A brewer and his barrels are reunited

On Friday, August 8, The Original 40 Brewing will release Magnetic Ribbon: Final Cut Edition, a pastry stout that was aged in Elijah Craig eight-year-old bourbon barrels for 45 months beginning at Modern Times Beer in October 2021. The Original 40 Head Brewer Kyle Fjalstad, who spent five years as Modern Times’ barrel-program manager originally tended to those barrels.

The limited-edition beer will be available exclusively at The Original 40 in 16-ounce cans. Only 250 cans were produced in total. A release party will be held on Friday, August 8 at 6 p.m., where Fjalstad will make a presentation on the beer and host a Q&A session with attendees.

Magnetic Ribbon: Final Cut Edition is 13.3% alcohol-by-volumeand features Dominican Republic cocoa nibs from San Diego’s Nibble Chocolate and Muddy Paws Dark Roast coffee from San Diego-based roaster Cozy Canine Coffee. The brew also has Ugandan vanilla beans, almonds and three different types of coconut.

Individual cans will be sold for $18 (plus CRV). A flight of four beers will also be available for $22 with the following four selections (five ounces each), including two other iterations of the barrel-aged beer: Magnetic Ribbon: Final Cut Edition, Magnetic Ribbon: Cocoa Bonanza, Magnetic Ribbon, and Super Strawberry Pilsner.

“This is dessert in a can,” said Fjalstad. “Even the non-beer drinkers may want to try this one out. It’s a unique offering for us at The Original 40, but one that should appeal to everyone. A lot went into this beer, and I am especially proud to have included ingredients from two local companies.”

Fjalstad won two medals in the Pastry Stout category at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival, the nation’s largest professional brewing competition, which is commonly referred to as “The Oscars” of the craft-beer industry. Fjalstad and his team earned a silver medal for “Mega Devils Teeth: Double Dutch S’mores Edition” and a bronze medal for “Chaos Grid: The Final Final Course.”

“While Kyle is certainly versatile in his brewing, there is no doubt that barrel-aged beers are always a home run for him,” said The Original 40 founder Steve Billings. “It was an easy decision to work out an agreement to purchase the barrels from Modern Times once we hired Kyle.”

Modern Times’ flagship brewery in the Midway District of Point Loma permanently closed in November 2024. Billings hired Fjalstad one month later.

A San Diego State alumnus, Fjalstad started his professional brewing career as an intern at San Diego’s Council Brewing in 2016. He became a full-time brewer in 2017, working out of the brewery’s Kearny Mesa and Santee locations. In early 2019, he joined Temecula’s Black Market Brewing. Fjalstad then returned to San Diego in September 2019 to start his tenure with Modern Times.

The Original 40 opens at noon, Monday through Friday, and at 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.