San Diego Unseen: An Urban Portrait
In a city as rife with beer events as San Diego is, I seldom get to use this column to review beers. That’s quite a disappointment for me because reviewing beers combines two of my favorite pastimes: drinking and feigning authority.
Given the limited beers I’ve reviewed here, it might seem peculiar to revisit Karl Strauss. The justification for it is quite simple. On top of Strauss’ evident strides to really step up its game with seasonal bomber releases, I am also presently sleeping with at least two-thirds of the brewing staff. I’m sorry to out you good people here, but our readers deserve disclosure of bias.
The Red Trolley Ale, a signature Karl Strauss beer, has never done much for me. It’s an inoffensive, everyman red that’s undeniably easy drinking. The Off the Rails variety of this brew is, however, a much different animal.
Off the Rails is a hazy, coppery brew that produces a thick doughy mount of head and a lush floral aroma. The flavor is similarly robust, featuring citrus notes of blood orange and grapefruit that play nicely off the big, bready backbone. Its elevated alcohol content (8.5percent ABV) is a little warming, but it evades outright booziness. In summary, despite Karl Strauss’ reprehensible endorsement of drunken trolley piloting, I’m happy to see this red ale jump the tracks.
Another Karl Strauss bomber worth considering is the recently released Boardwalk Black Rye. Its substantial, webby head rests atop a beer blacker than a Swedish death-metal album in a coal storm. The first taste is similarly foreboding, delivering a potent combination of rye, black pepper and charcoal. It is undeniably a big, spicy beer.
This one may be a bit intense for novices to the American black-ale style. It’s difficult to distinguish where the hop bitterness ends and the sooty bitterness starts. But for those seeking a roasty beer that finishes dry and warm, this could be the ticket. cb
