Karl Strauss Brewing Co.
San Diego, CA
Available: CA
Born and raised in his father’s brewery, Karl spent his life making beer. His work was inspired by a simple truth: life was meant to be enjoyed, preferably with good friends and good beer.
ABV: 4.2
ABW: 3.5
Color: 15
Bitterness: 16
Original gravity: 1048
Only 4.2% ABV, so this one’s a quaffer. And it’s pretty straight-forward: malty, with some caramel, delicate malted milk balls, and a hint of fig. Light, gentle caramel on the finish. Fill up a liter mug with it, give me a huge, warm soft pretzel with spicy mustard, a baseball game to watch, and I won’t even care who wins.
The neck label of this lager advertises it as having a “rich caramel maltiness,” which I would say from the first sniff of this deep copper colored is likely true. I get off-dry caramel with a touch of smokiness on the nose, along with a hint of hazelnut. In the body, there is ample sweetness for such a light beer, more than a bit reminiscent of caramel, and notes of toasted walnut and hazelnut, leading to a finish that stays sweet and a tad cloying. Accessible to the hop-phobic, perhaps, but I’d like a little more bitterness for balance and dryness.
John Hansell writes about beer, wine and spirits. He is the creator, publisher and editor of Malt Advocate, a magazine for the whisky enthusiast.
Once described as “beerdom's Brillat-Savarin,” Stephen Beaumont is the author of five books and countless articles on beer, spirits, food, travel, and how it all goes together.
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