San Diego brewing landmarks don’t get more historic than Karl Strauss Brewing’s original downtown brewpub. In December of 2023, the company’s owners proudly announced that, after leasing the property for decades, they had purchased the red-brick Columbia Street building which served as a starting point, not only for their business, but for the county’s vibrant craft-brewing scene. Following the acquisition, they embarked on the long and tricky process of updating the space while honoring its legacy. Just over a year and numerous design tweaks later, Karl Strauss’ original brewery-restaurant has reopened with a fresh look and a first for the location: a tasting room.
Right as Karl Strauss’ owners, Chris Cramer and Matt Rattner, were finalizing the deal for the Columbia Street property, they were also welcoming Chief Experience Officer Jennifer Briggs to their team. An industry veteran with experience communicating brewing companies’ identities through their branding, aesthetic, venues and service components, she was eager to assist in the refresh and was joined in that endeavor by a long gone yet far from forgotten Karl Strauss employee.
“To keep the update genuine, we brought in Melissa Dombo, a former Karl Strauss team member who played a key role in shaping our design language over the years,” says Briggs. “Together, we layered in visual cues that nod to our roots: historical photography, design details that celebrate our legacy and a subtle but powerful statement on the wall, reading ‘we launched this party’. It’s a reminder of our role as San Diego’s first post-Prohibition-Era craft brewery and the spark that ignited the city’s craft-beer movement.”
Among the venue’s most notable new features is a hand-crafted wall installation paying homage to San Diego as well as a collection of photographs capturing different moments in Karl Strauss’ 36-year history. There is also a wall display stocked with medals and plaques representing the company’s wins at prestigious professional brewing competitions, including the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup. That array of precious metal is the centerpiece of a tasting room sharing space with the location’s seven-barrel brewhouse.
The most intentional change in this venue refresh was making the brewery itself the star of the show. The seating area is designed to feel warm and intimate, while the brewery and new tasting room take center stage. It’s an immersive experience that reinforces what makes Karl Strauss special: beer brewed on-site, by people who care, in a space that feels both iconic and refreshed.”
Jennifer Briggs, Chief Experience Officer, Karl Strauss Brewing
Briggs says consumer research reinforced something she and her Karl Strauss colleagues have long believed: that the tasting-room experience is still important to craft-beer drinkers and a key means for connecting with them in a meaningful way that builds long-lasting relationships and customer loyalty. The importance of that isn’t lost on Briggs, who realizes that Karl Strauss is a multigenerational brand that needs to continue engaging the next wave of new fans. In order to do that, the company must continue to adapt and engage.
Constant innovation is also key. To that end, Karl Strauss recently released a pair of experimental hop waters to the menus at its brewery-restaurants. Briggs and her colleagues have taken notice of consumers’ growing shift toward more mindful drinking and their appreciation for non-alcoholic products, even when patronizing businesses that specialize in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages.
“We’ve been keeping a close eye on the hop water market for a while now. Deciding which trends to embrace is always a balancing act, but we saw an opportunity to test the waters, literally,” says Briggs. “This January, when many people were focused on moderation, was the perfect time to gauge interest, explore flavor preferences and determine whether hop water should become a year-round offering at our brewpubs.”
Dubbed Quantum Fizz-ics, Karl Strauss’ R&D hop waters include one made with hibiscus and vitamin B12, and another infused with sweet citrus and electrolytes. The company will continue offering both through the month of February, allowing customer feedback to dictate which of the varieties makes it into permanent rotation or possibly even distribution.
In other Karl Strauss news, the company is preparing to expand its lineup of beers available in 19.2-ounce cans in order to meet rising consumer demand for single-serve options. The company also released its 36th anniversary specialty beer, an imperial pastry stout aged in bourbon barrels Karl Strauss procured from Modern Times Beer’s oak-aging facility, which shuttered late last year. That “very limited edition” offering was made available at the company’s public venues last Thursday.
Karl Strauss Brewing’s original brewpub is located at 1157 Columbia Street in downtown San Diego