Beer Me! — Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens — Escondido, California, United States

Read about our trip to Germany and Prague at
The "Beer Me" Blog!

This is not the official web site of

Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens

(Sapporo)

1999 Citracado Parkway
Escondido CA 92029
Telephone: +1 760-471-4999
Hours: Monday-Thursday 11:00am-midnight, Friday-Saturday 11:00am-2:00am, Sunday 10:00am-11:00pm. Tour passes are issued two hours prior to the start of the tour.
Brewer: Mitch Steele, Steve Wagner
[Contact] [Update]

Notes

Visited: April 14, 2004

Opened: 1996

Annual Production: 148,000 bbl

Contributors: Mario Kornmesser, Diane Crawford, Matt Misfeldt

Are you worthy? Thanks to Stone's Greg Koch for some of the bottles!

Stone moved from their original San Marcos location to their new and improved Escondido digs in 2006.

Updated: November 21, 2022

News

2022-06-24: Sapporo to acquire Stone Brewing, the brewery that kept saying it wasn’t interested in selling out (Craft Brewing Business)
2022-03-29: Stone Brewing’s Win in Trademark Case May Not Solve Financial Problems (ProBrewer)
2022-03-25: Jury Awards Stone Brewing $56 Million in Trademark Lawsuit (ProBrewer)
2021-03-17: Stone Brewing to Focus on Mexican-Style Lager (ProBrewer)
2020-09-14: Stone Brewing Searches for an Identity Amidst Lawsuits, Closures, and Controversies (Good Beer Hunting)
2020-08-21: National brewery goes after small Utah distillery for using 'stone' in its name (Salt Lake Tribune)
2020-08-04: Stone Brewing CEO Dominic Engels Resigns; Steve Wagner Takes Over as Interim CEO (Brewbound)
2020-03-30: STONE BREWING TM INFRINGEMENT CLAIMS PROCEED TO TRIAL AGAINST KEYSTONE (The Full Pint)
2018-02-13: Stone Brewing sues MillerCoors, Greg Koch explains (Craft Brewing Business)
2016-05-02: Stone Brewing co-founder announces craft beer angel investor (USA Today)
2015-09-11: Shakeup at craft beer giant Stone Brewing (Fortune)
2015-01-29: RIP Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous, You Will Be Missed (The Full Pint)
2014-04-17: Stone Brewing Co. honors brewer with $100K donation (San Diego Union Tribune)
2012-11-09: Stone Brewing Co. CEO Greg Koch Discusses New Pasadena Store (Los Angeles Magazine)
2012-05-27: Stone Brewing’s Koch on Europe, Iowa, challenges and succession (BeerPulse)
2011-12-19: Stone releases collaboration beer for Hurricane Irene victims (Beverage Industry)
2011-05-18: ‘Arrogant’ Brewer Announces $26.6 Million Expansion (Brewbound)
2010-11-19: Greg Koch: “Aussies, don’t buy Stone. Please” (Australian Brews News)
2010-11-11: Vertical Epic: Thanks, TABC, For Keeping A Coveted Beer Out Of Texas (Houston Press)
2010-10-11: Stone's tap takeover (Washington Post)
2010-09-29: Beer and politics: Stone's two campaigns (and one non-campaign) (Sign On San Diego)
2010-05-05: Request for Proposal: Brewery in Europe (Stone Brewing)
2009-12-21: Stone opening a new brewery in Europe? (Stone Brewing)
2009-09-05: Fast-Growing Stone Brewing Adds a Distribution Warehouse (San Diego Business Journal)
2009-09-02: Stone Brewing Company’s 13th Anniversary (Los Angeles Magazine)
2009-08-19: Stone Brewing reports heady growth, hiring plans (North County Times-Californian)

Beer List

10th Anniversary IPA

Imperial or Double India Pale Ale

10.00% abv.
11th Anniversary Ale / Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale (discontinued)

American-Style Black Ale

8.70% abv.
Awards:
- Bronze Medal, 2011 Stockholm Beer Festival
- Bronze Medal, 2010 Great American Beer Festival
- Gold Medal, 2010 US Open Beer Championship
- Date: April 1, 2010 (#8188)
  
  Package: bottled
  
  Place: from the brewery
  
  Score: 17½ points
  
  Appearance (3)
  Black. Dense head.
  
  Aroma (3½)
  Huge spicy hops!
  
  Mouthfeel (9)
  Big and thick and chewy. Black and bitter.
  
  Overall Impression (2)
  That sums it up pretty well: black and bitter. Thanks to KJ Harnack for the bottle!

12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

Chocolate/Cocoa Flavored Beer

9.20% abv.

Date: October 11, 2008 (#7458)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Completely black. Moderate brown head.

Aroma (3)
Sweetly black, with a tar-like phenolic.

