Karl Strauss Brewing Co., 4S Ranch

This Karl Strauss location is in a strip mall (apparently, it occupies a space formerly held by a Chili’s). There is plenty of parking. The interior is similar to other Karl locations; while it is perhaps a little less fancy, it is still perfectly pleasant. There are lots of bare woods and dark browns, as typical in the corporate theme. The bar seats about 20 and the rest of the large room is filled with low tables–this is really more a restaurant than a bar.

They do brew at this location, so I made a point of tasting their wares. During my visit there was only one house-made beer on tap (the other twenty or so taps were the rest of the excellent Karl Strauss line).

Woody Wood Pekko (Session IPA, 3.5% ABV). This was brewed in Karl’s 4S Ranch location. It is a light session IPA. It has plenty of flavor (leaning tropical/citrus with nicely balanced malts) even though it is lower alcohol.  3.25/5

I also had another Liquid A/C, which was just as good as when I tried it at the Pacific Beach/Bay Ho location.

The staff were friendly. One of the bartenders carded me, which I found funny (if I had had a kid when I was 21, that kid would be 26). They know their regulars by name, and there seems to be a good-sized stable of them (a sign of a good place).

https://www.karlstrauss.com/visit/4s-ranch/     10448 RESERVE DR, SAN DIEGO, CA 92127