It was 1989 when entrepreneurs Chris Cramer and Matt Rattner first threw open the doors to Karl Strauss Brewing’s original location on downtown Columbia Street. It was from that red-brick brewery-restaurant — the county’s first-ever brewpub — that a solid foundation was laid, not just for what is now San Diego’s longest-operating post-Prohibition brewing concern, but a local craft-beer scene considered by many to be the best in the world.
From providing scores of San Diegans with their first taste of locally produced, independent ales and lagers to hosting scores of collaborative brewing sessions with contemporaries from other local breweries, the Columbia Street location is one of great historic and sentimental value to the craft community and Karl Strauss. So, in October, after 3 1/2 decades of leasing their first home, Cramer and Rattner decided to purchase the venue outright.
“The pride we have for this acquisition cannot be overstated,” said Cramer following the deal. “We’ve poured our passion into this craft for decades, and witnessing it come full circle as we near our 35th anniversary is a remarkable achievement, serving as a testament to our enduring commitment to the city, the regional brewing industry and our guests.”
The acquisition is one of a slew of major developments for Karl Strauss over the past several months. Around the time they were signing papers on the company’s birthplace, they were hiring Jennifer Briggs as their new chief experience officer. A 15-year beer-industry veteran, Briggs held executive-level management positions for Fort Collins, Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing from 2004-2017.
Jen Briggs, chief experience officer at Karl Strauss Brewing Company.
(Karl Strauss Brewing
)
More recently, Briggs served as chief executive officer for Point Loma’s Modern Times Beer, coming aboard in October 2021 after founding CEO Jacob McKean left the company following workplace harassment allegations five months earlier. There, she scaled back the failing company’s operations, shuttering underperforming locations in Oregon and Northern California to focus resources on Southern California. Later, she helped steward a court-ordered receivership sale of the company to Maui-based Craft ‘Ohana, which closed in October 2022.
In her new role, Briggs will dig into the psychology of Karl Strauss’s patrons and beverage consumers to help the company best reach, communicate with and appeal to them across all channels of the business.
“When we look at how people decide, choose, grow and imagine, it is not constrained to the workplace or commerce; many of the same principles hold,” says Briggs. “My role is to bring the curiosity of why and how people choose to our strategic approach.”
Briggs is and has been involved in a number of recent and ongoing projects, a number of which involve firsts for the company. The most high-profile is Karl Strauss’s fifth public venue in San Diego County (and ninth overall), which soft-opened in San Marcos last month. Installed on a 2-acre lot a block north of State Route 78 on Los Posas Road, it’s a beer garden completely unlike its brewpub and restaurant predecessors.
Karl Strauss opened The Outpost — a sprawling outdoor beer garden — a block north of State Route 78 on Los Posas Road in San Marcos last month.
(Karl Strauss Brewing)
The sprawling, fully outdoor venue is furnished with umbrella-shaded picnic and barrel tables, as well as Adirondack chairs situated around fire pits. Beers are served from a bar fashioned from a used shipping container and an array of tacos and other snacks are available from Karl Strauss’s first-ever food truck.
“Each Karl Strauss location has a unique character,” says Briggs. “The Outpost brings a different concept for Karl Strauss in a new community.”
The company has also forged new territory in terms of its distribution footprint, which now includes Arizona and Nevada care of a partnership with Scout Distribution and a newly inked deal with Sauvage Nevada Beverage Distributor, respectively. The addition of two states is especially significant considering Karl Strauss’s beers were sold exclusively in California until 2021.
Changes to the Karl Strauss product line are also in the works. The company’s portfolio will soon include a new lager going by the name formerly applied to its blonde ale, Follow the Sun, as well as a non-alcoholic version of Karl Strauss’s top-selling, award-winning Irish-style red, Red Trolley Ale.
And back on Columbia Street, there are plans to reimagine the company’s newest asset. Plans have yet to be finalized, but the overarching goal is to install a motif paying homage to San Diego’s brewing scene and craft beer subculture.
“Our goal is to be the brewery of San Diego,” says Briggs. “As the original craft brewery in San Diego, we want to hold ourselves to high standards with and for the community. We want to connect to consumers and invite new people into the world of Karl Strauss while also highlighting the beauty and importance of San Diego.”
Briggs says the same approach will be applied to a slate of 35th-anniversary events and promotions that will take place throughout 2024. According to her, there are some big, fun ideas, but for now they are opting to keep the lid on the hopper.
Brandon Hernández is founder of San Diego Beer News (www.sandiegobeer.news), a site providing daily coverage of the county’s brewing industry, a beat he’s covered for 17 years. Follow him @sdbeernews or contact him at: brandon@sandiegobeer.news
