What’s Tapping (2/16/23)

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. 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): Hop Island Double Dry-hopped New Zealand-style IPA, 7.2%
• AleSmith Brewing (Miramar): Laughing Kookaburra Double Dry-hopped Triple IPA, 10%
• Arcana Brewing (Carlsbad): Newton’s Graff Apple, 5%
• Ataraxia Aleworks (Kearny Mesa): Hazing the Rookie Hazy IPA, 6.9%
• Ataraxia Aleworks (Kearny Mesa): Hazy Vision Quest Hazy IPA, 7%
• Backyard Brewery (Escondido): Citrus Twang, 5.7%
• Ballast Point Brewing (Miramar, Little Italy, Morena): Caliginosity Black IPA, 7.5%
• Black Plague Brewing (Oceanside, Escondido): Tony Hawps IPA, 6.5%
• Burgeon Beer Co. (Carlsbad, Escondido, Little Italy): Cosmic Drift Hazy IPA, 7.1%
• Burgeon Beer Co. (Carlsbad, Escondido, Little Italy): Trail Guide IPA, 6.4%
• Craft Coast Beer & Tacos (Oceanside): West Coast Pale Ale, 5.8% (collaboration w/ MadeWest Brewing)
• Creative Creature Brewing (El Cajon): 1784 West Coast Wheat IPA, 7.5%
• Creative Creature Brewing (El Cajon): Commander Amber Ale, 
• Creative Creature Brewing (El Cajon): Malibu Blondie Blonde Ale, 5%
• Deft Brewing (Morena): Deftly Hallows Foreign-style Extra Stout, 7.1%
• Dos Desperados Brewery (San Marcos): Hops Breath West Coast IPA, 7%
• Dos Desperados Brewery (San Marcos): Pancho Villa Double West Coast IPA, 9%
• Duck Foot Brewing (Miramar): Cluck Buddies Double Dry-hopped Tropical Hazy IPA, 7%
• Duck Foot Brewing (Miramar): Keep on Duckin’ Citrusy & Crushable IPA, 5.1% 
• Duck Foot Brewing (Miramar): Sour on Love Tart Cherry Berliner-style Weisse, 5.6%
• East Village Brewing (East Village): Freehike Unfiltered Double IPA w/ Orange, 8.1%
• Fall Brewing (North Park, South Park): Can I Scream? West Coast IPA, 6%

• Gravity Heights (Sorrento Mesa): Brewer’s Best Bitter, 4.2%
• Gravity Heights (Sorrento Mesa): Harvest Moon Hefeweizen, 5.2%
• Groundswell Brewing (Grantville, Chula Vista): Wiggle Room IPA, 6.8%
• Harland Brewing (Scripps Ranch, Bay Park, South Park, Carmel Valley): It’s About Time West Coast Double IPA (collaboration w/ Claremont Craft Ales)
• Harland Brewing (Scripps Ranch, Bay Park, South Park, Carmel Valley): Stay Classy Czech-style Pale Lager, 4.7% (collaboration w/ Alternate Ending Beer Co.)
• Helix Brewing (La Mesa): Hoptical Prism IPA, 7%
• Helix Brewing (La Mesa): Stoner Moment IPA, 7%
• Hodad’s Brewing (Serra Mesa): Bussin’ Hazy IPA, 7%
• Hodad’s Brewing (Serra Mesa): Tommy Boy Double Hazy IPA, 8%
• Hopnonymous Brewing (Kearny Mesa): Hey Peanut Butter Cup Imperial Dessert Stout, 11%
• Hopnonymous Brewing (Kearny Mesa): Leaving Without Saying Good-Bye Irish-style Red Ae, 5.3%
• Hopnonymous Brewing (Kearny Mesa): Legitimately Humble West Coast Double IPA, 8.5%
• Kairoa Brewing (University Heights): Rubus Juice Chocoalte Raspberry Imperial Stout, 10.5%
• The Lost Abbey (San Marcos, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, East Village): Ghosts in the Forest Oak-aged Blonde Sour Ale, 6.1%
• Mikkeller Brewing San Diego (Little Italy): Hands in the Sand Hazy Coconut IPA, 7%
• My Yard Live Beer Co. (San Marcos): Basic B@tch Honey Blonde Ale, 6%
• My Yard Live Beer Co. (San Marcos): Flight of the Kiwis New Zealand-style IPA, 7.2%
• My Yard Live Beer Co. (San Marcos): Kiwi’s Big Adventure New Zealand-style IPA, 7.2%
• North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers Hill): 10 Degrees of Light Czech-style Pale Lager, 4% (collaboration w/ Solaris Beer & Blending)
• North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers Hill): Art is Hard Double Dry-hopped Hazy IPA, 7%
• North Park Beer Co. (North Park, Bankers Hill): Here to Forever Double Dry-hopped West Coast IPA, 7% (collaboration w/ Radiant Beer Co.)

