If you've ever spent any length of time in San Diego, chances are that you're familiar with the San Diego Trolley. This distinctive red trolley has become a landmark in San Diego, and was the inspiration behind the naming of this amber ale from Karl Strauss. Mr. Strauss was a man who had brewing in his blood from the day he was born. His father was the president of a brewery in Germany, where little Karl was born on the second floor above the brewing operations. The Strauss family we're Jews who lived in Germany during Hitler's rise to power, and Strauss was blacklisted from finding any jobs in the brewing industry after he graduated from college. Strauss was one of the lucky ones to escape from Germany and emigrate to the United States where he had family and began working for the Pabst Brewing Co. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for over forty years. Strauss quickly climbed the ranks at Pabst, eventually reaching the post of vice-president, a position which he held until his retirement in 1983. After retirement, Karl Strauss became a well respected brewing consultant for many breweries around the world. When his cousins decided to open their own brewpub in San Diego, Karl Stauss not only presided over early development and operations, but lent his name to the brand which has now become a staple in southern California.
Mr. Strauss transformed himself from a poor immigrant to one of the most respected brewers of all time in America, and his story is one of the greatest examples of the potential of the American dream. Although he passed away in 2006, I'm sure that he was incredibly proud of Karl Strauss brewery's Red Trolley Ale. Last night I tried an amber ale that was decent, but in the end left me wanting. Red Trolley was in my opinion, everything that Pike's Pale Heirloom Amber Ale was not. Although the term amber ale is somewhat vague, Red Trolley had all of the things that you should expect from a quality amber ale in my honest opinion. Amber ales are all about creating the right balance of bitter hoppiness and sweet graininess, and Red Trolley is definitely the most palatable that I've tasted in quite a long time. Some people have criticized Red Trolley for not being hoppy enough, but frankly those people are imbiciles. If you want a hoppy beer, don't drink and amber ale! A beer like Red Trolley is meant to be a balance of sweet and bitter flavors. If you want something full of hops, stick to the IPAs. Red Trolley can be found at a lot of restaurants and bars in southern California, and it comes highly recommended from yours truly.
Prost(this is an American beer, but we'll say prost in honor of Mr. Strauss)!
Ian
www.Karlstrauss.com
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