Karl Strauss Porter of San Diego
Jul 19 '01 (Updated Jul 21 '01)
The Bottom Line The Karl Strauss story is very similar to that of Gordon Biersch. Still not widely available, but try the beers if you find them. The porter I tried was great.
Karl Strauss Porter, Karl Strauss Brewpub, Universal City Walk, California
Having won tickets as a prize recently, I finally got the chance to visit Universal Studios. Imagine my anticipation at the thought of seeing the Terminator 2 3D show, and the Jurassic Park ride, as well as a Karl Strauss brewpub. Yes, that’s right, the adjacent “City Walk” with its shops and restaurants also has a Karl Strauss brewpub.
Karl Strauss
A chain of brewpubs, originating from Southern California, founded by and named after a graduate of the Weihenstephan brewing university. It all sounds like the Gordon Biersch story, and in fact Karl Strauss started out at pretty much the same time, a year later in 1989.
Karl Strauss was born of a brewing family and already had brewing experience behind him when he arrived in the USA in 1939. He spent his lifetime with the Pabst Brewing Company, and was the Master Brewer for 25 years before retiring. As Master Brewer, Karl Strauss designs the brewery operations and processes used by Karl Strauss Breweries, formulates the beers produced, and personally trains the brewmasters.
Karl Strauss Porter of San Diego
I had checked this brewery out on epinions and noticed that the amber lager was the only beer they listed. It’s also the only beer they bottle so I figured I should try something that was draft only. I had spent the previous day visiting 3 of LA’s brewpubs, so was not really in the mood for an 8-beer sampler. I did in fact try a small sip of the Hootch, a Doppelbock, which did seem a little light so I decided to have a pint of the porter instead.
The brewer describes this as:
“A true porter similar to the Black's Beach Extra Dark, but ale-fermented using more hops and malt. A balanced beer with big malt taste and roasted characteristics.”
Tasting Notes
The pour is very dark in color, with maybe a slight dark brown just fighting its way through, but very little foam. The nose is somewhat subdued, a light malt and a little toasty, but nothing much evident which is a little surprising for the style. What may have seemed disappointing at first certainly improves upon tasting. A nice light carbonation greets the tongue rounding out to a nice smooth mouthfeel and a fairly full robust body. The flavors are mostly a toasty maltiness, and a very impressive and delicious mix of dark chocolate and coffee, while there’s also a light nuttiness. There’s a slight dryness in the finish but it’s not particularly bitter. The aftertaste is pretty short but does leave you with a mellow toasty chocolate.
Verdict
As an English ale lover, I was not particularly disappointed by the lack of bitterness in the finish, but US drinkers may disagree. Secondary to my ale affection, I also love to pair a bar of dark chocolate with a coffee and this beer certainly provided me with a great treat.
I’d already eaten when I had this beer, and would say that it worked great as dessert. I also feel that it would make a good match for a charred steak.
Ratings
Appearance: 3/5 Aroma: 6/10 Palate: 4/5 Flavor: 9/10 Overall: 15/20 (3.7)
4 Stars, Certainly Recommended
Availability & Range
Karl Strauss Amber Lager is the only beer that this company bottles, and I am currently on a lookout for this one. I believe that the beer is only available in Southern California. Red Trolley Ale will be the next Karl Strauss beer to be bottled.
There were nine drafts available at the time of my visit with great variety, an oatmeal stout, a dry stout, a Doppelbock, a hefewiessen, and even a light lager.
You can find Karl Strauss’ brewpubs at:
San Diego, Sorrento Mesa, La Jolla, Carlsbad, and Universal Studios City Walk,
Under a licensing agreement with Host Marriott, a “Karl Strauss Handcrafted Beers Bar” opened at Los Angeles International Airport last year.
Official Website
http://www.karlstrauss.com/
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