Brewery Rowe: At 35, Karl Strauss Brewing is SoCal’s oldest brewery and still one of the best

Of the several dozen beer-related books in my library, only the ones published in San Diego mention Karl Strauss Brewing Co.

That’s a huge oversight. Founded 35 years ago by Stanford Business School graduates Chris Cramer and Matt Rattner, Karl Strauss is Southern California’s oldest existing brewery. It’s also one of the best.

True, Karl Strauss was slow to embrace innovative India Pale Ales and Belgian-style ales. But this “San Diego native,” as billboards once proclaimed, evolved while holding fast to traditional beer styles and business virtues.

Case in point: While the brewery owes its name and early recipes to the late master brewer Karl Strauss, one of Cramer’s relatives, it relied on the founders’ financial savvy.

“There’s no replacement for business acumen,” said Jen Briggs, Karl Strauss’ chief experience officer. “You can’t keep this up if you can’t make money.”

The list of local breweries whose ambitions led to ruinous debt is sobering: Stone, Ballast Point, Green Flash, Modern Times and others. Karl Strauss was more cautious, only recently distributing outside California — and then solely in neighboring Arizona and Nevada.

Briggs said the brewery will mark its milestone anniversary with numerous events, from the North Park Festival of Beers in April to Oktoberfest.

There’s also the 35th anniversary beer, a weizenbock that — like Karl Strauss himself — has Bavarian roots.

“Sometimes we forget that beer is a fermented product that has been around a long time — the legacy of brewing, not just the commercialization of mass beer,” Briggs said. “This is an ode to the customs of brewing.”

Blind eloquence

Blind Lady Ale House in Normal Heights, San Diego.

(Courtesy of Peter Rowe)

While composing my own tribute to Blind Lady Ale House’s 15th anniversary, I noticed a sign taped to the tavern’s window.

Rather than compete with perfection, I offer it here without further comment:

“In 2009 we opened Blind Lady Ale House with a modest goal of selling 50 pizzas and 100 beers on a busy night to keep the lights on. On night Number One we sold 200 pizzas and more beer than we could count. Since then we’ve sold approximately 1,000,000 pizzas and 2,000,000 beers, all of this while supporting local farms and purveyors, indie breweries and friends ….”

BLAH, as the place is affectionately known, is at 3416 Adams Ave., San Diego.

Guild’s new slate

Jake Nunes of Modern Times Beer is the new president of the San Diego Brewers Guild.

(San Diego Brewers Guild)

Having weathered the pandemic, craft beer is still navigating turbulent waters: inflation, supply chain woes and changing tastes.

The San Diego Brewers Guild’s freshly appointed officers, then, face a barrel of challenges.

The new team is led by President Jake Nunes of Modern Times; Vice President Esthela Davila of Kilowatt Brewing; and Secretary Chris Leguizamon of Pure Project, all craft beer veterans.

I wish them well and look forward to this year’s Guild-sponsored events: the 10th annual Brewers Guild Golf Tournament, May 9; the third annual San Diego Beer Weekend, June 21-23; and the 16th annual San Diego Beer Week, Nov. 1-10.

The Next Round

Today through Monday: For “Cookies on Tap,” Stone taprooms are pairing its beers with Girl Scout cookies. (Mocha IPA with Samoas, anyone?) For pairings and locations, check stonebrewing.com.

Saturday: For $5, you can enter your chili in Rouleur’s second annual chili cook-off from 1 to 3:30 p.m. For $15, you can judge the entries and enjoy a pint. Rouleur is at 5840 El Camino Real, Suite 100, Carlsbad. rouleurbrewing.com

Various dates: Pliny the Younger, Russian River’s fabled triple IPA, is making its annual local appearance. Among the places pouring PtY: San Diego Taproom, 1296 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach, on Saturday and Sunday; San Diego Brewing Co., 10450 Friars Road, San Diego, on Tuesday; and the Pub at Lake Cuyamaca, 15027 California Highway 79, Julian, on Wednesday.

Quick Sips, Hoppy Anniversary Edition

Karl Strauss Brewing’s Barrel Aged 35th Anniversary Weizenbock.

(Courtesy of Peter Rowe)

Barrel Aged 35th Anniversary

From: Karl Strauss, San Diego

ABV (Alcohol By Volume): 8.2 percent

Style: Weizenbock

Drink or dump: Drink. Karl Strauss delivers a master class in the brewing arts with this take on a classic European style. This weizenbock blends notes of banana bread, clove and cane sugar, the latter thanks to the Cutwater rum barrels this brew occupied for a year.

Karl Strass Brewing’s Tower X West Coast IPA.

(Courtesy of Peter Rowe)

Tower X

From: Karl Strauss, San Diego

ABV: 7.3 percent

Style: West Coast IPA

Drink or dump: Dump. Rather than the refreshing pine resin and citrus flavors expected in a West Coast IPA, you get a mouthful of spiky and vegetal hops. A yeasty aroma doesn’t help.

North Park Beer and Blind Lady Ale House’s 15 Speed Double dry-hopped West Coast IPA.

(Courtesy of Peter Rowe)

15 Speed

From: Blind Lady Ale House, San Diego, and North Park Beer, San Diego

ABV: 6.2 percent

Style: Double dry-hopped West Coast IPA

Drink or dump: Drink. Extra dry-hopping enhances the aromas of berries and evergreen boughs. Crisp, full-bodied and satisfying, this collaboration is a cheerful salute to Blind Lady’s 15th birthday.

Rowe is a freelance writer.