Field log, San Diego sector: an object described as “unearthed from the depths of time” has turned up on two tap lists in this city. Societe The Artifact, a 7.1% West Coast IPA, is this week’s seasonal at Societe Brewing’s Kearny Mesa and Old Town taprooms, according to the San Diego Beer News What’s Tapping column for Oct. 15, 2026.
Note the wording. The Bureau is not claiming the beer dropped today. San Diego Beer News lists it as on tap this week, and that is the extent of the confirmed timing.
Societe The Artifact: the numbers
Societe’s wholesale page on Societe Sales lays out the basics for Societe The Artifact:
- Name: The Artifact
- Style: India Pale Ale; Societe’s description calls it a crisp West Coast IPA
- ABV: 7.1%
- Societe’s three-word summary: “Crisp – Structured – Ancient”
- Format: 16-oz cans in 4-packs, per the Societe Sales assets
San Diego Beer News also lists it at 7.1%, so the two sources agree on strength. Societe’s sell sheet labels the beer a Special Release in its Presently Drinking IPA series.
What Societe says it tastes like
The Bureau has not tasted this liquid artifact, so every flavor word below belongs to Societe. Here is the brewery’s tasting note for Societe The Artifact in full:
Unearthed from the depths of time, The Artifact channels ancient, mystical energy into this crisp West Coast IPA. Shockwaves of tropical mango, papaya, peach, and pithy orange pulse through the glass, glowing like forgotten runes carved in stone. Unseen power awaits, will you master The Artifact or will it master you?
Societe Brewing, via Societe Sales
Stripped of the runes, the fruit list is mango, papaya, peach and pithy orange. San Diego Beer News repeats the same four fruit notes and describes the beer as Societe’s new seasonal IPA. The Bureau notes that “pithy” orange suggests a bit of peel bite alongside the sweeter tropical fruit, though that is a reading of Societe’s words, not a tasting report.
Where to find Societe The Artifact
According to San Diego Beer News, Societe The Artifact is on tap at:
- Societe Brewing, Kearny Mesa
- Societe Brewing, Old Town
The Societe The Artifact 16-oz 4-pack appears on Societe Sales, which is the brewery’s trade-facing site for retailers and distributors. That page confirms the packaging but does not list a retail price or a list of stores. If you want cans, the taprooms are the safest bet, and calling ahead will save a wasted trip.
A note on the Societe The Artifact name
Many Societe beers carry character-style names. The sales site’s beer list includes The Pupil, The Harlot, The Coachman, The Debutante, The Pugilist and The Heiress, among others. The Artifact breaks the pattern: it’s an object, not a person. Its can art, as shown on Societe’s mockups, leans into the theme with daggers, stones and swirling symbols on purple. For a visitor who has spent many solar cycles studying Earth’s beer customs, a beer that sells itself as an ancient relic is a pleasingly honest move. Every beer is a little archaeology anyway: grain, hops, yeast and water, dug up and reassembled.
If you’re new to the brewery, the Bureau’s earlier Societe Brewing spotlight covers its place in San Diego’s beer scene. And with local breweries under real pressure right now, as covered in California craft breweries closing, showing up for a seasonal at an established local taproom is a small act of support.
The verdict, for now
This is not a full review, because the Bureau has not had a glass. Here is what is confirmed: Societe The Artifact is a 7.1% West Coast IPA, Societe describes it as crisp, structured and ancient with mango, papaya, peach and pithy orange, and it is pouring at Kearny Mesa and Old Town this week in 16-oz 4-packs. Whether you master The Artifact or it masters you is a question for human field research.
BEERALIEN.COM | Reporting on Earth’s finest craft beers from a galaxy far, far away.
