What’s Tapping (12/4/25)

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.

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!

• Athletic Brewing (Miramar): Spruce & Juniper Non-alcoholic IPA, < 0.5% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Ballast Point Brewing (Little Italy): Navigator Doppelbock, 8%
• Bay City Brewing (Point Loma, East Village): Witching Hour Coffee Stout, 5.5%
• Burgeon Beer Co. (Carlsbad, Vista, Escondido, Downtown): Island Time Double Dry-hopped Hazy IPA, 6.4% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Burgeon Beer Co. (Carlsbad, Vista, Escondido, Downtown): Roots of Labor West Coast Pilsner, 5.6% (collaboration w/ Harland Brewing) – PURCHASE ONLINE
• Carlsbad Brewing (Carlsbad): FAFO Double Dry-hopped Hazy IPA, 6.3%
• Chula Vista Brewery (Chula Vista, Eastlake): Warplanes Hazy Pale Ale, 5.8%
• Craft Coast Beer & Tacos (San Marcos, Oceanside): Craft Roast Coffee Stout, 8%
• Culture Brewing (Solana Beach, Encinitas): BAHHCK German-style Bock, 6%
• Deft Brewing (Bay Park): Make Mai Day German-style Maibock, 7.5%
• Docent Brewing (Carlsbad): OH West Coast Pilsner, 5%
• Docent Brewing (Carlsbad): Pint of Soul New Zealand-style IPA, 6%
• Docent Brewing (Carlsbad): Turtleneck Belgian-style Tripel, 10.8%
• Docent Brewing (Carlsbad): Zinger Double IPA, 8.4%
• Duck Foot Brewing (Miramar, Leucadia): Goldihops Hazy IPA, 6.9%
• Duck Foot Brewing (Miramar, Leucadia): St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast Coffee Maple Stout, 12.8%
• Embolden Beer Co. (Miramar, Kearny Mesa, North Park): Quintessence 5th Anniversary Triple Dry-hopped IPA, 7.2%
• Harland Brewing (Scripps Ranch, Bay Park, South Park): Santa’s Summer Holiday Spruce Tip New Zealand-style Pale Ale, 5.3%
• Helix Brewing (La Mesa): Helix Pale Ale, 4.8%
• Hopnonymous Brewing (Kearny Mesa): Let’s Take It Slow Dry Irish-style Stout, 4.5%

• Julian Beer Co. (Julian): Five Oaks Amber Ale, 6.3%
• Julian Beer Co. (Julian): The Journeyer Single-hop IPA w/ Galaxy, 7.1%
• Ketch Brewing (Kearny Mesa, Downtown, Point Loma): Celestial Navigation San Diego IPA, 7%
• Ketch Brewing (Kearny Mesa, Downtown, Point Loma): Dr. Billheimer’s Magic Pils German-style Pilsner, 5.5%
• Mason Ale Works (Barrio Logan): Fruit Bomb Passion Dragon Fruited Ale w/ Passionfruit & Dragon Fruit, 5.2%
• Mother Earth Brew Co. (Vista): Motor Skills Hazy IPA, 7.2%
• Mother Earth Brew Co. (Vista): Sin Tax Imperial Peanut Butter Stout, 8.1%
• North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers Hill, Pacific Beach): Dankers Hill Double Dry-hopped West Coast IPA, 7% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers Hill, Pacific Beach): Inversion of Time Triple Dry-hopped Hazy Triple IPA, 10% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers Hill, Pacific Beach): Waka Waka Waka West Coast Pilsner, 4.7% – PURCHASE ONLINE
• The Original 40 Brewing (North Park): Most Necessary West Coast IPA, 7.1%
• Pizza Port Carlsbad Village (Carlsbad): Blazing Paddles Imperial Oatmeal Stout *
• Pizza Port Carlsbad Village (Carlsbad): Girl Dinner Pastry Stout, 9.4% *
• Pizza Port Carlsbad Village (Carlsbad): Imperial Brown Ale, 8% (collaboration w/ Docent Brewing) *
• Pizza Port Carlsbad Village (Carlsbad): Jawa Juice Double IPA, 9.3% (collaboration w/ Farland Aleworks) *
• Pizza Port Carlsbad Village (Carlsbad): Rum Barrel-aged Ambient Pairing Pastry Stout (collaboration w/ Solaris Beer & Blending) *
• Pizza Port Carlsbad Village (Carlsbad): Shark Attack Imperial Red Ale, 9% *
• Pizza Port Carlsbad Village (Carlsbad): 2025 Strong Ale Blend, 10.3% *
• Pizza Port Carlsbad Village (Carlsbad): Triple IPA, 10.5% (collaboration w/ Los Molinos Beer Co.) *
• The Roadies Brewing (Vista): Watermelon Crawl Fruited Wheat Ale, 5%
• * Denotes a beer tapping as part of Pizza Port’s 27th annual Strong Ale Festival

