What’s Tapping (1/25)

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.

• AleSmith Brewing (Miramar): My Bloody Valentine Hoppy Red Ale, 6.7% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• AleSmith Brewing (Miramar): Torrey Haze Hazy IPA, 7.2% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Arcana Brewing (Carlsbad): Sauvin & Citra West Coast IPA, 6.4%
• Arcana Brewing (Carlsbad): Voyager English-style Bitter, 6%
• Artifex Brewing (Oceanside): Artifex Lite Light Lager, 3.7%
• Artifex Brewing (Oceanside): Artifexican Mexican-style Lager, 4.7%
• Artifex Brewing (Oceanside): Can We Be Friends West Coast IPA, 6.9% (collaboration w/ MadeWest Brewing)
• Artifex Brewing (Oceanside): Hard Seltzer w/ Guava & Mango, 5%
• Artifex Brewing (Oceanside): No Name IPA, 7.5%
• Ballast Point Brewing (Miramar, Morena, Little Italy): Commander Bock, 6.3%
• Ballast Point Brewing (Miramar, Morena, Little Italy): Smoke & Beerers Smoked Wee Heavy, 7.9%
• Barley & Sword Brewing (North Park): Beoir Dearg Irish-style Red Ale, 3.7%
• Bear Roots Brewing (Vista): Cash Money West Coast Tropical IPA, 7.1%
• Belching Beaver Brewery (Oceanside, Vista): Bee’s Knees Blonde Ale, 4.8%
• Belching Beaver Brewery (Oceanside, Vista): Big Ern Hazy Imperial IPA, 9%
• Belching Beaver Brewery (Oceanside, Vista): HazeJuice Cristo Hazy IPA, 6.5% (collaboration w/ Craft Coast Beer & Tacos)
• Belching Beaver Brewery (Oceanside, Vista): Terpen with the Homies Terpene IPA, 7.2%
• Black Plague Brewing (Oceanside, Escondido, North Park): Medusa Imperial Milk Stout, 8.5%- PURCHASE ONLINE
• Black Plague Brewing (Oceanside, Escondido, North Park): Tony Hawps West Coast IPA, 6.5% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Burning Beard Brewing (El Cajon): Boy Howdy Nitro Cream Ale, 5.6%
• Burning Beard Brewing (El Cajon): Thin Fizzy Blackberry Lemonade Hard Seltzer, 4.5%
• Craft Coast Beer & Tacos (Oceanside): Agua Baja Mexican-style Lager, 4.5%
• Craft Coast Beer & Tacos (Oceanside): Baja Especial Helles-style Lager, 4.5%
• Craft Coast Beer & Tacos (Oceanside): Old West West Coast IPA, 7.4%
• Craft Coast Beer & Tacos (Oceanside): Oscura Dark Mexican-style Lager 5%
• Craft Coast Beer & Tacos (Oceanside): XPA Extra Pale Ale, 5%

• Culture Brewing (Solana Beach, Encinitas): POG Hazy IPA w/ Passionfruit, Orange & Guava, 4.9%
• Deft Brewing (Morena): Deft Season Saison, 6.9%
• Deft Brewing (Morena): Legion’s Revenge Extra Special Bitter, 5.8%
• Deft Brewing (Morena): Austere Abbot Belgian-style Singel, 5.4%
• Deft Brewing (Morena): Tourmaline Tan English-style Brown Ale, 5.5%
• Division 23 Brewing (Miramar): Dual Zone Double IPA
• East Village Brewing (East Village): Lo-Fi Hazy IPA, 7.5%
• Embolden Beer Co. (Miramar): Winter in Hokkaido Matcha Stout
• Fall Brewing (Miramar, North Park, South Park): Tora! Japanese-style Lager, 5.2%
• GOAL. Brewing (North Park): Ube Haze Hazy IPA w/ Ube, 6.7%
• Harland Brewing (Scripps Ranch, South Park, Bay Park, Carmel Valley): Citra! Citra! IPA, 7%
• Harland Brewing (Scripps Ranch, South Park, Bay Park, Carmel Valley): Dusty Trails Pilsner, 5.2%
• Harland Brewing (Scripps Ranch, South Park, Bay Park, Carmel Valley): Never Rains Here Lager w/ Calamansi, 5%
• Harland Brewing (Scripps Ranch, South Park, Bay Park, Carmel Valley): Peaches & Cream Milkshake IPA, 5%
• Heritage Brewery & Barbecue (Oceanside): Last Stand West Coast IPA, 
• Jacked Up Brewery (Escondido): El Gato Mexican-style Lager, 5%
• Jacked Up Brewery (Escondido): Foam Ranger Double IPA, 8%
• Julian Beer Co. (Julian): Solstice Sunrise Golden Milk Stout w/ Coffee & Cacao, 5.8%
• Julian Beer Co. (Julian): Thirsty Thurston Tropical Doppelbock, 9%
• Mcilhenney Brewing (Alpine): Muntz New Zealand-hopped Rye IPA, 7.2%
• Mcilhenney Brewing (Alpine): Parallel Paradise Double Dry-hopped West Coast IPA, 6.9%
• Mission Brewing (East Village): Citra Pils Hoppy Pilsner, 4.7%
• Mother Earth Brew Co. (Vista): Urban Solace Hazy IPA, 7.2%

