Stone Brewing Co.

Coordinates: 33°06′57″N 117°07′12″W / 33.1157°N 117.1199°W

Stone Brewing

Location	Escondido, California
Opened	1996
Key people	Greg Koch (Chief Executive) [1] Steve Wagner (President & Brewmaster) [1]
Annual production volume	287,075 US beer barrels (336,876 hL) (2014) [2]
Revenue	US$ 135 million (2013) [3]
Employees	1,100 [4]
Website	stonebrewing.com

Stone Brewing is a brewery headquartered in Escondido, California, USA. Founded in 1996 in San Marcos, California,^[5] it is the largest brewery in Southern California.^[6] As of 2015, it was the 10th largest craft brewery in the United States and 15th largest brewery overall, based on sales volume.^[7]

The brewery's first beer was Stone Pale Ale,^[8] which the company considers to be its flagship ale.^[9] Most of their beers are characteristic of west-coast craft brews, meaning that they have a high hop content. Compared to the macro-produced lagers, many Stone brews feature alcohol percentages that are well above average. The alcohol-by-volume content of Stone brews ranges from 4.2% to 13%.^[10]

Stone Brewing is rated as a "world class brewery" by the two largest beer enthusiast websites, RateBeer and BeerAdvocate.^[11][12] Stone Brewing has been voted by the readers of Beer Advocate as the #1 "All Time Top Brewery on Planet Earth."^[13]

In 2015, the company announced the opening of Stone Brewing Berlin in the German capital. A brewery is expected to open in 2016.

The company hosted the closing event of Berlin Beer Week 2015.

Overview

Stone opened in San Marcos in 1996 at the location currently home to Port Brewing Company and The Lost Abbey.^[8] In 2006, Stone relocated from the original brewery to a new, custom-designed facility in Escondido. In 2013 the company opened a packaging hall just south of the brewery which houses the bottling and keg lines. The brewery in Escondido produced 213,277 US beer barrels in 2013. The site is also home to a restaurant, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens - Escondido, a 8,500-square-foot (790 m²) restaurant with a large outdoor patio and 1 acre (4,000 m²) of gardens. The brewery also houses a Stone Company Store which sells Stone merchandise as well as 1- and 2-liter growlers that can be filled with Stone's nine year-round beers and special releases.^[14]

In May 2013 a second Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens opened in the Liberty Station development in the Point Loma neighborhood of San Diego. The 23,500-square-foot (2,180 m²) facility cost $8 million and can seat 700 patrons.^[15] In 2013 Stone opened a location in Terminal 2 of the San Diego International Airport.

In addition to the locations at Escondido and Liberty Station, there are Stone Company Stores in Oceanside, Pasadena, and in San Diego in South Park and Little Italy. The stores sell beer in bottles, kegs and growlers.^[6] Stone also operates a 19-acre organic farm known as Stone Farms, just north of the brewery in Escondido.

In June 2008, Stone Brewing covered the roof of the brewery with solar panels, cutting their energy costs nearly in half. The 1,561 roof-mounted solar modules will offset more than 538,000 pounds (244,000 kg) of carbon emissions over its lifetime, which is equivalent to planting 204 acres (0.83 km²) of trees.^[16]

In July 2014, Stone Brewing announced plans to open a brewery and restaurant in Berlin, Germany.^[17]

On October 8, 2014 sources indicated Stone Brewing had chosen Richmond, VA as the site for its first brewery in the eastern United States. The other two finalists for the brewery were Columbus, Ohio and Norfolk, VA. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe made the formal announcement about the new brewery on October 9, 2014 at 2 p.m. EST.^[18] The brewery held its soft opening on the weekend of February 19, 2016 with grand opening planned for March 2, 2016. ^[19]

Beers

The nine year-round beers produced by The Stone Brewing Co.

Stone beers are bottled in 22 oz and 12 oz bottles, and occasionally 750 ml and 3-liter bottles.^[20] The beers available in six-packs are the Stone Pale Ale 2.0, Stone IPA, and Stone Ruination Double IPA 2.0. Stone uses 22-ounce bottles to feature their "bigger character" beers and Stone Special Releases.^[20]