• Northern Pine Brewing (Oceanside, Carmel Valley): Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun Helles Lager, 5.1% (collaboration w/ Ogopogo Brewing)
• One Season Brewing (Grantville): 5pm Rush Hour American Red Ale, 5.7%
• The Original 40 Brewing (North Park): La Morenita Czech-style Dark Lager, 5%
• Pizza Port Brewing (Carlsbad, Solana Beach, Ocean Beach, Imperial Beach): Spring Thrills IPA, 7%
• Plan 9 Alehouse (Escondido): 8:01AM Pale Ale, 5.7%
• Plan 9 Alehouse (Escondido): Blueberried Alive Imperial Pastry Sour Ale, 7.5%
• Plan 9 Alehouse (Escondido): Daywalker Irish-style Red Ale, 4.5%
• Plan 9 Alehouse (Escondido): Digital Castaway IPA, 6.5%
• Poor House Brewing (North Park): Juicy Refills Hazy IPA, 6.5%
• Port Brewing (San Marcos, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, East Village): Shark Attack Double Red Ale, 9%
• Pure Project Brewing (Vista, Carlsbad, Miramar, North Park, Bankers Hill): Emmeline Farmhouse Saison, 6%
• Pure Project Brewing (Vista, Carlsbad, Miramar, North Park, Bankers Hill): NZed 101 Murky Pale Ale, 5%
• Pure Project Brewing (Vista, Carlsbad, Miramar, North Park, Bankers Hill): Situational Gravity Imperial Stout w/ Coffee & Vanilla, 11.5%
• Resident Brewing (Downtown): Gaslamp Porter, 5.7%
• Rouleur Brewing (Carlsbad, North Park): Bakofornia Gold American Pub Ale, 5%
• Stone Brewing (Escondido, Point Loma, Downtown, Harbor Island, Oceanside): Enjoy By 04.20.23 Hazy IPA, 9%
• TapRoom Beer Co. (North Park): Super Starburst Triple Dry-hopped West Coast Double IPA w/ Hop Kief, 8.2%
• White Labs Brewing (Miramar): Smath Hazy IPA fermented w/ WLP001 California Ale Yeast, 7.4%
• White Labs Brewing (Miramar): Smath Hazy IPA fermented w/ WLP066 London Fog Ale Yeast, 7%
• White Labs Brewing (Miramar): Winter Bock fermented w/ WLP833 German Bock Lager Yeast, 7.4%
• White Labs Brewing (Miramar): Winter Bock fermented w/ WLP920 Old Bavarian Lager Yeast, 7.3%
• Wild Barrel Brewing (San Marcos): Hipsters Sweet Dreams Imperial Pastry Stout, 11%

Gene Fielden | North Park Bottlecraft Manager

Beachwood Thrillseeker | West Coast IPA (7.1%): Beachwood Brewing never disappoints. With their anthropomorphic hop character appearing to be shot out of a cannon (replete with goggles and coifed mustache) in a comic-book style recalling Roy Lichtenstein, the label makes it clear that this will be a forceful IPA. Thrillseeker boasts a host of classic West Coast hop varietals―Simcoe, Chinook, Centennial, Summit―with an additional layer of Simcoe and Chinook in the dry-hop for maximum piney marshiness.

Pizza Port Dieguito | West Coast Pilsner (5.5%): With the advent of the new year, Pizza Port Brewing has indicated a decisive turn towards lagers, complementing an already dependable packaged IPA selection. Every quarter of 2023, there will be a new lager in cans, with new recipes and hitherto draft-only options being promoted to aluminum status. The first in this series landed on Monday, blurring the boundaries of hoppiness and cool fermentation at once. “Little Diego” has flaked rice as well as pilsner malt from Germany with a liberal dosing of Simcoe and Citra. This initial run was canned on the seventh of this month, so enjoy it at peak freshness!

Finback Memory & Perception | Imperial Pastry Stout (12%): Once a peripheral borough in the NYC brewing scene, Queens has attracted increasing attention in recent years, thanks in large part to Finback Brewery. Southern California receives beers from them through distribution just once in a blue moon, making it all the more exciting when their whale-emblazoned cans materialize. Memory & Perception is a full-bore pastry stout with a plethora of adjuncts and additions ― almond, cacao nibs, coconut, lactose and maple. This beer is a collaboration with Root & Branch Brewing, which is located on the south shore of Long Island, further cementing Finback’s commitment to putting their local environs on the map for the rest of the world.

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