Stone Brewing Co.

Stone Pale Ale 2.0 Released

A new spin on a Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, CA) classic – Stone Pale Ale 2.0. The brewery recently retired their classic offering, Stone Pale Ale, to bring forth this redesign recipe.

Stone Pale 2.0 uses a fairly new varietal of Continue Reading →

Stone Bourbon Barrel Arrogant Bastard Releases Today

Stone Bourbon Barrel Aged Arrogant Bastard has been officially released in 6-packs starting today, April 27th.

Stone Arrogant Bastard, the brewery’s American strong ale, has spent months in Kentucky bourbon barrels prior to bottling.

As so infamously communicated via its verbose bottle Continue Reading →

Posted in Headlines, Stone Brewing Co.

Stone 19th Anniversary Thunderstruck: All Australian

Stone 19th Anniversary Thunderstruck celebrates the brewery’s 19th year of operation. If you know anything about Stone, they love hops, live hops, and drink hops better than most breweries in the world. Of course, Stone 19th Anniversary Thunderstruck celebrates two things: brewing, and Humulus lupus. (Hops.)

Stone 19th Anniversary Thunderstruck will feature all Australian hops, including Ella, Galaxy, Topaz, and Vic-Secret. That last one is a hop, not sexy underwear producer. Stone even flew in Fairview malt from Australia.

Ella, Galaxy, Topaz, Vic Secret-no, these aren’t the  names of the performers at your local “gentleman club” (at least as far as we know). Rather, these exotic, and admittedly rather sexy, Australian hop varietals that have been dancing on the minds and pallets of the craft brewing intelligentsia around the world of late. We’ve been openly flirting with them via test batches, and they become popular around or brewhouse thanks to their sensual flavors and aromas. So in developing our celebratory anniversary beer, we decided it was time to seal the deal and take these down under wonder beauties to the main stage at Stone. And what better way than allowing them to strut their stuff in the spotlight as the sole focus for the luscious tropical, peachy, citrus like flavors and slightly residence, aromatically dank earthiness of the special, all Aussie consummation! Also invited to the stage as a special guest performer is Fairview malt which we had shipped in from Australia especially for this brew.

As you’ll discover, this beer brings the boom, delivering it to the pallet in a volume is thunderclap back by the power of our 19 years of brewinf and passion and intensity. All told, a great kick off to the veritable beer storm that will be our 20th year of brewing. We have many special beers plan for release to celebrate, so let this serve as the first course to what will be in undoubtably epic feast for craft beer enthusiasts, with particular thanks to those who’ve been with us from the long haul and helped us obtain such longevity. Consider this the first of many thank you’s for years to come!

Stone 19th Anniversary Thunderstruck will be available during the brewery’s two day anniversary celebration in August, and nationally across Stone’s markets shortly after.

Style: Imperial IPA
Hops: Ella, Galaxy, Topaz, and Vic-Secret
Availability: 22oz Bottles, Draft.
Release: August, 2015

9% ABV

Image via Stone Brewing Co. Turn the volume up and crank the video below. 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Don't Miss This, New Releases, Stone Brewing Co.

Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout, Edition 3 Released

Stone Brewing Company looks to bring the nerd gang back together with another release of Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout.

Back in 2013,  Stone’s co-founder Greg Koch teamed up with Will Wheaton (aka Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: Next Gen) and Fark.com founder Drew Curtis. The group created an Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout, imperial stout with pecans and rye malt that was partially barrel aged. Then, 2014 rolled around and brought w00tstout 2.0, and a new actress into the collaboration, Aisha Tyler.

Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout is back on shelves again, with the original folks back at the brewing realm. For this third edition, the brewery added last year’s vintage that Stone has been aging in bourbon for more than a year.

This years artwork was created by comic book cover artist Dave “The Reverend” Johnson. Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout is now available in 22oz bottles starting July 8th, 2015.

Style: Imperial Stout (w/ Pecans, Rye, Barrel Aged. Bourbon)
Availability: 22oz bombers, Draft
Distribution: AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA and Puerto Rico
Internationally:  Australia; Alberta and British Columbia, Canada; Japan; and Singapore

Arrival: July, 2015

13% ABV, 45 IBUs

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Headlines, Stone Brewing Co.

Stone Arrogant Bastard To Be Brewed at Great Divide, Maui & More

Stone Brewing Co.’s Arrogant Bastard is going on a road trip this summer. The American strong ale will be brewed at other craft breweries in the near future.

First stop for Arrogant Bastard is Great Divide Brewing on July 31st. Hawaii’s Maui Brewing Co. and Scotland’s Brewdog are on the list.

The reason is a little ambiguous right now, but in true Arrogant fashion, the Bastard has this to say –

What, you thought me so naïve and foolishly tunnel-visioned I’d turn a blind eye to the craft brewing innovation occurring outside Stone’s four walls? Quite the opposite—my omnipotent visage has been widely affixed on anyone exhibiting forward-thinking, outlandish, clever, incredible or otherwise noteworthy brewing expertise, no matter where they are. So, those are the artisans I will seek out, content to bask in the glow of their innovation, while offering my own liquid lessons. What lessons you ask? How my being brewed in their brewhouses will change them for all eternity, of course. You should continue checking in with me. Who knows where I may end up, and how I might taste at these noteworthy temples of liquid arrogance.

Along with the road trip, you’ll see new snarky labels on the back of the bottles (Seen above.) Follow along – road.arrogantbastard.com

Developing…

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Headlines, New Releases, Stone Brewing Co.

Stone’s Latest Stochasticity: HiFi + LoFi Mixtape

Stone Stochasticity HiFi + LoFi Mixtape is now shipping out Stone’s home of San Diego, California. Each release in the Stochasticity Project is an experimentation; a unique departure from the brewery’s lineup.