Year-round beers

• Arrogant Bastard Ale is an American strong ale. The product was promoted with an appropriately arrogant slogan: "Hated by many. Loved by few. You're not worthy." Local designer/illustrator Thomas K. Matthews created the original gargoyle in 1996. He also drew the Arrogant Bastard Ale, Stone Ruination IPA and Stone Levitation Ale gargoyles, as well as barley and hops motifs. In 2015 Stone Brewing Co. announced it would separate Arrogant Bastard into its own product line, to be produced "on the road" in conjunction with other breweries including Great Divide, Maui Brewing, Brew Dog, and Maine Beer Company.^[21]
• OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale is a variety of Arrogant Bastard aged with oak chips, and has been produced in limited release 3 Liter bottles with a lock three times: November 2004, 2005 and 2006. (discontinued in 2014)
• Stone Pale Ale 2.0 is a California-style pale ale. The recipe was changed in 2015 to use German hops, as a salute to the country's brewing history and a nod to Stone's new brewery and bistro in Berlin.
• Stone IPA is a hoppy India Pale Ale featuring Columbus, Chinook and Centennial hops.
• Stone Ruination Double IPA 2.0 is a very highly hopped Imperial India Pale Ale.
• Stone Smoked Porter is an American porter-style ale.
• Stone Cali-Belgique IPA (sometimes also spelled "Cali-Belgïe") is a West Coast style IPA brewed with Belgian yeast, a cross between an IPA and a Belgian ale.
• Stone Go To IPA is a session IPA, meaning it has a low ABV.
• Stone Delicious IPA is an IPA brewed with Lemondrop and El Dorado hops.

Special releases

• Double Bastard Ale is a more intense version of Arrogant Bastard, with an ABV of 11.2%. It is a special release item and goes on sale every November in 22 ounce and 3 liter bottles.
• Stone Imperial Russian Stout is a Russian Imperial Stout released in the 2nd quarter every year.
• Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine is a barley wine released in the 1st quarter every year.
• Lukcy Basatrd Ale is a blend of Arrogant Bastard Ale and Double Bastard Ale that is then oaked and dry-hopped. It is released only in even-numbered years, and Stone emphasizes that it should be consumed fresh, unlike Double Bastard which can be aged.
• Stone Enjoy By IPA are occasional releases of small one-time batches of IPA, with a date indicated when they should be consumed by (for example Enjoy By 04.01.13 should be consumed by April 1, 2013).
• Stone RuinTen IPA was originally released in 2012 as Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA, commemorating the 10th anniversary of Stone Ruination IPA.
• Stone Xocoveza for the Holidays and the New Year (pronounced "sho-co-VAY-zuh") is a mocha stout brewed with coffee, cocoa, nutmeg, vanilla, and pasilla peppers. It began as a recipe from San Diego homebrewer Chris Banker that won a Stone home-brew competition in 2014 and was brewed in collaboration with Cervecería Insurgente of Tijuana. Originally intended as a one-time release, but a massive outpouring of support led the company to make it an annual winter release.

Stone Anniversary Ale series

Stone releases an Anniversary Ale every summer, each one using a different recipe and bottle design.

Stone Vertical Epic Ale series

Between 2002 and 2012, Stone released a series of eleven beers under the Stone Vertical Epic Ale header. Each one uses a different recipe and is designed, when the release is complete, to complement its partners in a tasting of all eleven, one after the other (a "vertical tasting"). Each is released one year, one month, and one day apart, beginning with the first on February 2, 2002 (02.02.02 in a common date format on the Gregorian calendar); thus, the second was released on March 3, 2003 (03.03.03), the third on April 4, 2004, and so on. The last in the series was the Stone 12.12.12 Vertical Epic Ale.^[22]

• 02.02.02: Belgian Wit (brewed with orange peel, coriander, and black pepper)^[23]
• 03.03.03: Abbey Ale (brewed with coriander and grains of paradise)^[24]
• 04.04.04: Pale Ale (brewed with Kaffir lime leaves)^[25]
• 05.05.05: Pale Ale (brewed with Belgian candi sugar)^[26]
• 06.06.06: Dark Ale^[27]
• 07.07.07: Saison (brewed with grapefruit, orange, and lemon)^[28]
• 08.08.08: Belgian Golden Ale (dry hopped with a blend of Simcoe and Amarillo hops) ^[29]
• 09.09.09: Belgian Dark Ale (brewed with vanilla bean and French oak)^[30]
• 10.10.10: Strong Belgian Golden Ale (Chamomile-spiced with white wine grapes)^[31]
• 11.11.11: Copper Ale (brewed with cinnamon and New Mexico chile)^[32]
• 12.12.12: Winter Warmer (brewed with cinnamon, allspice, clove, orange peel, and rose hips)^[33]

Stochasticity Project series

A more experimental series of beers.

• Master of Disguise: a golden imperial stout utilizing cocoa, coffee and flaked oats^[34]
• Hibiscusicity: a Belgian ale utilizing wheat, hibiscus and orange peel^[35]
• Quadrotriticale: a Belgian quadrupel utilizing triticale^[36]
• Varna Necropolis: a Belgian golden ale aged in bourbon barrels^[37]
• Grapefruit Slam IPA: a double India pale ale utilizing grapefruit peel^[38]

Collaborations

Since 2008, Stone has released a series of collaboration beers jointly with other brewers. In 2009 Stone collaborated with breweries in Massachusetts and Scotland to produce Stone Juxtaposition Black Pilsner.^[39] In 2011, Stone collaborated with Green Flash Brewing Company of Vista and the Carlsbad location of the Pizza Port brewery-restaurant to brew and release Green Flash / Pizza Port Carlsbad / Stone Highway 78 Scotch Ale. It is named for California State Highway 78, sometimes called "the Hops Highway," which links the three cities.^[40] There are four additional collaborations planned for 2014.