Mouthfeel (8)
Massive body, fairly fizzy. Incredibly malty and intensely black. Sweet and burnt. Mild alcohol. Lingering black finish.

Overall Impression (2)
Maybe it'll age.

13th Anniversary Ale

Imperial or Double Red Ale

9.00% abv.

Date: November 20, 2009 (#8020)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Deep red. Thick dense head.

Aroma (3)
Intensely earthy and spicy and smoky.

Mouthfeel (9)
Huge, malty, spicy. Big resiny hop flavor and bitterness. Peat smoke?

Overall Impression (2)
It's a good beer. The bottle says "do not cellar", but I don't know...

14th Anniversary Emperial IPA

Imperial or Double India Pale Ale

15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA

American-Style Black Ale

2004 Symposium Ale

Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale

7.50% abv.

Date: May 8, 2004 (#5386)

Package: bottled

Place: Craft Brewers Conference, Milwaukee WI

Score: 18 points

Overall Impression (3)
Golden, very slight haze, big thick head. Oddly smoky aroma, with bananas and malt. Medium smooth body. Really malty. Lots of banana, fruity esters. Lots of alcohol. Lots of spicy, herbal hops. Could benefit from a couple years in the cellar, but who can wait that long?

Date: October 5, 2000 (#3579)

Package: draught

Place: Great American Beer Festival, Denver CO

Score: 14½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Golden, thick head. Citrusy-orange aroma. Light body, big citrus hop flavor, mildly bitter.

Date: September 29, 2001 (#3904)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 20 points

Overall Impression (3)
Bright golden, good head. BIG fresh spicy hop aroma. Medium body, big herbal spicy bitter hops all the way through. Smooth clean almost creamy finish.

Date: January 2, 2004 (#5179)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 20 points

Overall Impression (3)
Bright amber. High carbonation. Thick head. Huge fruity-spicy hop aroma. Big chewy body. Fiercely hoppy with a big biscuity malt base. Really nice balance for such an assertive beer...it's even a better tasting beer than their Ruination IPA.

Date: October 12, 2005 (#5784)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Deep golden. Hazy. Big thick white head.

Aroma (4)
Incredibly fruity, even from two feet away. Really spicy and grassy hops.

Mouthfeel (10)
Big body, real smooth. Intensely hoppy and pretty bitter. Huge fresh spicy hop flavor with a fair bit of citrus. Good sturdy malt base.

Overall Impression (3)

Date: January 11, 2011 (#8420)

Package: bottled

Place: Place unknown

Score: 19½ points

Appearance (3)
Deep red. Big thick head.

Aroma (3½)
Spicy, earthy, piney. Dark caramel.

Mouthfeel (10)
Big and malty. Huge piney hop flavor, big bitterness. Mildly resiny. Lots of darkish caramel malt.

Overall Impression (3)
Rich, flavorful, reasonably complex beer. Thanks to Avery for the bottle!

Date: October 5, 2000 (#3581)

Package: draught

Place: Great American Beer Festival, Denver CO

Score: 16½ points

Overall Impression (3½)
Deep amber, thick head. Huge spicy hop aroma. Medium-light body, very bitter. The bottled version was more intense and more complex.

Date: December 31, 1999 (#3368)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 20 points

Overall Impression (3)
~~Beautiful~~Arrogant deep ruby red, low carbonation, big head. ~~Big~~Arrogant citrus hop aroma. ~~Spicy, fruity~~Arrogant bitterness, medium-big body, huge caramel flavor. Very ~~nice~~arrogant eternal bitter hoppy finish. Plenty of ~~alcohol~~arrogance packed into a three-liter bottle! Thanks to Chuck Farnham for sending this ~~rare~~arrogant treat.

Date: June 26, 2013 (#9208)

Package: bottled

Place: John's Grocery, Iowa City IA

Score: 19½ points

Appearance (3)
Bright golden. Big fluffy head.

Aroma (3½)
Really perfumey.

Mouthfeel (10)
Medium-big body, fairly fizzy. Fresh malty base with big floral, grassy hops. Medium bitterness.

Overall Impression (3)
Tasty and very well-balanced.

Date: December 22, 2006 (#6224)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Deep bright red. Massive head.

Aroma (4)
Intense caramel. Smoky. Woody. "Rustic" hops.

Mouthfeel (10)
Huge body. Hugely smooth. Hugely malty. Massive hop flavor and bitterness.

Overall Impression (3)
Real tasty, complex. HUGE beer. I am not worthy. "2004 Release".

Date: February 2, 2003 (#4673)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 20 points

Overall Impression (3)
Bright brown, thick head. Intensely spicy aroma, lots of dark caramel, earthy. Big body. Phenomenally spicy…WASABI! Lots of caramel malt underneath, but it's nearly completely subdued by the assault of spicy hop flavor and bitterness. Absurdly hoppy, yet still in balance. Wow. Thanks to Byron Burrier for the bottle!

