San Diego – Karl Strauss Bar Downtown San Diego

This is perhaps one of the most important visits that I’ve ever made to a bar, which was in January 2015, to the downtown San Diego outlet of the Karl Strauss brewery. At this time, I was more engaged with real ale and real cider, so I wasn’t entirely sure what this craft beer thing was all about.

At the time, this sort of beer menu was still pretty rare to me and I’m fairly sure I didn’t really understand most of it.

So I started with a light beer, that’s a pale ale of some kind, although I can’t remember which.

And a pretzel, because beer needs snacks.

But, it was now that things started to change, and I remember this little exchange. The member of staff was fully engaged about beers and the different types, and they were keen to talk about their passion. I can’t remember the details of the conversation, but I suspect that I told the barman that I liked Guinness, hence how the discussion evolved. It’s noticeable that I probably wasn’t convinced about trying a dark beer, as there’s a sampler there that has been proffered by the barman. And that’s the fiercely strong Wreck Alley imperial stout, coming in at 9.5%. Which I clearly liked, since I’ve managed to get a large glass of it before even finishing the sampler.

I’ve been to San Diego twice and it was bars like this which really got me interested in the new craft beer revolution, although I didn’t think too much about this concept at the time. There’s no shortage of craft beer options in California today, but Karl Strauss remains one of the first in the United States to push this style of drink. And they certainly didn’t let me down on this visit. Although, perhaps I could have picked a cheaper hobby than craft beer…..

But, a memorable and very lovely visit.