Everybody knows that San Diego has its share of craft breweries. San Diegans proudly love their Stone, Green Flash, Karl Strauss, Ballast Point, and everything in-between. There might not be room for outsiders in any other industry, but the craft beer community is always looking for new experiences. Salt Lake City’s Epic Brewing is banking on that, and announced their expansion into San Diego with a series of launch events in late May.

Utah might be the last place you’d think to look for good craft beer. Brewpubs were illegal in the state until 1989, it was illegal to advertise alcohol until 2001, and brewers weren’t allowed to sell high-alcohol beer directly to the public until 2008. The deck seemed stacked against a booming craft beer scene.

Enter David Cole and Peter Erickson, graduates of SDSU and UCSD, respectively. Owners of a Utah-based international aquaculture company, they longed for the full-flavored beer that they loved in California, and set out to remedy that situation. Cole and Erickson teamed up with brewmaster Kevin Crompton, and launched Epic Brewing in 2010.

Epic beer has been available in Los Angeles and Orange County for just over a year. They’re best known for their fruit variations on their Brainless Belgian Golden Ale. Brainless on Raspberries is a result of a secondary fermentation in steel tanks with raspberry puree, while Brainless on Cherries and Brainless on Peaches have a secondary fermentation with their respective fruit purees in French wine barrels.

If fruit beer isn’t your thing, their Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout packs a coffee punch that rivals the Bloody Mary for an acceptable breakfast libation. Local Utah coffee roasters – a different one for each batch – provide the buzz, and the coffee flavor is complemented by the addition of cocoa nibs. Epic’s Hopulent IPA is pretty good for a non-California IPA, and has a delightful hoppy aroma.

Why are they only now getting to San Diego? As it often is, a numbers game prevented them from doing it sooner. “We just couldn’t supply enough,” said Michael Malachowski, Epic’s National Sales Manager during an event at Pacific Beach’s TapRoom last night. “We’ve opened a new brewery in Denver that will allow us to produce that much more beer.”

Look for Epic beer at specialized bottle shops and craft beer bars soon, including the aforementioned TapRoom, Texas Wine and Spirits Carlsbad, Churchill’s Pub and Grille San Marcos, Bine and Vine Bottle Shop, Krisp Beverages San Diego (Best Damn Beer Shop), Olive Tree Marketplace San Diego, South Bay Liquor Chula Vista, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Encinitas Ale House, La Jolla Public House, Jimbos Liquor San Diego, Beverages4Less Santee, Palm Springs Liquor La Mesa, Clem’s Bottle House San Diego, and Servall Market San Diego.

Upcoming events: Tonight @ La Jolla Public House & Thursday @ Churchill’s Pub & Grille.