SAN DIEGO, CA – Saturday May 14, 2011 marked Karl Strauss Brewing Company’s 8th Annual Beach to Brewery Beer + Music Fest. More than 2,000 guests celebrated Karl Strauss’s 22nd Anniversary with 22 different beers on tap, including World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival gold medal winning Red Trolley Ale, Parrot in a Palm Tree Holiday Baltic Porter, Whistler Imperial Pils, and many more.
The festival took place at the company’s main brewery in Pacific Beach, raising money and awareness for the Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our oceans and beaches.
Beach to Brewery 2011 raised $10,000 for the local chapter of Surfrider, with $90,000 raised to date. In addition to the donation, Karl Strauss supported Surfrider’s “Rise Above Plastics” campaign by giving each guest a souvenir cup, eliminating the use of more than 17,000 disposable plastic cups during the event.
Partnering with Hands-On Recycling, the company was able to sort the trash from recyclables during the event, diverting more than 75% of the event waste. For the second year in a row, the company offered a discounted 1-year Surfrider membership when purchasing event tickets online—resulting in new members for the San Diego Surfrider Chapter.
This year’s event featured four talented local bands, including Little Deadman, Cuckoo Chaos, Blackout Party, and Stranger. During the event, guests were treated to five specialty casks paired with gourmet cheese from Venissimo. Crowd favorites included the Scotch on Scotch with Cahill Whiskey Cheddar and Double Dry-hopped Pintail Pale Ale paired with Chipotle Cranberry Cheddar. More than 700 guests took a tour of the recently expanded brewery and bottling line.
“We love having the opportunity to show people around the brewery and letting them see where the beer is made,” said Paul Segura, Karl Strauss Brewmaster.
Upon exiting the tours, festival-goers could bid on several big-ticket silent auction items, including an autographed Tony Hawk skateboard deck and a Bay Taylor Guitar.
The Friday before the event, Karl Strauss hosted their 4th annual beach clean-up with more than 30 staff volunteering. In one afternoon, the company collected more than 65 pounds of trash and over 1,000 cigarette butts.
“One of our core values as a company is to care for our community and our environment, so partnering with Surfrider on Beach to Brewery is a natural fit. We enjoy the partnership and look forward to working with them in the future,” said Matt Rattner, President and Co-Founder, Karl Strauss Brewing Company.
To view the event photos, visit www.karlstrauss.com.