• Nickel Beer Co. (Julian): 10th Anniversary Triple IPA, 10.4%
• Night Parade Brewing (Scripps Ranch): Fortune’s Fool Russian-style Imperial Stout on Nitro, 11%
• Night Parade Brewing (Scripps Ranch): Mystic Citrus West Coast IPA w/ Tangerine, 7.4%
• Night Parade Brewing (Scripps Ranch): Whoopass Pre-Prohibition-style American Lager, 4.8%
• North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers Hill): Daydream State of Mind Imperial Oat Cream IPA, 8.5% (collaboration w/ Other Half Brewing) – PURCHASE ONLINE
• North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers Hill): Nearly Departed Triple Dry-hopped West Coast IPA, 7.5% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers Hill): QDH Art is Hard: Peach Edition Quadrupel-dry-hopped Hazy IPA, 7% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers Hill): Velvet Phenix Marshmallow Mocha Stout, 5.8% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• The Original 40 Brewing (North Park): PBJ Sour Ale w/ Grape, Blackberry & Peanut Butter, 5%
• Pizza Port (Carlsbad): Terpene Station IPA w/ Terpenes, 6%
• Pizza Port Bressi Ranch (Carlsbad): Oui Oui Kiwi New Zealand-hopped Pilsner, 5%
• Poor House Brewing (North Park): Witney Belgian-style Witbier, 5.8%
• Pure Project Brewing (Vista, Carlsbad, Miramar, North Park, Bankers Hill): Angels Landing Murky IPA, 6.7% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Pure Project Brewing (Vista, Carlsbad, Miramar, North Park, Bankers Hill): Double Arch West Coast Double IPA, 8.3% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Seek Beer Co. (North Park): Lucid Expression Double Dry-hopped Hazy Triple IPA, 10%
• Smoking Cannon Brewery (Ramona): Juniper Flats Sahti, 8.3%
• Smoking Cannon Brewery (Ramona): Merrill Gingerbread Porter, 7%
• Smoking Cannon Brewery (Ramona): Pickle Me Cyrus Blonde Ale, 4.8%
• Smoking Cannon Brewery (Ramona): Thirsty Thurston Doppelbock, 9% (collaboration w/ Julian Beer Co.)
• South O Brewing (Oceanside): Stackz Stout, 8.5%
• TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park, Pacific Beach): Creative Differences Double Dry-hopped West Coast IPA, 6.8% (collaboration w/ Pizza Port Ocean Beach)
• WestBrew (Vista, Del Mar, East Village): La Costa IPA, 7%
• WestBrew (Vista, Del Mar, East Village): Mosaic Surfer Pale Ale, 6%

Gene Fielden | North Park Bottlecraft Manager

With the monsoons of Monday behind us, we can expect a profusion of verdant growth this spring! Accordingly, the three picks this week have label-art in various shades of green:

Burgeon Nature Calls! | West Coast IPA (6.9%): Brewed in honor of Burgeon’s seventh anniversary, Nature Calls! is stuffed with a cornucopia of hops. Moreover, the methods of hop-additions keep piling up – in addition to whole-cone, this particular beer makes use of Cryo, Incognito, Hop Kief and 702. The lattermost is a brand-new innovation from forerunners Yakima Chief Hops, a viscous thick liquid that has the consistency of laundry detergent for pure uncut hop aroma. In one form or another (and sometimes two or three), amongst the varietals are Chinook, Citra, Mosaic, Nelson and Simcoe. This beer debuted at the invitational this past weekend that Burgeon throws every January, one of the finest beer-fests in greater San Diego. Cheers to Burgeon for seven years of delicious beers!

Schönramer Helles | Helles Lager (5%): While attending the Lagerville festival hosted by Figueroa Mountain Brewing at their Buellton location two Aprils ago, I chanced upon a man at one of the booths pouring Bavarian beers while wearing lederhosen. Perhaps because it was not exactly the first hour of the fest or the general mood and tenor of the day (hot, exuberant), we addressed one another in German. It soon became evident to both of us that neither was a native speaker yet nonetheless could communicate fluidly. What was endlessly amusing about the whole scenario is that layered atop his faint North American accent was also a Bavarian one, implying many years of living and working in that large and beer-loving region. There are thus not a lot of people in this world who sound quite like Mark Gerlach, who is responsible for importing Schönramer to California. I was mightily impressed by the Helles and began carrying it at Bottlecraft immediately thereafter. Now that the brewery has been picked up by a distributor, drinkers statewide can enjoy this delightfully rounded pale lager, brewed a stone’s throw from Salzburg. Prost!

Fair Isle Almota | Oak-aged Saison (4.6%): One of the most exciting breweries to open in Washington state of late is Fair Isle, located in the beer-centric Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. Daringly, they eschew trend-chasing in favor of Low Countries-style rustic ales, both clean and mixed-fermentation. The adulation earned from such efforts has demonstrated that such focus is no obstacle to success. Almota is a multigrain saison (Red Russian wheat, spelt, Purple Egyptian pale as well as pilsner malt) left to mature in foeders and puncheons for gentle funk and buoyant effervescence. 

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