The Karl Strauss Beach to Brewery Beer + Music Fest returns to Santa Fe Street Saturday, May 12, with music fans and beer lovers raising a glass to benefit the Surfrider Foundation.
“It’s a great opportunity to taste some wonderful beers, support local music and support a great cause ” Surfrider,” said Jena Francis from Karl Strauss.
Ten beers will be on tap for sampling, along with an assortment of firkin kegs ” small batches of beer matured in individual kegs. The kegs are tapped in the traditional way original English casks were tapped, by driving a spigot through the front of the keg with a wooden mallet, often creating a sizable beer spray.
This year’s musical performers feature a lineup of local talent, including B-Side Players, Reeve Oliver, Stranger (a band that includes Karl Strauss employees) and Grand Ole Party.
Food will be available from Wahoo’s Fish Tacos, Mountain Mike’s Pizza and the San Diego Pretzel Company.
Several items have also been donated by local businesses as raffle prizes. Surfboards, beach cruisers and skim boards are all up for grabs, with proceeds benefiting Surfrider.
Bicycles are always welcome at Beach to Brewery, and Karl Strauss and The San Diego Bicycle Club have mapped out a route for those preferring to pedal to the event.
This year’s Beer + Music Fest will be both bitter and sweet for the Karl Strauss Brewing Company family. Southern California’s largest microbrew distributor lost two key figures over the past year. Master brewer Karl Strauss passed away in December and general sales manager Shinichi Mori died suddenly in March.
Tickets are $15 pre-sale, available at all Karl Strauss restaurant locations and online at www.karlstrauss.com. At the door, tickets are $20. Admission includes five beer tasters.
Organizers are expecting another capacity crowd of 2,500 attendees, so they advise not waiting until the last minute to buy tickets.
A free shuttle will run continual from the Earl & Birdie Taylor Library in Pacific Beach and Dusty Rhodes Park in Ocean Beach to the event. Shuttles are also equipped to transport bicycles.
The event runs from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Karl Strauss Pacific Beach Brewery, 5985 Santa Fe St. The event is restricted to those ages 21 and up.
For more information, visit www.karlstrauss.com.