What’s Tapping (10/8/26)
Our weekly list of new and fresh beers debuting at breweries throughout San Diego County plus recommendations from Bottlecraft
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 staff recommendations about beers they are excited about that can be found at their bottle shop locations in North Park, Little Italy and Point Loma!
AleSmith Brewing (Miramar): Barrel-aged Speedway Stout: Rocky Road Edition Imperial Stout w/ Cacao, Almond, Walnut, Vanilla & Coffee, 14.3% – PURCHASE ONLINE
Athletic Brewing (Miramar): Dark & Gourdy Non-alcoholic Pumpkin Beer, < 0.5% – PURCHASE ONLINE
Athletic Brewing (Miramar): Nitro Emerald Cliffs Non-alcoholic Irish-style Stout, < 0.5% – PURCHASE ONLINE
BattleMage Brewing (Vista): Ninth Circle of Ale IPA, 6.5%
Bay City Brewing (Point Loma, East Village): Oktoberfest German-style Festbier, 6%
Bay City Brewing (Point Loma, East Village): Witching Hour Coffee Stout, 5.5%
Blue Fire Brewing (San Marcos): Passionfruit, Orange, Guava & Raspberry Hard Seltzer, 5%
Burgeon Beer Co. (Carlsbad, Vista, Escondido, Downtown): Freaky Tiki Hazy IPA, 6.4% – PURCHASE ONLINE
Burgeon Beer Co. (Carlsbad, Vista, Escondido, Downtown): Hop Suisse Double Dry-hopped IPA, 6.9% (collaboration w/ WhiteFrontier Brewery) – PURCHASE ONLINE
Culture Brewing (Solana Beach, Encinitas): FestCoast German-style Lager, 6.2%
Deft Brewing (Bay Park): Aprikosen Gose Sour Ale w/ Apricot, 4.3%
Deft Brewing (Bay Park): DeftMitte Vienna-style Lager, 5%
Deft Brewing (Bay Park): Savvy & Deft FC Extra Special Bitter on Cask, 5.8%
Dos Desperados Brewery (San Marcos): Apple Spiced Hard Seltzer,
Duck Foot Brewing (Miramar, Leucadia): Cryo-lumenessense Cry-hopped West Coast IPA, 6.5%
East Village Brewing (East Village): It Takes a Village Hazy Double IPA, 8.5%
East Village Brewing (East Village): The Life of Leisure West Coast IPA, 6%
Embolden Beer Co. (Mira Mesa, Kearny Mesa, Vista): State of Flow Hazy IPA, 7.6%
Good Pressure Brewing (Allied Gardens): Ube Coconut Hard Seltzer, 5%
Green Cheek Beer Co. (Oceanside): Autumn Adventures Nitro Golden Milk Stout w/ Coffee & Pumpkin Spice, 7.8% – PURCHASE ONLINE
Green Cheek Beer Co. (Oceanside): Don’t Fix the Mayhem Double Dry-hopped Hazy IPA, 7% – PURCHASE ONLINE
Green Cheek Beer Co. (Oceanside): Objectively Superior Hoppy Lager, 4.6% – PURCHASE ONLINE
Green Cheek Beer Co. (Oceanside): Panic Purchase West Coast IPA, 6.8% – PURCHASE ONLINE
Green Cheek Beer Co. (Oceanside): Slow Motion Dominoes Double Dry-hopped Hazy IPA, 7% – PURCHASE ONLINE
Harland Brewing (Scripps Ranch, 4S Ranch, Pacific Beach, Bay Park, South Park): Mixed Berry Parfait Sour Ale w/ Strawberry, Raspberry, Blueberry & Blackberry, 6%
Harland Brewing (Scripps Ranch, 4S Ranch, Pacific Beach, Bay Park, South Park): Pink Guava Lime Fluff Hard Seltzer w/ Guava, Lime & Marshmallow, 7%
Hopnonymous Brewing (Kearny Mesa, Normal Heights): Daddio’s American Pale Ale, 5%
Hopnonymous Brewing (Kearny Mesa, Normal Heights): Slammin’ SD Hazy IPA, 7%
Karl Strauss Brewing (Downtown, Sorrento Mesa, 4S Ranch, Carlsbad): Crash Out Pilsner, 5%
Mason Ale Works (Barrio Logan): Nightmare Juice Hazy Double IPA, 7.9%
Mike Hess Brewing (North Park, Downtown, Ocean Beach, Imperial Beach, Alpine): Freeflow Mango Hard Seltzer, 5%
Mike Hess Brewing (North Park, Downtown, Ocean Beach, Imperial Beach, Alpine): Freeflow Paloma Hard Seltzer , 5%
Mother Earth Brew Co. (Vista): Sam IPA, 6.5%
Mother Earth Brew Co. (Vista): Southern Drift Unfiltered New Zealand-style Pale Ale, 5.2%
Mother Earth Brew Co. (Vista): Wakumi Japanese-style Lager, 4.8%
