Karl Strauss Celebrates 2008 Craft Brewers Conference

San Diego will host the Craft Brewers Conference April 16-19th, 2008. As part of the festivities associated with the conference, Karl Strauss Brewing Company and the San Diego Brewers Guild will be hosting the “San Diego Beer Community Convergence,” Friday April 18th at Karl Strauss’ main brewing facility in Pacific Beach.

This event is a private industry party for conference attendees who will get to enjoy over 70 different beers from San Diego Brewers Guild member breweries, as well as out of town breweries, and wine from members of the San Diego Vintner’s Association. The award-winning, local homebrew club QUAFF will be serving homebrew samples and helping to staff the event.

Karl Strauss Brewer Matt Walsh has worked with several local and national brewing-related vendors to sponsor the event. Shuttles will be provided to and from the event from the Town and Country hotel in Mission Valley free of charge. The event is free and from 5:00pm-11:00pm. A Craft Brewers Conference badge is required for entrance.In other news, Karl Strauss is excited to brew their first test batch of the 2007 Karlfest Homebrew Competition winning recipe. Homebrewer Matt Morrison won the inaugural competition with his version of a classic Rauchbier. The test batch will be brewed at the Karl Strauss Brewery-Restaurant in La Jolla on a 7-barrel system.

The brewers worked directly with Matt to recreate his beer on a professional scale. To achieve the smoky characteristics, one quarter of the grain bill will be Rauch malt, which is beech smoked for a pronounced but balanced smokiness. A standard lager yeast will be used to ferment the beer, and allow for a clean, smooth finish. The test batch will be completed in late March and served at the La Jolla Brewery-Restaurant while it lasts.

Karl Strauss’ cask nights are now underway at all San Diego Brewery-Restaurants, as well as the Costa Mesa location. Guests are enjoying new casks each month, served in the traditional way from an authentic beer engine. February’s Oatmeal Stout was a big hit and this month we featured a Scottish Ale. The beer was a medium-bodied, light mahogany-colored ale with delicious caramel flavors, a hint of smokiness that comes from peated malt, and a slightly sweet finish. Finishing at 6.6% ABV, this classic style was perfect on the beer engine. Stop by for a pint of Double IPA next month-the party starts at 5pm and when the beer is gone it’s gone!

Karl Strauss Brewery-Restaurant Cask Nights:

• Karl Strauss Downtown: Thursday, April 3rd @ 5pm
• Karl Strauss Brewery Gardens: Thursday, April 3rd @ 5pm
• Karl Strauss Costa Mesa: Thursday, April 3rd @ 5pm
• Karl Strauss Carlsbad: Friday, April 4th @ 5 pm
• Karl Strauss La Jolla: Friday, April 4th @ 5pm

Melody Daversa
Marketing Events Manager
Karl Strauss Brewing Company
p. (858) 273-2739 x335
f. (858) 581-5691