Awards

Stone has won several awards at major international beer competitions.^[41][42]

Name	Style	Honors
Double Bastard Ale	Strong Ale	2005 Great American Beer Festival Silver
Levitation Ale	Amber Ale	2007 Great American Beer Festival Gold
Old Guardian	Barley Wine	2000 Great American Beer Festival Silver
Pale Ale	ESB	2008 World Beer Cup Bronze, 2006 Great American Beer Festival Bronze
Ruination	India Pale Ale	2006 World Beer Cup Bronze
Smoked Porter With Chipotle	Chile-spiced beer	2010 Great American Beer Festival Silver
Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale	Black India Pale Ale	2010 Great American Beer Festival Bronze
Imperial Russian Stout	Imperial Stout	2014 U.S. Open Beer Championship Gold
Go To IPA	Sessions Beer	2014 U.S. Open Beer Championship Gold

^[43]

See also

• Beer in San Diego County, California
• Beer in the United States

References

1. The Staff Page
2. Press Room
3. Request for Proposal
4. Morris, Chris. "Shakeup at craft beer giant Stone Brewing". Forbes. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
5. "The Press Room". Stone Brewing Company. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
6. Rowe, Peter (May 18, 2011). "Stone announces new Point Loma brewery restaurant, expansion". Sign On San Diego. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
7. https://www.brewersassociation.org/press-releases/brewers-association-lists-top-50-breweries-2015/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
8. "Pre-History". stonebrew.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
9. "Stone Pale Ale". Stone Brewing Company. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
10. "Beers Overview". Stone Brewing Company. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
11. "Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens". RateBeer. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
12. Kitsock, Greg (June 20, 2007). "A Bitter Divide". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
13. "The People Have Spoken!". BeerAdvocate Magazine, Volume II, Issue XI, posted at Stone Brewing:News. August 12, 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
14. Fikes, Bradley J. (March 5, 2006). "Stone Brewing Co. grows in Escondido". North County Times. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
15. Rowe, Peter (May 16, 2013). "Liberty Station's Stone age begins". San Diego Union Tribune.
16. "Stone Brewing Co. Harnesses the Power of the Sun with a Solar Electric System Installed by Borrego Solar Systems, Inc., Financed by Bank of America" (Press release). Bank of America. July 1, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
17. Verive, John (July 19, 2014). "Escondido's craft brew giant Stone announces plans for a Berlin expansion". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
18. "Stone Brewing Co. Names Richmond, Virginia, as Future Home for New Brewery and Destination Restaurant - VA Beer Trail". VA Beer Trail. October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
19. PEIFER, KARRI (February 19, 2016). "Stone Brewing in Richmond is open". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
20. "Getting Beer At The Stone Company Store". Stone Brewing Company. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
21. Ramsay, Reid (October 28, 2015). "Not Stone, but Arrogant Bastard Brewing". Beer Street Journal. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
22. Alstrom, Jason Todd (July 27, 2007). "Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale". dig Boston. Retrieved 2011-04-22.
23. "Stone Vertical Epic Ale". stonebrewing.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
24. "Stone Vertical Epic Ale". stonebrewing.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
25. "Stone Vertical Epic Ale". stonebrewing.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
26. "Stone Vertical Epic Ale". stonebrewing.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
27. "Stone Vertical Epic Ale". stonebrewing.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
28. "Stone Vertical Epic Ale". stonebrewing.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
29. "Stone Vertical Epic Ale". stonebrewing.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
30. "Stone Vertical Epic Ale". stonebrewing.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
31. "Stone Vertical Epic Ale". stonebrewing.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
32. "Stone Vertical Epic Ale". stonebrewing.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
33. "Brewing Stone 12.12.12 Vertical Epic Ale at Home". The Stone Blog. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
34. "Master of Disguise - Stochasticity Project". stochasticity.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
35. "Hibiscusicity - Stochasticity Project". stochasticity.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
36. "Quadrotriticale - Stochasticity Project". stochasticity.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
37. "Varna Necropolis - Stochasticity Project". stochasticity.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
38. "Grapefruit Slam IPA - Stochasticity Project". stochasticity.com. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
39. "Cambridge / Brewdog / Stone Juxtaposition Black Pilsner - Stone Brewing Co.". Beeradvocate.com. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
40. Stone Brewing Company. "Stone Brewing Co. releases new collaboration beer: Green Flash / Pizza Port Carlsbad / Stone Highway 78 Scotch Ale". Retrieved April 10, 2011.
41. "Stone Brewing". GABF Medal Winners. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
42. "Stone Brewing search results". World Beer Cup. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
43. U.S. Open Beer Championship http://www.usopenbeer.com/

External links

• Stone Brewing Official Site