Karl Strauss 23rd Anniversary Old Ale

 received a bottle of Karl Strauss 23rd Anniversary Old Ale from my friend Rich in San Diego in a beer trade. The beer pours a caramel color with a with a frothy beige colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, oak, vanilla, bourbon, raisin, and fig. The taste is smooth at first before a strong bourbon bite kick in on the tongue. It is built upon caramel, fig, and raisin, but the vanilla, oak, and bourbon really shine. It had a little more carbonation than I expected from an Old Ale, but I think it still worked really well with the beer. The alcohol content is 12.2% ABV. I liked the mix of flavors in this beer and the strong presence of bourbon, and it did not take over the flavors in the beer.

Karl Strauss 22nd Anniversary Vanilla Imperial Stout

I picked up a bottle of Karl Strauss 22nd Anniversary Vanilla Imperial Stout while in San Diego and shipped it home to review. The beer pours a dark brown color with a foamy tan head. The aroma consists of chocolate, vanilla bean, oak, and toasted malts. The taste is smooth and milky with lots of chocolate, similar the flavor and consistency of a dark hot chocolate. The alcohol and toasted malts then jump out of the beer and prickle the sides of the mouth. On the finish, some warmth and soothing vanilla is present to complete the experience. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. This has to be one of the smoothest drinking imperial stouts that I have ever had, and I really enjoyed the milky chocolate flavor with the pinch of alcohol.

Karl Strauss Tower 10 IPA

I ordered a glass of Karl Strauss Tower 10 IPA while at the Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, CA. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of lemon, grapefruit, pine, and caramel. The taste is light and sweet with caramel and some dry pine and lemon accents. The finish hints at grapefruit and tangerine, but never really overemphasizing them. The alcohol content is 6.5%. I enjoyed this IPA and thought it was quite refreshing. I picked up a bottle of it when my friends and I hit up the Karl Strauss restaurant in La Jolla, CA, and it was worth the purchase.

Karl Strauss Conquistador Doppelbock

Another beer I ordered while at the Karl Strauss Brewing restaurant in La Jolla, CA was the Conquistador Doppelbock. The beer pours a red amber color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of cherry, wheat, and sweet malts. The taste is malty and smooth, actually it is very malty, with a cherry accent. It has a lightly dry dry finish with lots bubbles on the tongue. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. Overall, the Conquistador was a pretty decent beer. The cherry accent is what really drew me into liking it so much, and the carbonation kept it light on the tongue.

Karl Strauss Blackball Belgian IPA

While in San Diego, my friends and I stopped in to the Karl Strauss Brewing restaurant in La Jolla. The first beer I ordered was the Blackball Belgian IPA. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy tan head that laces on the glass. The aroma consists of Belgian yeast, spices, and banana. The taste is smooth and sweet and then a sharp pepper and spice bite kicks in on the tongue. The finish brings outs the sweet Belgian yeast. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. The Blackball overall was a solid beer, so much so that I ordered a bottle of it to be enjoyed later in our trip.

Karl Strauss Red Trolley Ale

I picked up a bottle of Karl Strauss Red Trolley Ale from the Karl Strauss restaurant in La Jolla, California. The beer pours a red-tinted amber color with a foamy off-white colored head. The aroma consists of malty with light cherry and raisin accents. The taste is smooth with lots of malts and very sweet. There is a dry earthy hop finish that balances out the sweetness on the front end of the beer. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. While this beer isn’t overly complex, it is well crafted with just the right amount of sweetness.

Karl Strauss 21st Anniversary Ale Brewed with Zinfandel Grape Juice

I received a bottle of Karl Strauss 21st Anniversary Ale Brewed with Zinfandel Grape Juice from Hoptopia in a beer trade. The beer pours a reddish amber color with a thin bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of Belgian yeast, candisugar, caramel, toasted toffee, and a hint of grape. The taste has a lot of biscuit-like properties with plenty of Belgian-yeast, pepper, candisugar, and caramel. The finish brings out a bubbly grape juice flavor with a dry and slightly tart after taste. The alcohol content is 10.2% ABV. While this was a solid Belgian-style beer on its own, the addition of the zinfandel grape juice to the beer really balanced out the sweetness by adding a sharp carbonation bite and a tarty finish.