With so many competitors, keeping up with the Joneses can be tough for local brewing companies. Standing pat practically ensures a slide in the suds standings. Even SD's eldest member of the craft beer community, Karl Strauss Brewing Company, funnels a significant portion of its resources into keeping things fresh and moving forward. Mostly, that comes via expanding production or creating new beers, but given their status as a local restaurant chain, they also have to focus on keeping their six brewery-restaurants fresh.

On Wednesday, September 28, Karl Strauss will celebrate a "grand re-opening" of their La Jolla location (new interiors, a more wide open design, and an expanded bar area). The event is called the "Wall Street Brewdown" and will feature a dozen beers served with a whopping 20 small dishes. Tickets are $20 and will get you five beer tasters as well as unlimited food, meaning you can't play beat the bar, but you can still give beat the buffet a good go. On the beer front, Karl Strauss will debut its Tower 20 IIPA (Imperial India Pale Ale), a punched-up version of their Tower 10 IPA that they'll be serving out of both a cask and right from the brew tank. Other interesting beers will include the company's 22nd Anniversary Vanilla Imperial Stout, Belgian Trippel, and Big Barrel Double IPA.

Certain edible offerings, such as Piggy Bank Mac, Sweet and Stinky Fries, and Cotija-Avocado Sliders, will be paired with individual beers while others (top sirloin in ale mushroom sauce and beer shakes with spiced cream, for example) are beery enough all on their own. Karl Strauss's La Jolla brewery restaurant is located at 1044 Wall Street and tickets for the event can be puchased online.