You can’t always judge a beer by its package, but Karl Strauss is betting that if you like what’s on the outside, you’ll love what’s on the inside. Karl Strauss Brewing Company is celebrating their 20th Anniversary with the debut of completely redesigned packaging to showcase their locally brewed and bottled beer. With the completion of their new brewery expansion and bottling line, the company felt the time was right to release new packaging that better reflected the pioneering spirit of San Diego’s first craft beer company.

The new packaging takes the familiar images San Diego has come to know—the Red Trolley, the woodie car—and gives them new life with a sketched art look and subdued colors, on natural looking packaging. Karl Strauss went with the natural background, rather than the glossy/slick look, to stand apart from the big guys and stay authentic to who they are as a local San Diego brewery. They used recycled materials wherever they could, including six pack carriers that are made from 100% recycled paper. Even the design is more environmentally friendly using much less ink than traditional beer packaging. They had bold ideas of what they wanted their packaging to be and are very happy with how it all turned out.

The new designs were done all in house and feature more information about the beer. Delivered with a sense of humor, Karl Strauss demonstrates they know their beer, but aren’t afraid to have a little fun—after all, it’s beer!

Another major change to the company’s packaging includes a new pry-off cap. The oxygen-absorbing, pry-off bottle caps help keep the beer fresher longer, and that means better tasting beer. And with all that goes into making a great beer, Karl Strauss believes in doing everything they can to keep it tasting that way.

All bottles coming off the company’s new bottling line at the main brewery in Pacific Beach will feature the new packaging. Six packs of Karl Strauss Amber Lager, Red Trolley Ale, Woodie Gold, and their latest release—Tower 10 IPA—are expected to hit shelves in supermarkets and liquor stores across Southern California in the first quarter of 2009.

World class jazz calls for world class beer. So for the fourth year, Rogue Ales has produced a limited edition Jazz Guy Ale bottle for the Portland Jazz Festival. The Portland Jazz Festival has been named one of the top five jazz festivals by Jazz journalist Magazine and Jazz Guy ale is a six-time World Champion amber ale. The festival will bring top national and international acts to venues throughout Portland during its 10-day run, February 13-22.

Jazz Guy Ale will be available on draft and in custom 22 oz. serigraphed bottles starting Feb. 1. Jazz Guy Ale 2009 is part of a collectible series of Jazz Guy ale bottles that changes yearly. The Jazz Guy Ale bottle will be featured at a VIP kickoff reception Feb. 13 at Pioneer Courthouse Square and will be available at all Rogue pubs on draft and in bottles throughout the festival. As part of the festival, Rogue will host three nights of jazz at the Rogue Distillery & Public House: John Stowell, Jeff Johnson and John Bishop on February 13th, Eddie Parente Gypsy Jazz on February 14th, and Mood Area 52 on February 21th. Dan Balmer will also play on February 20th at Rogue’s sister pub, the Green Dragon Bistro & Brewpub. And when the musicians pack their bags and leave town, Jazz Guy ale will follow them to jazz venues and festivals across the country. Jazz Guy ale will be available in New Orleans, San Francisco, Boston, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Seattle and Chicago.

Rogue Jazz Guy ale is made with 9 ingredients: Harrington and Klages, Cara Vienna, English 115 & 135 Crystal Malts; Cascade and Kent Golding Hops; Rogue’s proprietary Pacman ale yeast & free range coastal water. No chemicals, additives or preservatives. It is tawny in color with a coffee aroma, tight head and a delicate roasted malt accent. Celebrating its second century, Rogue ales is an Artisan Varietal Brewery founded in Oregon in 1988, as one of America’s first 50 microbreweries. Rogue has 600+ awards for taste and quality and is available nationally and in 20 countries.

Old Bawdy Barley Wine is Pike’s most extreme beer. With a high, starting gravity of 1.096 Old Bawdy has 10% alcohol by volume. The color, like a shiny new penny has amber highlights and a nose that is floral and sensual, like a bouquet of freshly picked flowers. Old Bawdy was brewed by Head Brewer Drew Cluley, second Brewer Dean Mochizuki and the Pike team of brewers and brewsters. The grist blend is made with enormous quantities of the finest biscuity malts. Pike Old Bawdy 2008 is sweet and earthy with the flavor of pale, crystal and wheat malts playing off of one another like sunshine on a field of barley. Balancing this liquid bread are incredible quantities of an herbal blend of Columbus, Magnum, Chinook and Centennial hops, all from the Yakima Valley. On the palate Old Bawdy is powerful, rich and complex with a smooth, full round mouth-feel and a fine balance of sweet and bitter, drinking as if it were much lighter in alcohol. The finish is long and satisfying with a slight essence of grapefruit.

Pike Old Bawdy, brewed only once a year, was first introduced in 1991. As the beer has been brewed through the years an evolution in taste has occurred as we strive to create a classic, particularly one that is a great accompaniment to food. Since The Pike Brewery was founded in the LaSalle Hotel one of Seattle’s most infamous bawdy houses (brothels), the Old Bawdy label features a red light bulb in reference to “Naughty Nellie,” the beautiful madam who converted an old seaman’s hotel into a luxurious home away from home for gentlemen visiting Seattle’s historic Pike Place Public Market, America’s oldest. Though strong beers called barley wines had been brewed in Great Britain for centuries, by the late 1970s most were no longer being produced. At the time that Old Bawdy was introduced under Head Brewer Fal Allen, it was among the first of a new breed of hand crafted American barley wines and was an immediate success. Pike Old Bawdy was brewed from 1991 through 1997 at which time Pike founders, Charles and Rose Ann Finkel, sold the brewery and the beer was discontinued. The Finkels re-acquired The Pike Brewing Company in 2006 and in restoring and re-organizing the brewery, unearthed a treasure trove of the elixir from earlier vintages in both kegs and bottles. Earlier vintages, like 1996 and 1997 had matured beautifully. The 2006 vintage was lovingly brewed and released in early 2007. By contrasting this vintage with significantly older ones, the potential for aging was evident and the decision was made to establish a library of each year’s beer. Customers look forward to experiencing each vintage.

2009 marks Pike’s 20th Anniversary. To celebrate, special events will be held throughout the year culminating in a week-long celebration leading up to our actual birthday, October 17, 2009. On Sunday, February 8, 2009 Pike’s Microbrewery Museum will be the venue for A Vertical Tasting of 1994, 1996, 1997, 2006, 2007 and 2008 Old Bawdy Barley Wines. This event will be limited to 100 people; we recommend reservations. If you live in the Seattle area and want to attend, here are the details:

Pike Brewing Vertical Old Bawdy Barley Wine Tasting
1994, 1996, 1997, 2006, 2007 and 2008 Vintages
Sunday, February 8, 2009
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
$18.00 per person
$15.00 with WABL (Washington Beer Lover’s) passport

Pike Microbrewery Museum
1415 1st Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
R.S.V.P. to Michael St. Clair mstclair@pikebrewing.com
(206) 812-6613