Karl Strauss Off The Rails

Brewed by Karl Strauss Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
San Diego, California USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Aroma is malty and dark fruit, like cherry and plum. Appearance is clear and dark red, nice looking beer. Taste is not nearly as hoppy as the description states, which perhaps means this is an older bottle as I can’t see a date stamp anywhere. It doesn’t seem to taste like an "American Strong Ale" (which is a sweeping category anyway) it just tastes like a mild red ale. Perhaps this is what Red Trolley should be normal made like. The texture and palate is ok but on the thin side for an 8% beer. A good but not outstanding beer. On deck is their Blackball Rye IPA.

22oz bottle. Rating #22. Dark amber/copper in color, the head is beige with a little lacing. Sweet caramel aroma with a bit of plum, not picking up any hops. Nice hop bite up front that melds with the sweet malts very nicely. Tasty stuff. (2061)

Taster + growler. Pours clear amber. This is, as advertised, a darker, hoppier version of Red Trolley. Predominately sweet, the hop profile is subtle but welcome. Very easy drinker; 8% is well-hidden. I would be happy if this was in KS’s regular rotation.

Amber color in the glass with a medium head. Aroma has some caramel and resin. The texture has some richness to it. Apricot’s and roasted figs are the first thing’s that I taste. It definitely has some heavy malts that hit you on the back end. Good finish.

Bomber from Bottle Bin. Somewhat sweet and malty nose. Roasty with some grainy qualities. Decent hop character and a bit of alcohol. Matliness and some dark fruit dominate. My bottle was 8.5% ABV.

Draft. Rich amber beer with a dark cream colored head. Caramel and pine aroma with light darker malts. Grapefruit and pine flavor with caramel. Medium bodied. Decent bitterness. Caramel and grapefruit lingers with pine.

tap at downtown San Diego location-pours deep red with a small off white head with lite lacing. earthy lightly dark fruit nose with some resin from the big hops used. huge earthy flavors and a dark burnt malt and resinous finish. lots of earthy tones long into the fade of the finish. has some light heat on the finish as it warmed up a bit. plate is lively with a slick and sticky feeling. decent

Bottle from Total Wine, Sacramento. Pours dark amber with a thick tan head and a toffee aroma. There is a treacle and dark fruit flavor with lots of carbonation and a dry bitter finish.

Draft @ the brewpub, San Diego, CA. Pours an amber color with a small off-white head. has a fruity malty caramel hoppy aroma. Fruity malty caramel hoppy flavor. has a fruity malty hoppy bitter caramel finish.

22oz bottle, no date. $8.99 at Beverages 4 Less in Santee. Also, my bottle states that this beer is now 8.5%. Clear orange brown with a 1/2 finger beige head, creamy with fair retention. Pleasantly fruity sweet aroma that consists of plenty of caramel malt and almond, very light vanilla, and moderate tropical fruity hops. The flavor follows suit, which, for me is a nice surprise. Usualy it seems beers in this style go for brash and aggressive, but this was pretty easy drinking--no ridiculous hop bitterness or over the top scorched caramel toffee sweetness that I come to expect from this "style." The tropical fruit hops are still there, but more or less just complementing the caramel malts. Definitely sweet, but not too sweet. Semi-dry finish, light alcohol noted, with bitterness peaking at a 3. Low carbonation with a medium full body. Nothing crazy exciting, but still was enjoyable. Reminded me of New Glarus’ Alt beer from a few years back, at least with the sweetness and the almond notes.