Date: April 23, 2022 (#11011)

Place: Northbound Liquor Store, Elk River MN

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Golden-amber. Slight haze. Huge rocky head.

Aroma (3)
Mild fruity pebbles. Biscuity.

Mouthfeel (9)
Medium-big body, smooth. Biscuity malt behind fruity hops. Medium bitterness. Citrus. More bitterness in the finish. Not too dry, not overly sweet.

Overall Impression (2)
Really a pretty good beer.

Date: August 26, 2017 (#9781)

Place: The Casual Pint, Omaha NE

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Hazy amber. Huge dense head.

Aroma (3)
Very grassy, fairly citrusy.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium body, moderate carbonation. Big grassy, fruity, grassy hop flavor, medium bitterness. Very mild bready malt. Finishes grassy and clean

Overall Impression (2)

Date: September 29, 2001 (#3906)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression (3)
BLACK. Dense brown head. Roasty, estery aroma. Thick, fairly bitter, mildly fruity, pretty black flavor. Nice balance all around. Drying alcoholic finish.

Date: September 22, 2002 (#4442)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression (3)
Black, thick brown head. Spicy hop aroma with some roast. Thick, INTENSE milk chocolate flavor. Mild hop flavor, not a lot of alcohol character.

Date: April 14, 2004 (#5318)

Package: draught

Place: O'Brien's Pub & Micro Brew, San Diego CA

Score: 20 points

Overall Impression (3)
Very very black. Moderate brown head. INTENSE chocolate aroma, and lots of coconut. HUGE thick body. IMMENSE chocolate flavor. LOTS of alcohol. GIGANTIC beer. SO good it hurts.

Date: December 22, 2003 (#5163)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 20 points

Overall Impression (3)
Dead black. Moderate head. Huge chocolate-anise aroma, alcoholic, and very smoky! Thick. Smooth. Chewy. Malty. Black. Alcoholic. Spicy. Warming. Sweet. Bitter. Etc.

Date: October 10, 2009 (#7955)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Black. Huge head.

Aroma (3)
Smoky alcohol.

Mouthfeel (9)
Huge and chewy. Lots of roast malt. A little warming.

Overall Impression (2)
Surprisingly subtle beer.

Date: February 15, 2006 (#5839)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 16½ points

Appearance (3)
Bright amber. Thick head.

Aroma (3)
Floral, spicy, earthy hops.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium-big body, creamy. Huge floral hop flavor, pretty bitter, but pretty sweet, too. Remarkably clean finish, considering.

Overall Impression (2½)

Date: August 22, 2013 (#9258)

Package: draught

Place: Krug Park, Omaha NE

Score: 15 points

Appearance (3)
Bright red. Dense head.

Aroma (3½)
Big piney hops. Lots of caramel malt.

Mouthfeel (7)
Medium-big body, smooth. Huge resiny hops, bitter. Dark biscuity malt, almost roasty. Resiny, almost harsh finish.

Overall Impression (1½)
Almost a great beer.

Date: April 14, 2004 (#5319)

Package: draught

Place: O'Brien's Pub & Micro Brew, San Diego CA

Score: 14 points

Overall Impression (2½)
BRIGHT red. Big thick head. Sweet, spicy, fruity hop aroma. Big body. Malty, spicy hops, and diacetyl.

Date: February 18, 2015 (#9494)

Package: draught

Place: Beercade, Omaha NE

Score: 16 points

Appearance (2½)
Red. Opaque. Dense head.

Aroma (3½)
Big spicy hops. Dark caramel malt.

Mouthfeel (8)
Big, fizzy. Lots of malt to support a huge spicy, piney hoppiness. Quite bitter. Hint of roast way in the background.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: July 11, 2008 (#7171)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Bright red. Thick head.

Aroma (4)
Smoky, malty.

Mouthfeel (10)
Big and chewy. Really malty and fairly smoky. Big resiny bitterness shows up late.

Overall Impression (3)
Very tasty beer!

Date: April 14, 2004 (#5327)

Package: draught

Place: San Diego Brewing, San Diego CA

Score: 18 points

Overall Impression (3)
Bright red. Moderate head. Huge candy-sweet aroma. Massively huge big body. Absolutely huge. Phenomenally malty. Sweet and strong. Some bitterness in the middle before it spins your head around.

Date: March 4, 2005 (#5587)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Bright copper color. Nice thick dense head.

Aroma (4)
Smoky, intensely malty.

Mouthfeel (10)
Huge. Creamy. Malty. Alcoholic. Bitter. Fruity.

Overall Impression (3)
The more adjectives you think of, the better you'll describe this beer.