Karl Strauss Brewing Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Brewing |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Founder | Chris Cramer, Matt Rattner, Karl Strauss |
| Headquarters | San Diego , United States |
Area served | Southern California |
Key people | Karl Strauss (Master Brewer, deceased 2006) |
| Products | Beer |
Karl Strauss Brewing Company is a craft brewery headquartered in San Diego, California, operating nine brewpubs throughout Southern California and maintaining its primary brewing facility in the Pacific Beach area. Its beer products are available across the entire state. Established in 1989, Karl Strauss holds the distinction of being the longest-standing brewery in San Diego County and is recognized for its pivotal role in shaping the region's craft beer industry. According to sales figures from 2016, it ranked as the 47th largest brewery in the United States. The brewery earned the title of Mid-Size Brewery of the Year at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival.
History
In 1988, Chris Cramer and Matt Rattner recruited Master Brewer Karl Strauss, formerly Vice President of Production at Pabst Brewing Company, to assist in launching a brewpub. Strauss provided a vast collection of beer recipes, oversaw the design of brewing processes, and acted as the company’s spokesperson until his passing in 2006.
The inaugural brewpub, named Karl Strauss Old Columbia Brewery and Grille, debuted in downtown San Diego in 1989, marking the city’s first brewery since 1953 and its initial venture into brewpubs. During a period when American beer was predominantly light and mass-produced, Cramer sought to offer consumers a more diverse range of flavorful craft beers.
Karl Strauss introduced its first production brewery for distribution in late 1991, relocating to a 22,000-square-foot Pacific Beach facility by 1996. The expansion of brewpub locations included Sorrento Mesa (1991), La Jolla (1996; closed in 2021), Carlsbad (1999), Costa Mesa (2002), 4S Ranch (2012), Temecula (2013), Anaheim (2016), and downtown Los Angeles (2016). The Universal Citywalk location closed after 2020 and was subsequently replaced by Starbucks. In 2023, Karl Strauss launched Port of San Fransokyo Cervecería at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim.
In 2009, the company collaborated with Greenhouse to transform brewery waste into ethanol fuel.
By 2023, Karl Strauss operated nine sites across Southern California, including five within San Diego County. November 2023 saw the opening of its first outdoor beer garden, Karl Strauss Outpost, located in San Marcos.