Take it from the tap: Thirst quenching

9 Bonfires Blazing from Karl Strauss Brewing, San Diego.

Nov. 29, 2018 5:52 PM PT

Beer: 9 Bonfires Blazing

From: Karl Strauss Brewing, San Diego

Why: This golden stout, made with coffee, vanilla beans and rolled oats, is the ninth in Karl’s annual series of holiday ales. They’ve all been Noel knockouts.

Geeking out: 7.5% ABV; 25 IBUs.

Seeking out: Karl’s beers are found in markets, restaurants and bars across California. Perhaps the best place to sample Bonfires — and other beers in the series — is the Rose Canyon tasting room and beer garden, 5985 Santa Fe St.

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Peter Rowe

Peter joined The San Diego Union-Tribune in 1984. A native Californian who grew up in Encinitas, Rowe is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Northwestern University. He is past president of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and a former Fulbright scholar. He has won a few journalism awards, but would trade them all for a chance to avenge his 1994 “Jeopardy!” loss. Married to a terrific woman who has saved him from errors in writing and in life, he has three sons. At the U-T, Rowe writes profiles and features and is even paid to review beers, which hardly seems fair.