Saturday May 9, 2009 marked Karl Strauss Brewing Company‘s 6th annual Beach to Brewery Beer + Music Fest with a sold-out crowd of 2,500 people. Karl Strauss celebrated their 20th Anniversary at the event with 20 beers on tap for 20 years, including 20th Anniversary Bourbon Aged Trippel, Pineapple IPA, and newcomer, Tower 10 IPA. San Diego’s 91X broadcasted live from the event for the first time and the band line-up proved to be the most popular yet, with Delta Spirit, Stranger, Get Back Loretta, and Tapes n Tapes all garnering crowd enthusiasm. The event took place at the company’s main brewery in Pacific Beach, raising support and awareness for the Surfrider Foundation San Diego chapter, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our oceans and beaches.

The event raised $13,000 for Surfrider, but it was more than just a fundraising effort. Karl Strauss worked with Surfrider to implement event improvements that are important to Surfrider’s mission. For the second year, Karl Strauss worked with Hands On Recycling to hand-sort through all of the event trash, separating recyclables from the waste. In the end, 50% of all trash was diverted to recycling. Next year the goal is for even more recycling as Karl Strauss will join with Surfrider in their “Rise above plastics” campaign. The event featured 100% organic event shirts-worn by over 140 event volunteers. And the San Diego Bike Club sponsored a bike ride with over 200 event participants riding from the beach to the brewery.

Before the event took place, Karl Strauss hosted their 2nd Annual beach clean-up in Mission Beach. The company shut down early on a Friday and met up with Bill Hickman of the Surfrider Foundation for an afternoon of picking up trash and cleaning the local beach. “We have established a core value in our company of caring for our local community and the environment. We know from partnering with Surfrider that while they appreciate monetary donations, what really matters to them is raising awareness for their cause and spreading the word about their mission,” says Karl Strauss President and Cofounder, Matt Rattner.

To date, Karl Strauss has donated over $68,000 to the San Diego Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation and is proud to support their mission of protecting San Diego’s local beaches.