Karl Strauss Brewing Co.

Karl Strauss is one of the world's most accomplished Master Brewers. In Minden, Germany, where his father was the president of a small brewery, Karl was born on the brewery premises and lived in the family quarters at the brewery while he was growing up (hence the claim that he has beer in his blood). As a young man, Karl left Minden to study in Bavaria where he earned his degree in the science of malting and brewing from the Technical University Munich at Weihenstephan.

In 1939, Karl immigrated to the United States where he immediately was employed by the Pabst Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Karl devoted forty-four years working for Pabst, advancing through the ranks of brewmasters until he ultimately became Vice President of Production and Master Brewer for all of Pabst's brewing operations, a position he held for twenty-five years until his retirement from Pabst. At Pabst peak production, Karl was responsible for brewing more than seventeen million barrels of beer per year.

In his lifetime, he has brewed more than seven billion servings of beer, more than enough for every person on earth to enjoy a Karl Strauss beer.

Karl is a past president of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA) and co-author of The Practical Brewer, the definitive handbook of brewing used by Karl Strauss Brewing Company. He is also the only person ever to receive both the MBAA's Lifetime Achievement Award of Honor and the Award of Merit, considered to be the two highest honors in the American brewing industry. Karl retired from Pabst in 1983 and began a second career as a brewing consultant. Since 1983, he has traveled internationally to consult for large and small breweries on all aspects of production.

In 2005, The Museum of Beer and Brewing announced an annual award recognizing an individual who has a record of outstanding achievements in the beer and brewing industry. This award is known as the "Karl Strauss Award".

As Master Brewer, Karl Strauss designs the brewery operations and processelates the beers produced, and personally trains our brewers.