The Original 40 Brewing Company has released Big Tings West Coast Double IPA and Baja Negra Mexican Dark Lager at its North Park brew pub. Both limited-release beers will be available on draft and in four packs of 16-oz cans. Head Brewer Zack Kaplan made the announcement.
Big Tings has a 9.0% ABV (alcohol-by-volume), and it was brewed with Mosaic, Citra, and Centennial hops. It has aromas of orange, other tropical fruits and citrus, and a touch of pine for balance. It pours a light orange hue.
Baja Negra has a 5.2% ABV, and it was brewed with Mexican lager yeast and a touch of caramel malt. It serves as a counterpart to Original 40’s lighter Baja Soul Mexican Lager, which is a core beer.
“Big Tings is my favorite West Coast Double IPA I’ve created here,” said Kaplan, who joined Original 40 in May 2022. “It has big hop aromas and finishes very dry, even with a high ABV. We found a great balance of flavors and I couldn’t be happier to share this one. Baja Negra is easy drinking malt forward, but not overly sweet. It’s the perfect winter-time San Diego lager.”
Big Tings is the seventh different IPA on the menu, the third West Coast. It has the highest ABV of any beer on the tap list.
“Zack did a tremendous job with his latest round of releases,” said Original 40 Founder Steve Billings. “We expect big things from him, and he delivered with Big Tings. For those who prefer something on the lighter side, you’ll be happy with his Baja Negra and we invite you to compare it to our popular Baja Soul.”
Kaplan is a six-time Great American Beer Festival (GABF) winner, garnering medals most recently in 2019 while serving as the head brewer at Migration Brewing in Portland, Ore. The La Jolla native has won two Gold Medals, one Silver Medal, and three Bronze Medals overall at GABF, which is commonly referred to as “The Oscars” of the craft beer industry.
Original 40 was voted as one of San Diego’s Best Micro Brew Pubs in The San Diego Union-Tribune’s 2023 Readers Poll. Only 10 made the list.
Original 40, which was named after the original 40-acre parcel of land that became modern day North Park, is located at 3117 University Avenue. The brewpub is open until 10 p.m. Sunday – Wednesday and until midnight Thursday – Saturday.
The brew pub will have New Year’s Eve festivities on December 31 and stay open until 12:30 a.m. Live music will start at 8 p.m. with a champagne toast and balloon drop at midnight. Special beer-pairing or wine-pairing dinners are also available.
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