Karl Strauss, San Diego’s longest continuously operating post-Prohibition brewing company, today released The Godfather Italian Pilsner, which was brewed in collaboration with Societe Brewing. The beer pays homage to the brewery’s namesake Master Brewer Karl M. Strauss, whose cousin Chris Cramer co-founded the brewery in 1989 in downtown San Diego.
The beer is 6.0% alcohol-by-volume (ABV), and it was brewed with Saphir and Aramis hops. The traditional Italian-style pilsner has tasting notes of light malt, citrus, and floral, and it finishes crisp with a light hop bitterness.
The Godfather is available on draft and in four packs of 16-oz cans at Karl Strauss’ nine Southern California locations in Los Angeles, Anaheim, Costa Mesa, San Diego and Temecula. It is also available at restaurants, bars, and retailers throughout California, Arizona, and Nevada: Karl Beer Finder.
Karl Strauss left his native Germany in 1939 and settled in Milwaukee, where he began his career working the bottling line at Pabst Brewing Company. He eventually became Vice President of Production and retired in 1983 after 44 years with the company. In 1986, he was approached by Cramer about starting a microbrewery in San Diego. Karl Strauss went on to serve as the brewery’s Master Brewer from its founding until 2006. It’s estimated Strauss brewed more than seven billion servings of beer in his lifetime.
“Any opportunity depends on the person pursuing it knowing what they’re doing,” Strauss once said. “The proof is in the glass.”
The brewery last night hosted Karl’s House Party at its Sorrento Mesa brewpub to celebrate its 35th anniversary. On April 18, Karl Strauss’ Anaheim brewpub will host a similar event. Tickets are available here for $89, and the price will increase to $99 on April 6. There are more Karl’s House Parties planned for San Diego later in the year.
Last summer, Karl Strauss was voted as one of San Diego’s Best Craft Breweries in The San Diego Union-Tribune’s 2023 Readers Poll. Only 10 made the list.
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