STONE is a blend of fresh beer and barrel aged beer. The barrel aged beer was aged for more than months in wood foudres.

This modern brew will showcase our brewers’ talents by blending a stock ale aged more than three months in oak foudres (large wooden fermentation vessels) with a fresh version of the same beer to create a perfect harmony spanning end to end on the taste spectrum.

Stone Stochasticity HiFi + LoFi Mixtape is a one-off release, available in 22oz bottles.

Style: American Strong Ale (Partially Barrel Aged)
Hops: Fuggles, Apollo, Target
Malts: English Pale, English Mild Ale, English Amber

Availability: 22oz Bottles, Draft.

Distribution: AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA and Puerto Rico

International Distribution: Australia; Alberta and British Columbia, Canada; Japan; Singapore and United Kingdom

8.8% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Ecliptic Brewing, Stone Brewing Co., Wicked Weed Brewing Co

Stone Points Unknown IPA with Wicked Weed & Ecliptic Ships

Stone Points Unknown IPA, a three-way collaboration featuring Ecliptic Brewing (Portland, OR) and Asheville, North Carolina’s Wicked Weed Brewing has hit shelves.

if you know anything about these three breweries, then the result of the collaboration will make perfect sense. Not one style was going to to properly envelop these brewery’s styles, so they brewed two beers. Stone Points Unknown IPA is a double IPA, blended with a barrel aged Belgian-style tripel.

In creating our latest collaboration beer, It wasn’t easy deciding how best to pool the resources of brewers from three spatially distant points within the brewing universe: Portland, Oregon brewing legend and Ecliptic Brewing founder John Danis, and Luke and Walt Dickinson, the hop-and-funk brewmaster duo behind Asheville, North Carolina’s Wicked Weed Brewing. It seemed no single beer could adequately convey all that they and Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele bring to the brewhouse. So, this veritable triad of power opted to brew TWO beers: a traditional Belgian-style tripel and a West Coast imperial IPA. Doing so allowed them to work within the parameters of all styles while taking things in interesting directions, adding a touch of Southern Califomia style and petting into the spirit! The tripelwas transferred into barrels that originally housed red wine before finding a second life as vessels for aging tequila. Four months later,that beer was excavated, then blended at a one-fifth to four-fifths ratio with the freshly brewed double IPA to create the beer you now hold: a hind of the traditional and the new, presenting a variety of diverse flavors that coalesce into something more unique than any one beer our trio could have conceived. Its eventual flavors were a mystery to even the group of master brewers who created it, but now they await the palates of those thirsting to venture to points unknown within the rapidly expanding craft beer galaxy. In other words: You.

Stone Points Unknown IPA is now available in 22oz bottles and draft.

Style: American Strong Ale (Barrel Aged. Tequila.)
Availability: 22oz Bottles, Draft.
Distribution: AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA and Puerto Rico.

Internationally: Australia; Alberta and British Columbia, Canada; Japan; Singapore; Sweden; and United Kingdom
Release: Mid-May, 2015

9% ABV 

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Don't Miss This, Stone Brewing Co.

Stone Pale Ale 2.0 Released

A new spin on a Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, CA) classic – Stone Pale Ale 2.0. The brewery recently retired their classic offering, Stone Pale Ale, to bring forth this redesign recipe.

Stone Pale 2.0 uses a fairly new varietal of hop the Mandarins Bavaria. The original Stone Pale Ale uses Magnum and Ahtanum hops.

As artisans, our passion for brewing is embodied in our beers. With this pale ale, our verve is represented with the classic quartet of hops, malt, water and yeast. In your first sip, you will encounter the best of two worlds—the New and the Old. This decidedly American West Coast pale ale showcases the full essence of the vivid Mandarins Bavaria hop, a relatively new varietal born from the storied fields of Bavaria. Floral notes and bright flavors akin to the mandarin oranges referenced in the hop’s moniker come to the forefront against a crisp, highly satisfying malt backdrop. In this but you can contemplate aspects of our past, present and future. Welcome to Stone Pale Ale 2.0, the out evolution in our brewing story. We’re glad you’re with us on this journey!

Stone Pale Ale 2.0 is now available year-round in 12oz bottles and draft.

Style: Pale Ale
Hops: Mandarina Bavaria
Distribution: AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA and Puerto Rico.

International: Australia; Alberta and British Columbia, Canada; Japan; Singapore; Sweden; and United Kingdom
Release: 4/27/15

6% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Headlines, New Releases, Stone Brewing Co.

Stone Bourbon Barrel Arrogant Bastard Releases Today

Stone Bourbon Barrel Aged Arrogant Bastard has been officially released in 6-packs starting today, April 27th.

Stone Arrogant Bastard, the brewery’s American strong ale, has spent months in Kentucky bourbon barrels prior to bottling.

As so infamously communicated via its verbose bottle label, Arrogant Bastard Ale is more than the average human being can ever hope to tackle, much less appreciate. But rather than dialing it back for the masses, we’ve pumped it up for the truly Worthy, sequestering Arrogant Bastard Ale in Kentucky bourbon barrels for several months to take it to places an even smaller percentage of the general population will be able to fathom.

Stone Bourbon Barrel Aged Arrogant Bastard is billed as “ultra-limited.” Look for 12oz bottles/6-packs across all of the brewery’s markets starting April 27th. Note, some off-premise accounts may break the six packs and sell by the bottle in order to ensure more customers a taste.

Style: American Strong Ale (Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability: 12oz Bottles. Limited release.
Launch: 4/27/15

?? ABV

by Reid Ramsay