXVII Anniversary Ale | Barrel-aged Cuvée (12.5%): Snugly nestled in regal cardboard boxes, the barrel-aged beers of Firestone Walker Brewing are unparalleled both in their quality and longevity. Longtime fans of the Paso Robles operation have grown to know and love annual releases such as Parabola and Abacus Sucaba, to name but two. Starting from the 10th anniversary of the brewery, Firestone Walker has come up with one-time blends of a variety of their ales aged up in oak, some of which are never released to the general public in their unblended form. This year’s jubilee beer includes a Side Project Brewing collaborative imperial stout and a “Munich Wine” (i.e., a barleywine made only from Munich malt) – a captivating mélange. Cheers to Firestone Walker for 27 years of brewing excellence! 

Click here to explore the quality beers at Bottlecraft’s four San Diego locations.