Stone Brewing Co.

33.1157°N 117.1199°W / 33.1157; -117.1199

Stone Brewing
LocationEscondido, California
Opened1996 (1996)
Key peopleMaria Stipp (Chief Executive Officer)[1]
Greg Koch (Executive Chairman)[2]
Steve Wagner (President)[2]
Annual production volume325,645 US beer barrels (382,137 hL) (2015)[3]
Employees1,100[4]
Websitestonebrewing.com
For the English beer brand, see Stones Bitter.

Stone Brewing (formerly Stone Brewing Co.) is a brewery headquartered in Escondido, California, USA. Founded in 1996 in San Marcos, California,[3] it is the largest brewery in Southern California.[5] Based on 2020 sales volume it is the ninth largest craft brewery in the United States.[6]

The brewery's first beer was Stone Pale Ale,[7] which was considered to be its flagship ale[8] until it was retired in 2015.[9] The company's best known brand is Arrogant Bastard Ale, which has been described as a "watershed beer" that "put San Diego on the craft brew map."[10] Most of Stone's 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, ranging from 4.8% to 13%.[11]

Stone Brewing is rated as a "world class brewery" by the two largest beer enthusiast websites, RateBeer and BeerAdvocate.[12][13] Stone Brewing has been voted by the readers of Beer Advocate as the #1 "All Time Top Brewery on Planet Earth."[14]

In June 2022, Stone and Sapporo Breweries announced that they had reached an agreement for Sapporo to purchase Stone Brewing, with the purchase expected to close in August 2022.

History

Stone opened in San Marcos in 1996 at the location currently home to Port Brewing Company and The Lost Abbey.[7] 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.

Since 1999, the company has also operated its own distribution arm called Stone Distributing Company which services Southern California and represents more than 40 craft beer, cider and kombucha brands.[15]

A tour of the Escondido, California location in 2009.

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 325,645 US beer barrels in 2015. The site is also home to a restaurant, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens - Escondido, an 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 and 40-ounce and can that can be filled with Stone's year-round beers and special releases.[16]

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. It is housed in the former mess hall and several other historic buildings of the former Naval Training Center San Diego.[17]

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's Little Italy community. The stores sell beer in bottles, kegs and growlers.[5]

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.[18]

In Summer 2014, the company announced plans to open Stone Brewing Berlin in the German capital.[19] A 100 hectoliter brewery with onsite can filling in Berlin Mariendorf went into operation in June 2016. At that time, Stone Berlin began distributing Stone IPA and Arrogant Bastard Ale to Austria, the Baltics, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In 2016 a corner of Stone Brewing Berlin opened as a full restaurant and gardens, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens - Berlin. In April 2019 the entire Stone Brewing - Berlin operation was sold to Scotland-based BrewDog.[20]

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.[21] The brewery held the opening of the Stone Company Store Richmond in March 2016 and began brewing, kegging and bottling Stone IPA in July 2016.

The second story bar at Stone Brewing Company in Napa, California

In May 2016, the company announced plans to open a tap room and 10-barrel brewing system in Napa, California, the heart of California's Wine Country. The facility is housed in the historic Borrero building in downtown Napa and opened in May 2018.[22][23]

On February 12, 2018, Stone filed a lawsuit against MillerCoors, the makers of Keystone beer, alleging that they were attempting to co-opt their name after a brand revamp that emphasizes the word "Stone" on the sides of their products.[24]

Beginning in 2018, Stone's legal representatives systematically alleged trademark infringement against any organization that used the word Stone or Bastard in the name of the company or product. Many of the companies are unrelated to the beer industry. Over 90 objections have been filed to date.[25]

In June 2022, Stone and Sapporo Breweries announced that they had reached an agreement for Sapporo to purchase Stone Brewing for $168 million, with the purchase expected to close in August 2022. The sale did not include Stone Distributing, which is set to become its own independent company.[26][27]

Locations
  • Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Escondido
  • Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station
  • Stone Brewing Richmond
  • Stone Brewing Tap Room – Oceanside
  • Stone Brewing Tap Room – Pasadena
  • Stone Brewing Tap Room – Kettner

Awards

Stone has won several awards at major international beer competitions.[28][29]

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
Witty Moron Other Belgian Style Ale 2014 and 2017 Great American Beer Festival Gold
Delicious IPA Near Gluten Free 2016 U.S. Open Beer Championship Gold
Tropic of Thunder India Pale Lager 2019 U.S. Open Beer Championship Bronze
Stone IPA West Coast IPA 2021 U.S. Open Beer Championship Gold

See also

References
  1. "Stone Brewing announces Maria Stipp as CEO". The Coast News. September 1, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  2. "Staff Page". Stonebrewing.com. 24 March 2016.
  3. "Press Room". Stonebrewing.com. 13 July 2015.
  4. Morris, Chris. "Shakeup at craft beer giant Stone Brewing". Fortune. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  5. Rowe, Peter (May 18, 2011). "Stone announces new Point Loma brewery restaurant, expansion". Sign On San Diego. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  6. "Brewers Association Releases the Top 50 Brewing Companies by Sales Volume for 2020". Brewers Association. 30 Mar 2021. Retrieved 13 Apr 2021.
  7. "Pre-History". stonebrew.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  8. "Stone Pale Ale". Stone Brewing Company. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
  9. Verive, John (5 March 2015). "Say goodbye to these three Stone beers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  10. Hernandez, Brandon. "Rising Tide in San Diego". The Beer Connoisseur, archived at Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. "Beers Overview". Stone Brewing Company. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  12. "Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens". RateBeer. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
  13. Kitsock, Greg (June 20, 2007). "A Bitter Divide". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
  14. "The People Have Spoken!". BeerAdvocate Magazine, Volume II, Issue XI, posted at Stone Brewing:News. August 12, 2011. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  15. "Stone Distributing Co. Adds Societe Brewing, Jiant Hard Kombucha". Brewbound. 2020-12-16. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  16. Fikes, Bradley J. (March 5, 2006). "Stone Brewing Co. grows in Escondido". North County Times. Archived from the original on February 1, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
  17. Rowe, Peter (May 16, 2013). "Liberty Station's Stone age begins". San Diego Union Tribune.
  18. "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. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  19. Verive, John (July 19, 2014). "Escondido's craft brew giant Stone announces plans for a Berlin expansion". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  20. Concepcion, Mariel (April 8, 2019). "Stone Brewing Co. to Close Berlin Brewery". San Diego Business Journal. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  21. "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.
  22. Hirsh, Lou (May 22, 2016). "Stone Brewing Expanding to Wine Country with Napa Tap Room, Brewery". San Diego Business Journal. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  23. Lutz, Henry. "Stone Brewing opening its riverfront gastropub in landmark Napa building". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  24. Snider, Mike. "A legal brew-ha-ha: Stone Brewing sues MillerCoors over Keystone packaging". usatoday.com. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  25. "USPTO TTABVUE. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Inquiry System". ttabvue.uspto.gov. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  26. "Sapporo U.S.A. to Acquire Stone Brewing". www.businesswire.com. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  27. Traylor, Daniel (24 June 2022). "Sapporo U.S.A. to acquire Stone Brewing as its moves to speed up global expansion". The Japan Times. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  28. "Stone Brewing". GABF Medal Winners. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  29. "Stone Brewing search results". World Beer Cup. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
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