Karl Strauss Brewing Company — Restaurant in San Diego

PSA: Because I feel the rating system (stars in this case on Google) is an unfair process that forces readers to judge quickly and doesn't give the establishment a fair shake, I will give ALL reviews 5 stars and then a detailed review below. If you want to know how my experience was, you will have to read the review in full.

This is a small local chain I. San Diego, and it carries it's own beers, as well as other beers. There was a range of 4 IPA's during my 2 visits, and I did a tasting of them on my first visit, as well as trying their sausage entree.

I enjoyed the beers, with Boat Shoes being the favorite, a juicy hazy IPA that was solid and balanced with a focus on bitter hops. The sausages were ok, nothing memorable; felt like food that had been prepped in advance and warmed to order. The mustard sauce was very potent, prob too much for the sausages, but quite tasty. The green beans were incredibly over cooked, again pointing to precooked food that was reheated and served.

Service is order at the counter, or use a QR code. My second visit the QR code was offline, and although there was signage, it was not clearly posted. So I spent about 10 minutes trying to order a beer online and was rather frustrated by the time I gave up and stood in line to get the beer. Not a huge miss, but it would have been better to place signs on each QR code to save customers time and frustration..

Not a ton of places in the downtown area, so this was more convenient than anything else. If you need a beer and a quick meal close to a downtown hotel, this should fo the trick. But this is not a true craft brew pub that takes their menu as seriously as...

We picked this place as we were looking for something quick after checking into our hotel. They brew their own beer and offer a large selection of food all of which looked delicious as we saw other tables being served. As it was Oktoberfest we opted for the sausage and beer pretzel. The staff here were super friendly and informative, always checking in to make sure everything was good and we had everything we needed. Service was A+.

Beer Pretzels: This was a giant serving. Each order comes with 2 spice-rubbed pretzels, spicy honey mustard, house-made beer cheese. The exterior had a nice rub on it with a bit of chew while the inside stayed nice and tender. The side of sauces were wonderful as well and paired perfectly with the pretzel. Definitely a sharing plate as it gets quite filling.

Beer Sausages: Made with Tower 10 IPA and served with 2 links. A grilled cheddar brat and a chili-chicken, with garlic sweet potatoes, frisee, arugula, herb oil, pickled onions, and spicy honey-sriracha mustard. The sausages were great with the perfect snap and chew, seasoned well. However the sweet potatoes were lack luster, they could have used a little bit longer in the fryer as they were a bit limp. However it could have been the fact they covered them with the pickled onions and greens. If the intent was to have crispy sweet potato with a fresh frisee arugula salad then execution was a bit off. Putting fresh green on hot items is a big NONO for me, ends up making the crispy stuff soggy, and the greens wilt losing its...

Karl Strauss Brewery had an opportunity to make a good impression on me when I visited 6 October 2018, early evening. I skimmed the reviews prior to starting this one. As usual, people are way to liberal in "handing out" 5 star ratings. At best on a 1-5 scale, this establishment rates a 4. To me 5 stars is the best of the best in service/aesthetics/food quality and value. Get real! Karl Strauss rates in the range of (3.8-4.2), using a more open scale. I started with the Wreck Alley Porter, ordered the rice/quinoa bowl with Ahi tuna another beer, the Red Trolley, and finished with the bread pudding. The beer was excellent, both were what I expect with the two different offerings. Unless you like and appreciate a Porter and/or an Ale you cannot fathom my meaning. The quinoa/rice bowl was clean, colorful, and tasted rich with the spicy topping which enhanced the ahi tuna. The portion was decent for the price, so the eating experience was visually appealing, pleased the palate and accentuated by the beer. The bread pudding was very good, in the top (3) I have experienced. A heavy/compact texture, not overly sweet even with the ice cream and drizzle. A little short on the vanilla/nutmeg/spice flavors. The service at the bar was (good), not great as the bar seats were only 50% occupied. Overall, very satisfying and a very good meal. The aesthetics lacked charm. I remember a big open area with some booths/tables, a bar and some brewing vats and equipment. ...