Nickel Beer Co. (Julian): Golden Nugget Wet Hop Lager, 5.5%
Nickel Beer Co. (Julian): Green Truck Wet Hop Double IPA, 8%
Nickel Beer Co. (Julian): High Country Wet Hop IPA, 6.8%
North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers, Pacific Beach): Green Goodies Double Dry-hopped West Coast IPA, 7% – PURCHASE ONLINE
North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers, Pacific Beach): Jazz is Harder Triple Dry-hopped Hazy IPA, 6.6% – PURCHASE ONLINE
North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers, Pacific Beach): Secret Secret Secrets Triple Dry-hopped Hazy Double IPA, 8.5% – PURCHASE ONLINE
North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers, Pacific Beach): Worth a Squiz New Zealand-style Pilsner, 5.4% – PURCHASE ONLINE
Protector Brewery (Miramar, Downtown): Oktoberfest Organic Märzen, 4.9%
Seek Beer Co. (North Park): Simple Pursuits West Coast IPA, 6.8%
Stone Brewing (Point Loma, Downtown, Oceanside): Ghoulish Delights Dark Imperial Lager w/ Maple & Oak, 8.7%
TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park, Pacific Beach): DAMP Wet Hop West Coast IPA, 6.8%
Viewpoint Brewing (Del Mar): Area 661 New England-style IPA, 7.1%
Viewpoint Brewing (Del Mar): Moe-saic Pale Ale, 5.6%
Gene Fielden | Bottlecraft North Park Manager
Fresh hop season is upon us! Only possible during the hops harvest, this entails placing the cones into the brew kettle within 24 hours of picking them straight off the bines. Flush with all of the essential oils that otherwise would be diminished by kiln-drying, this imparts tantalizing aromas, flavors and textures to our autumn beers. Enjoy your fresh-hopped beers now, as they are inherently fragile and fleeting!
Fremont Field to Ferment | Fresh Hop Pale Ale (6.1%): Even within the rarefied category of fresh-hopped beers, Fremont Brewing stands out. Their deservedly laudatory Field to Ferment series serves to kick-start the autumn every year, with a judicious 6.1% pale ale base upon which the fresh green hop-cones are allowed to express themselves. The only edition of this perennial favorite to come to Southern California this year is replete with Centennial, one of the original “C-hops.” Those who enjoy Two Hearted by Bell’s Brewery (which is hopped 100% with Centennial) are encouraged to pick up a four-pack of this one!
Little Beast Simarillo | Fresh Hop IPA (6.2%): Some hops combinations simply belong together. The dynamic duo of Simcoe and Amarillo ‒ the fundamental basis of such celebrated beers as Kern River Brewing’s Just Outstanding and Alpine Beer Co.’s Duet ‒ remains one of my favorite one-two punches. Simcoe brings pine-tree resins and cattiness, while Amarillo gives off wild-orange aromas, making for a beautiful dyad. Little Beast Brewing from Portland, Oregon has brought these two together once again, fresher than ever!
Living Häus Gayle | Fresh Hop Keller Pilsner (5%): While most of the fresh-hopped beers that grace our shelves and taplines each year are IPAs, some of the more daring brewers out there will come up with recipes within other styles altogether. The unsung Keller Pilsner ‒ an unfiltered lager with more body and breadiness ‒ has been given the fresh-hop treatment by the crew at Living Häus Beer Co. Utilizing the Noble varietal Tettnanger ‒ native to Bavaria but in this instance grown at Goschie Farms in the Willamette Valley ‒ Gayle will take you on a very different sort of adventure!
Click here to explore the quality beers at Bottlecraft’s three San Diego locations