Karl Strauss Brewing Company (KSBC) La Jolla is celebrating its new remodel at a special craft beer and food pairing event Sept. 28. Dubbed the “Wall Street Brewdown,” the event will showcase 12 beers paired with more than 20 small plates at an open house to show off the restaurant’s renovated space. “The remodel makes the space feel bright and inviting,” said Paul Segura, Karl Strauss brewmaster. “This is the go-to beer destination in La Jolla.” The restaurant, opened in 1996, recently completed a month-long make-over, including custom concrete flooring and woodwork, a reconfiguration to include additional seating in the bar, stacked TVs and custom artwork. Chalkboards now display the day’s beer menu. The location, one of six throughout Southern California, also features a seven-barrel Pacific Mechanical brewery system with brewer Lyndon Walker at the helm. Some of the featured pairings at the Brewdown will include the Windansea Wheat Hefeweizen paired with calamari, cotija-avocado sliders and mango salad; Red Trolley Ale paired with pork chops, piggy-bank mac and BBQ pork sliders; and for dessert, the 22nd anniversary Vanilla Imperial Stout paired with “beeramisu.” They will also be tapping a cask of Tower 20 IPA, a hopped-up version of their Tower 10 IPA — a regular feature at the restaurant. KSBC was started in 1989 by founders Chris Cramer and Matt Rattner. Cramer’s cousin, master brewer Karl Strauss, was brought in to guide brewing operations. The first location was downtown in the Core Columbia district and was ground zero for the San Diego craft-brew renaissance. The business has since grown to include additional brewery restaurants, including a brewery gardens in Sorrento Mesa, a Carlsbad location and two locations in Orange County. In 1996, KSBC purchased the Santa Fe Street Brewery in Pacific Beach where most of the production takes place — about 34,000 barrels a year distributed to more than 2,500 outlets and retail locations across Southern California. The brewery also hosts the annual “Beach to Brewery” beer and music festival that raises money for the Surfrider Foundation. Admission to the Wall Street Brewdown is $20 and includes five beer tasters, unlimited food pairings and a souvenir logo pint glass. Guests will be able to mingle with the brewers and take a brewery tour during the event, which runs from 5 p.m. to closing. KSBC La Jolla is located at 1044 Wall St. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.karlstrauss.com.
