Centro will hold a Top Rope launch party today beginning at 4 p.m.; cans are $3. There will also be food and drink specials like Top Rope and chipotle barbacoa ribs; Top Rope-Asadero green chile fundido; and a beer cocktail called the Knock Out, made with Ketel One Citroen, Turbinado, orange cinnamon syrup, lemon and, of course, Top Rope.
The brewery had already been making the Mexican-style lager, Top Rope, a light, low-alcohol lager with a Mexican wrestling theme, exclusively for the restaurants, which serve it on tap to complement their spicy south-of-the-border cuisine. Zolo Grill and Lola may start serving the canned version sometime in the future.
"[Big Red F's] attitude was, 'Here we are in the Napa Valley of the beer world and selling lots of Tecates and Modelos in cans. Why not pair up with a brewer locally and make something better?'" says Upslope co-founder Matt Cutter about the partnership.
Cutter adds that Big Red F and Upslope had planned to can the beer just for Centro from the very beginning. Top Rope has been on draft at Centro, Lola and Zolo since July 2010; other restaurants owned by Big Red F typically don't serve it.