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  • An Education in Beer From Karl Strauss U

    • 01/28/2016
    • ADB
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    I like beer!  There, I’ve said it.  Now with that being said, I do not claim to be an expert.  While I have visited close to 40 breweries in the Southern California area over the last couple of years, as well as others in Austin, Texas, Flagstaff, Arizona and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, I can’t analyze a beer and tell you a whole lot about its notes and other beer terminology.  I try it and if I like it, I have another.  So why am I rambling on about how much I like beer?  It is because I had an experience recently that made me rethink beer.

    It all started out very simple.  My wife and I were in Orange County doing a little shopping.  It got close to dinner so we were trying to figure out where to eat.  My wife suggested the Karl Strauss Brewing Company.  We’ve eaten there before and the food is good and so is the beer. 

    Now when it comes to certain places, I am very specific about what I order.  I am a big fan of their Endless Summer Light so that is most always my beer of choice.  I almost always order their Prime Top Sirloin as it is quite tasty.  

    So we settle into our booth and our waiter comes to the table.  He introduces himself as Rafael.  Most of the time I can never remember names, but Rafael stuck with me because I like saying it.  Rafael – just kinda rolls off your tongue, especially when you say it with a fake French accent.  He starts to go through the beer menu and is making suggestions.  He seems to know his stuff but I already know what I want.  Cut the pleasantries and get my Endless Summer Light.  I am not impolite but I know what I want.  He comes back with the beer and takes our order. 

    My wife orders the Smoked Gouda burger with a turkey patty and I order my steak.  Rafael brings our food and then brings two small beer tasters to our table.  He begins to tell us why he chose the two beers.  He chose the Columbia Street Amber for my wife.  He explained why it paired well with her burger.  He then began to explain the choice to go with my steak.  He chose the Red Trolley Ale and explained how the notes of the beer paired well with a medium steak.  I’ve tried the Red Trolley before and while I thought it was a good beer, it would not necessarily be my choice ever.  What the hell!  The guy is going out of his way and it’s free beer so I’ll humor him.  I take a bite of my steak then follow up with the Red Trolley and it is amazing.  The beer brought out the best in the steak and vice versa.  Rafael, load me up with a pint of Red Trolley I say.  It was one of the most enjoyable meals I’ve had in a while. 

    Once we finish our meal, it is dessert time.  Rafael recommends the Chocolate on Tap which consists of warmed Ghiradelli double chocolate brownies, Red Trolley caramel sauce, vanilla bean ice cream, dark chocolate sauce, whipped cream and toasted almonds.  Hell yes I want that.!   Rafael comes back with our dessert and two tasters of beer.  Oh Rafael, why did you do that?  Everybody knows that you can’t pair beer with dessert.  It is taking two good things and ruining them by putting them together.  He begins to explain that he has chosen the Wreck Alley Imperial Stout and explains why it pairs well.  Sounds reasonable enough.  I give it a go.  I load up as much gooey deliciousness on my spoon and then add the Wreck Alley.  Once again it was amazing.  The sweetness of the dessert brought out the alcohol in the stout but not in a bad way.  It was sublime.  I then start asking Rafael more about the beers.  He was very gracious and insightful.  He brought us our bill and I was actually a little sad to go as I was having such a good time. 

    To the management at the Karl Strauss Brewing Company in Costa Mesa – you have a real jewel in Rafael.  The guy knows his beer and better yet, he knows how to provide a level of customer service (and education) that is very rare.  Thank you Rafael for a wonderful experience. 

    I think one of the reasons why I love beer so much is that it has become so incredibly diverse.  While I am by no means an expert, I do know that if you haven’t found a beer that you like, you haven’t looked hard enough or you haven’t had it under the right circumstances.  The journey continues!

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An Education in Beer From Karl Strauss U

I like beer!  There, I’ve said it.  Now with that being said, I do not claim to be an expert.  While I have visited close to 40 breweries in the Southern California area over the last couple of years, as well as others in Austin, Texas, Flagstaff, Arizona and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, I can’t analyze a beer and tell you a whole lot about its notes and other beer terminology.  I try it and if I like it, I have another.  So why am I rambling on about how much I like beer?  It is because I had an experience recently that made me rethink beer.

It all started out very simple.  My wife and I were in Orange County doing a little shopping.  It got close to dinner so we were trying to figure out where to eat.  My wife suggested the Karl Strauss Brewing Company.  We’ve eaten there before and the food is good and so is the beer. 

Now when it comes to certain places, I am very specific about what I order.  I am a big fan of their Endless Summer Light so that is most always my beer of choice.  I almost always order their Prime Top Sirloin as it is quite tasty.  

So we settle into our booth and our waiter comes to the table.  He introduces himself as Rafael.  Most of the time I can never remember names, but Rafael stuck with me because I like saying it.  Rafael – just kinda rolls off your tongue, especially when you say it with a fake French accent.  He starts to go through the beer menu and is making suggestions.  He seems to know his stuff but I already know what I want.  Cut the pleasantries and get my Endless Summer Light.  I am not impolite but I know what I want.  He comes back with the beer and takes our order. 

My wife orders the Smoked Gouda burger with a turkey patty and I order my steak.  Rafael brings our food and then brings two small beer tasters to our table.  He begins to tell us why he chose the two beers.  He chose the Columbia Street Amber for my wife.  He explained why it paired well with her burger.  He then began to explain the choice to go with my steak.  He chose the Red Trolley Ale and explained how the notes of the beer paired well with a medium steak.  I’ve tried the Red Trolley before and while I thought it was a good beer, it would not necessarily be my choice ever.  What the hell!  The guy is going out of his way and it’s free beer so I’ll humor him.  I take a bite of my steak then follow up with the Red Trolley and it is amazing.  The beer brought out the best in the steak and vice versa.  Rafael, load me up with a pint of Red Trolley I say.  It was one of the most enjoyable meals I’ve had in a while. 

Once we finish our meal, it is dessert time.  Rafael recommends the Chocolate on Tap which consists of warmed Ghiradelli double chocolate brownies, Red Trolley caramel sauce, vanilla bean ice cream, dark chocolate sauce, whipped cream and toasted almonds.  Hell yes I want that.!   Rafael comes back with our dessert and two tasters of beer.  Oh Rafael, why did you do that?  Everybody knows that you can’t pair beer with dessert.  It is taking two good things and ruining them by putting them together.  He begins to explain that he has chosen the Wreck Alley Imperial Stout and explains why it pairs well.  Sounds reasonable enough.  I give it a go.  I load up as much gooey deliciousness on my spoon and then add the Wreck Alley.  Once again it was amazing.  The sweetness of the dessert brought out the alcohol in the stout but not in a bad way.  It was sublime.  I then start asking Rafael more about the beers.  He was very gracious and insightful.  He brought us our bill and I was actually a little sad to go as I was having such a good time. 

To the management at the Karl Strauss Brewing Company in Costa Mesa – you have a real jewel in Rafael.  The guy knows his beer and better yet, he knows how to provide a level of customer service (and education) that is very rare.  Thank you Rafael for a wonderful experience. 

I think one of the reasons why I love beer so much is that it has become so incredibly diverse.  While I am by no means an expert, I do know that if you haven’t found a beer that you like, you haven’t looked hard enough or you haven’t had it under the right circumstances.  The journey continues!

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