Karl Strauss Brewing Company had another successful year in 2017 filled with new beer releases, big medal wins, brewery upgrades, and a solid line-up of marquee events—all while staying dedicated to their core value of giving back to their community.
BREWERY UPGRADES & BEER RELEASES:
In order to meet increasing demand for their beer, the company added a centrifuge and two additional 360bbl fermentation tanks to their main brewery in Pacific Beach.
Their Costa Mesa Brewpub also underwent a full remodel with upgrades to the in-house satellite brewery that will allow them to produce more beer and offer more variety, including an expanded draft system that features 24 taps of rotating beers.
With these upgrades, KARL’s small batch program is bigger than ever. Between their main brewery in Pacific Beach and the satellite breweries housed within their brewpubs, the company released 144 different individual beers in 2017 across a wide array of styles.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION:
The Karl Strauss brewing team had another solid year in beer competitions adding 6 new medals to their trophy case in 2017. Of these 6 medals, 4 of them were gold—including an impressive gold medal win at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival for their small batch brew Orange Blossom Common, and back-to-back medal wins at LA and San Diego International Beer Competitions for their highly acclaimed Mosaic Session IPA. The company’s total medal count is now at 105 since they started entering beer competitions in 2009.
In addition to medal wins, Karl Strauss is proud to have been voted “Best Brewery in San Diego” in CityBeat’s 2017 Best of San Diego Reader’s Poll, and recognized as one of “San Diego’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” by the National Association for Business Resources. Their Aurora Hoppyalis San Diego-style IPA also exploded in popularity and became the top-selling beer brand in Sprouts Farmers Market stores across California.
COLLABAPALOOZA:
One of KARL’s proudest achievements in 2017 was introducing a new beer festival to the San Diego community during San Diego Beer Week called Collabapalooza. The event rallied 40 of San Diego’s independent breweries to brew collaboration beers with one another in celebration of the camaraderie and goodwill that fuels their community. This first-time event was a massive success with over 1,500 craft beer fans in attendance enjoying a unique beer list of one-off brews, and KARL received overwhelming praise from participants, attendees, and the media. Karl Strauss donated proceeds from Collabapalooza to local organizations, raising $5,000 for the San Diego Brewers Guild and $500 for the North Park Main Street Association.
GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY:
The Karl Strauss team got involved in a variety of other fundraisers throughout the year in efforts to give back to their community and help those in need. They participated in the Sonoma Pride fundraising effort raising over $3,000 to support victims of the tragic fires in Sonoma County, and their team members also organized an internal fundraiser to raise money for victims of Hurricane Harvey.
Local nonprofit organization BeautifulPB recognized KARL’s contributions to the community with an award for their Pathway Ale series, an ongoing collaboration between Karl Strauss and Amplified Ale Works. So far Pathway Ale has raised over $11,000 in support of the organization’s “PB Pathways” project which is working to make the streets of Pacific Beach a safer and friendlier place for pedestrians, bicyclists, and skaters. KARL’s dedication to improving the environment continued with their annual beach cleanup held in partnership with Surfrider Foundation where their team removed trash from South Mission Beach. The company continued to support local music by showcasing a diverse lineup of local talent during their summertime Arts & Amps event series, and by becoming an official sponsor of the San Diego Music Awards.
“2017 was a hell of a year for Karl Strauss and we couldn’t be more proud of our team for all the awesome things we accomplished! We’re heading into 2018 inspired to continue elevating California’s craft beer scene with more exciting new beer releases, kickass events, and a few surprises along the way,” says Matt Rattner, President, Karl Strauss Brewing Company.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM KARL IN 2018:
The company has big plans for 2018, including even more dynamic releases in their barrel program, more small batch beer releases, more can releases, and a huge 29th anniversary celebration that’s just around the corner.
To learn more about Karl Strauss, visit www.karlstrauss.com.
About Karl Strauss Brewing Company
Karl Strauss Brewing Company has been proudly independent since 1989, pioneering the craft beer scene with innovative beer releases like Aurora Hoppyalis IPA, Queen of Tarts Dark Sour, and Wreck Alley Imperial Stout. The brewery has won 105 medals since 2009 and was recently honored with “Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year” award at the Great American Beer Festival in 2016. For more information, visit www.karlstrauss.com or call the brewery at (858) 273-2739. Share it. Cheers.
Terry Bunch
