Karl Strauss Celebrates 25 Years of Crafting the San Diego Beer Scene with Changing of the Barrels Event | Saturday, Feb. 8

January 25, 2014

Karl Strauss Brewing Company is celebrating 25 years of crafting the local San Diego beer scene. The company opened San Diego’s first craft brewery on February 2, 1989 and more than two decades later it continues to pioneer with its innovative beers, cask offerings, and West Coast Pub Fare. Karl Strauss is celebrating this milestone anniversary with its annual Changing of the Barrels event on Saturday, February 8, from 6-9pm. Guests are invited to experience the company’s new tasting room and beer garden at the main brewery in Pacific Beach. The event will feature 20 award-winning and limited edition beers on tap, brewery tours, food, live music by Brothers Grim, commemorative glassware, and a souvenir bottle of 25th Anniversary Barrel-Aged Doppelbock.

“We had a vision to bring craft beer to adventurous and free spirited San Diegans, but our biggest fear was always, ‘will they come?’ When we saw the line around the block on opening day, we knew we were onto something,” says Matt Rattner, President and Co-founder, Karl Strauss Brewing Company. “We are proud to be woven into the fabric of San Diego and humbled to have sparked the craft beer revolution that our city is now known for.”

Tickets for the Karl Strauss Changing of the Barrels event are $40, with a $25 designated driver ticket also available. A portion of all ticket sales will go to support the nonprofit, Karl Strauss Brewers Education Fund, which is funding two full scholarships to the UC San Diego Extension, a program for those aspiring to pursue a career in the brewing industry.

The company will debut its 25th Anniversary Barrel-Aged Doppelbock at the event, and also preview its 26th Anniversary Belgian Dark Strong Ale before it goes into bourbon barrels for an entire year. “Our Anniversary beers are aged in barrels for 12 months and we went big this year with a rich and complex Doppelbock. We think Karl would be proud of this one and we hope people enjoy some now and lay bottles down to see how they age over time,” says Paul Segura, Brewmaster, Karl Strauss Brewing Company. The Doppelbock comes in at 9.5% abv with layers of toffee, toasted bread, plum, and a lingering vanilla-bourbon finish. An extremely limited quantity of the beer will be available in 22oz bottles and on draft throughout California.

In addition to the festivities, Karl Strauss will continue to celebrate its 25th Anniversary throughout 2014 with a series of Brewmaster hosted dinners across the state. The company is also wrapping up an international brewing collaboration with the Sail & Anchor Brewery in Australia, and has plans to release several new beers throughout the year.

For more information about Karl Strauss’ 25th Anniversary and tickets to Changing of the Barrels, visit karlstrauss.com.