• Seek Beer Co. (North Park): Anchovy Twist Hazy IPA, 5.5%
• South O Brewing (Oceanside): 4th Anniversary Quadruple Hazy IPA, 12%
• South O Brewing (Oceanside): Cherry Gelato Frosé Fruited Sour Ale, 8.2% (collaboration w/ Kings Brewing)
• South O Brewing (Oceanside): Church Jeans Double Dry-hopped Hazy IPA, 7.4% (collaboration w/ Kings Brewing)
• South O Brewing (Oceanside): Cookie Chips Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Stout, 13% (collaboration w/ Tripping Animals Brewing)
• South O Brewing (Oceanside): Flying High Double Dry-hopped West Coast IPA, 7.2% (collaboration w/ Tripping Animals Brewing)
• South O Brewing (Oceanside): Sandcastles Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Stout, 12.5% (collaboration w/ Voodoo Brewing)
• Sunny Grove Brewing (Santee): Block Party Session IPA, 5.2%
• Sunny Grove Brewing (Santee): Jandals New Zealand-style IPA, 6.4%
• Sunny Grove Brewing (Santee): Marine Layer Hazy Pale Ale, 5.5%
• Sunny Grove Brewing (Santee): Midnight Snack Porter, 5.5%
• Sunny Grove Brewing (Santee): Porch It Pale Ale, 5.4%
• TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park): Arrow of God Bourbon & Rye Barrel-aged Pastry Stout w/ Coconut, Hazelnut & Coffee, 15%
• TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park, Pacific Beach): Hasta la Raíz Hoppy Helles Lager, 5.2%
• TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park): Illusion of Vanilje Barrel-aged Imperial Stout w/ Vanilla, Cocoa Nibs & Coffee, 13%
• TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park): La Montaña Sagrada Bourbon Barrel-aged Blended Imperial Stout & Barleywine w/ Maple, Vanilla & Peanut
• TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park): ‘Til the End Rye & Bourbon Barrel-aged Barleywine w/ Vanilla & Coffee, 15%
• TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park): A Usual Brown Ale, 5.4%
• Viewpoint Brewing (Del Mar): Hill’s Holiday Pils German-style Pilsner, 4.9%
• Weir Beer Co. (Vista): Java the Hut Coffee Blonde Ale, 6.4%

Gene Fielden | Bottlecraft North Park Manager

The theme for this week’s column is mythical creatures!

Ghost Town Cerberus | Hazy IPA (6.6%): In the mythology of the Ancient Greek world, Cerberus was a fearsome multi-headed dog that guarded the entrance to Hades. Having caught a ride from the ferryman Charon on the River Styx that divided the realms of the living and of the dead, new arrivals in the afterlife had to face down the snarling beast on their way to the underworld. Though much of the surviving provenance attests that Cerberus had three heads, our friends at Ghost Town Brewing in Oakland have chosen to depict this terrifying effigy with no fewer than five heads, making it a sort of hydra in canine form. The beer itself is a hazy IPA replete with (only) three hops ‒ Citra, Idaho 7 and Nelson ‒ and is a lot more welcoming than Cerberus itself!

Gigantic Krampus | Chocolate Stout (7.3%): In the Alpine lands ‒ chiefly Bavaria, Austria and northern Italy ‒ the folkloric Krampus is a demonic figure that appears on the evening of the fifth of December each year to punish naughty children. This is in advance of his counterpart and collaborator Saint Nicholas, who rewards the good children (if applicable) on his feast day of the sixth of the month. An eldritch horror with horns, Krampus in some ways resembles the satyrs of the Ancient World, albeit more overtly diabolical. Gigantic Brewing has brewed up a chocolate stout to herald Krampus’ arrival this Friday ‒ and if you wish to meet Krampus yourself, please stop by Bock Bar in South Park that evening!

Great Notion Holiday Fruit Monster | Fruited Sour Ale (6.1%): Beyond myth and folklore, now we have truly entered the world of the imaginary. To the best of my knowledge, Great Notion Brewing has made up the Holiday Fruit Monster out of whole cloth. The hairy horned hominid with pointy ears and blazing red eyes on the label appears to have supplanted Santa Claus, since it is wearing his trademark red cap and carrying his signature sack. Horrifyingly, rather than toys it is filled with hapless tiny yellow bipeds for the monster to snack upon. The beer is a tart ale with the wintry flavors of cranberry, tangerine, vanilla coconut and lactose, putting it firmly within smoothie sour territory. Cheers and happy holidays to all!

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