Nice cans…and bottles

In this age of nanos and neighborhood-geared breweries, many brewing companies’ beers will only ever be available at their tasting rooms or, at best, on draft. In the case of the latter, most of those accounts will be spots not too far from the breweries where the beers were birthed. Right now, only about a third of San Diego’s brewing companies bottle or can their beers, but that number is on a rapid rise. In the past two months, four companies have moved into the packaging phase of their operations.

The first to get its beers in portable containers was Helm’s Brewing Company. Three of that Kearny Mesa-based business’ beers— Captain’s Pale Ale, Wicked As Sin Rye IPA, and Hop the RIPA (red India pale ale) — are being self-distributed in 22-ounce bottles. Twenty-two ounce water mammal-adorned bottles from Vista’s Belching Beaver Brewery are also trickling their way into the market. Available brews include Me So Honey honey ale, Hop Highway 78 India Pale Ale and Dammed! Double IPA.

Several weeks ago, Mobile West Canning, a mobile canning operation, dropped by Manzanita Brewing Company to package all of the Santee company’s core beers in 12-ounce aluminum cans. The first beer to be packaged was Chaotic Double IPA, with Riverwalk Blonde and New Horizon Red Ale following shortly after. Depending on beer style, the canned brews are available in four- or six-packs at Manzanita’s tasting room. Just a mile north, Santee newcomer BNS Brewing & Distilling Company is moving forward with plans to bottle its beer. Expect to see its Ma Deuce Double IPA sometime in March.