More than two dozen beers from Ballast Point, San Diego’s second-largest brewery, will be featured at this month’s Third Thursday tap takeover at Flanny’s in Tempe.
San Diego practically is synonymous with IPAs, and Ballast Point brews some of the best, led by its flagship Sculpin, a gold-medal winner at last year’s World Beer Cup.
Thursday’s takeover, which starts at 6 p.m., will include Sculpin, as well as its two well-known variations, Grapefruit Sculpin and Habanero Sculpin. Also on tap: Big Eye IPA, Dorado double IPA, and Even Keel session IPA.
Both of Ballast Point’s pale ales, original and Grunion, will be available. The latter earned the gold at last year’s GABF.
Rounding out the year-round offerings will be Longfin lager, The Commodore American stout, Calico amber, Piper Down Scottish ale, Tongue Buckler imperial red, and India-style export stout Indra Kunindra.
Limited releases will include Victory at Sea, an imperial porter with coffee and vanilla, and its alter-ego, Calm Before the Storm, a cream ale with coffee and vanilla.
Others will be Dead Ringer, an Oktoberfest, and Pumpkin Down, a seasonal version of Piper Down.
Ballast Point does an entire series of pepper-flavored beers, but the only ones scheduled for Thursday (other than Habanero Sculpin) are its Wahoo white witbier with Thai chiles, lime, and ginger, and its Fathom India pale lager with cherry bomb peppers.
Rounding out the evening’s published tap list will be its Sour Wench blackberry ale, Sextant oatmeal stout (nitro), a barrel-aged version of its Black Marlin porter, and a version of Big Eye with ginger root.
I say “published” tap list because Flanny’s is promising a specialty pin lock keg, plus some other surprises, to be unveiled at the takeover.
