We've been brewing in San Diego since 1989, which means we've spent nearly four decades doing exactly what this whole festival is about: checking the swell, grabbing a board (or at least a folding chair and a good view), and ending the day with a cold one among friends. So when the Session Surf Festival asked us to be the official craft beer partner for 2026, there wasn't much deliberating. Of course we're in. This is our coastline too.

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We Didn't Just Move Here for the Waves

San Diego made us who we are — the fog rolling over the water in the morning, the boards stacked in driveways up and down the coast, the way a whole week can organize itself around tide charts and swell forecasts. We brew for that life. Sessionable beers, built for long days that turn into longer evenings, made by people who understand that the best part of a surf trip is often what happens after you're out of the water.

That's the thing about the word "session," really. It's a surf term before it's a beer term, but somewhere along the way the two started meaning the same thing to us: time well spent, without rushing it, usually with people you like.

All Week, Every Bar, No Excuses

We're not just showing up for opening day. Karl Strauss will be pouring at every bar across the festival venues, all week long — from the first heats in the morning fog to the last band of the night. However your week is shaking out, whichever session you're catching, there's a Karl Strauss with your name on it close by.

Look for our pints of Tower X IPA. Boat Shoes Hazy IPA and our very own Hard Cherry Cola at the bars. You'll find out why these are our favorites  we brought along just for this crowd — easy-drinking, well-balanced, and built to keep pace with a full week on the sand.

Local Beer for a Local Break

We could've partnered with any festival. We picked this one because it's ours — San Diego surf culture, San Diego beer, same salt air. Supporting the Session Surf Festival isn't a marketing move for us, it's just Tuesday. It's what a hometown brewery does for a hometown break.

So come on by, post up at the bar, and let's make this a week worth talking about all winter.

See you out there.

First to the Party. Brewed to Last.

https://sessionssurffestival.com/encinitas/overview

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