Karl Strauss Brewery - 24th Anniversary Ale

"When we cut our teeth in the beer biz back in ’89, the thought of wild or spontaneously fermented ales left more than a sour taste in people’s mouths. Twenty-four years later, the mouth-puckering tartness of sour ales is craft beer’s newest obsession – an obsession we’ve been perfecting over the past few years. So, as a tribute to the times, we’ve brewed a Flanders-style Sour Red Ale to commemorate our 24th Anniversary. Keeping with Flemish tradition, our 24th Anniversary Ale is an expertly blended combination of oak barrel-aged and freshly fermented sour red ales. The resulting brew is both tart and complex, boasting layers of cherries, pomegranate, currants and toasted oak"
                                                   - Karl Strauss Brewery

 

Brewery: Karl Strauss Brewery

Beer: 24th Anniversary Flanders Style Ale

Style: Flanders Red Ale

ABV: 7.5%

Founded in 1989, Karl Strauss is San Diego's oldest surviving brewery and is credited with launching the county's craft brewing industry. Many of my first craft beers were from Karl Strauss such as Red Trolley, Endless Summer and Tower 10. These beers were consistently in my rotation while in my youthful craft beer career. But as my craft beer repertoire expanded I lost touch with these San Diego classics. 

What better way to revisit Karl Strauss's beers than by enjoying their anniversary ale celebrating 24 years in the craft beer industry. This years anniversary ale was a Flanders-Style ale, which is a type of sour red ale originally brewed in Belgium. Other examples of this type of beer are Rodenbach's Grand Cru and Duchesse de Bourgogne. 

A distinct sour scent, shared by most sours, was prevalent but was also followed by hints of oak. The murky reddish body was capped off with a small off-white head. Initial flavors are great as tart cherries ease the pallet but the beer ends with a sort of . . . sweetness (for lack of a better word) uncommon in sours. It's as if the sour flavors are flowing smoothly and about to climax but then suddenly drop into a flavor I really cannot put my finger on. Although it is worth a try, Karl Strauss's 24th anniversary didn't really satisfy my sour taste buds. 

Aroma: 6

Appearance: 4 
Flavor: 6 

Palate: 3

Style Rating: 7/10

Overall: 19/30

Chive Everywhere. RAK! KCCO!!