Stone Brewing

Stone Enjoy By 10-31-23 in a 12 oz. can dated 8-28. Enthused at the thought of Nelson Sauvin being added to an all-star lineup of American hops. At 9.4 ABV I was expecting a pretty good punch. Even though it had overtones of NS, it was obviously toned down, much to my chagrin. Stone has been on a general decline since its early days of producing knock out beers. I fear the sale and catering to the general public will water down what's left of a once great brewery. In retrospect I would pass on this one as not up to previous standards.

 

Time to review another favorite! (Note: The Escondido location). We couldn't even find this place with a GPS 10 years ago .. The GPS yammering some thing about "West Citracado Parkway..." OMG. Finally after driving all over the wrong side of town (including and dead ends and residential), we ended up in the right place. And wow, this has become a destination for us now. We stay at the Holliday Inn, just down the hill so that if you end up drinking too many tasty beers, that the cab ride is less than 10 bucks to get you back home! This turns out to be important. We have come here for almost a dozen years, as use Escondido for a San Diego base for our adventures. A Big brewery destination. A master plan of breweries with fabulous indoor open spaces and outdoor open air seating! The atmosphere is fantastic. The food gets better and better each year! They started out with pretzels and mustard and evolved in to complex spiced BBQ tacos (pulled Pork, Shrimp, Fish, and even Birria (Goat!) taco's and more). Service? Well it is evolving. It is now a QR Scan at the table, where you can order most beers (even specials), and foods right from the table without even speaking to a table waiter/waitress. Great. It works (mostly). But we found that waiters can get you special beers which do not appear on the menu! So ask. Growlers. We always bring like 2. They always have specials at the tasting center (yes, there is a station where all beers can be sampled freely, and growlers filled). Lots of swag too. You may want to make reservations for a table, as we have waited up to an hour at the bar once or twice before. The outdoor section just comes alive on and around the weekends, and I can't say enough for the safe, friendly atmosphere found at this brewery. Great times.

This place is very large with a wide selection of beers, also has a merchandise section. For what this place lacks for not being smaller and more personable, it makes up for in quality in the location, beer location/selection, and food. It can get very busy here, so do be aware of that.

Our experience on the first visit left much for improvement. For starters the tour wasn't clear and after waiting a while for it to begin, we discovered it was booked. We then decided to get a table, but found there was a 2 hour wait. We left and returned the next day, earlier this time. Unfortunately the tours were all booked, but a table was not as long of a wait. We stayed and was glad we did. The food was great as were the beers. I'm a flight guy, I like to try more. Their flights were nice, decent pours. The ambience was top notch as well, afterwards we had some more drinks in the garden behind. Really enjoyed the visit, hoping to go again and do the tour. I did buy an Arrogang Bastard pint glass for myself anyway.

20200831

Visited with my wife on a recent trip to San Diego and Los Angeles.

Tried the following:
Stone Escondido - Moxee Gold IPA (draft)
Stone Pilot Series: Sanctimonious IPA (draft)
Stone Liberty Station - Berubade IPA (sample)

Beers ranged from very good to outstanding. Also had a tasty lunch here. Service was quick and attentive, as we never had an empty glass and our food arrived in reasonable time. Great atmosphere at the bar, and we enjoyed our tour of the gardens. Bought some nice schwag and a sixer of Tangerine Express for our Airbnb, which was drinking lovely. Our overall experience was fantastic, and we would definitely come back.

 

 

 

Wow, this place is massive, and I only saw a small portion of it. Huge industrial building with large entrance in the middle of the building that leads into the merch sales area, which meanders into the tour registration area which leads into a gigantic dining room/ tap room. Lots of glass, revealing the spacious patio on one side and the brewery on the other. The vaulted ceiling, the massive blocks of stone jutting out of the floor, and the wall art give the place a cathedral-esque feel. There is a rectangular bar towards the back of the room that seats about 25 and is partitioned off from the much larger dining area by a half wall. I did not go out into the patio area, but it looked a bit like a tropical oasis and my guess is there would be another bar out there also. 20 plus well assorted beers on tap, I had the Ghost Hammer IPA which was very nice. Friendly bartender, although she seemed to have a bit of a blind spot when it comes to old dudes. This place is a must visit for any craft beer enthusiast, even the restrooms are interesting. I can't help feeling like I missed a lot in this description. And, I did not try their food, but that's just another reason to make it back soon.

 

I’ve been to Stone a decent amount of times now, so it’s fair that I should write a small review. Stone has always impressed me with their brewery, the first time I went I had a hard time figuring out what building it was. It’s subtle, but a beautiful location inside. Very spacious and usually get my table (if I having to wait for one), quickly or sooner than my wait time is supposed to be.
Food is always great, and it offers a good selection for beer and food pairings.
Service has been great, have only ever had bad service once out of the two handfulls of times I’ve been there. It’s definitely a must stop for anyone in San Diego for the first time.

The main Stone location in Escondido is, I suppose, like a Disneyland of craft beers. It's a very large and well funded establishment. If you are not careful, it's easy to miss. There was a small sign directing you to the parking lot. Also, most of the brewery is obscured from the street.

From the parking lot, you walk through a tunnel of vegetation (I think bamboo stalks). Once you get to the entrance you check in with the hostess. There's a gift shop right there. It also seems to be the ending place for their brewery tour. There's a large bar area with lots of tables and seating inside. Also, lots of space outside too, with a garden and water features.

It was very crowded and lively. I had a glass of Berliner Weisse and walked the grounds. I had a nice time. Next time, when in the area, I'll visit again and have a meal.

If you like craft beers, Stone in Escondido, is probably a must visit destination if you are in or near San Diego.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very good beers

 

 

 

Its pretty much what you'd expect: super modern and well-kept, HUGE, picturesque, giant gift shop/store, extensive menu with seasonal and farm-to-table offerings. Very "Stone," and very well funded. The downsides here are that it can get VERY crowded which leads to long wait times, its pricey (especially for food) and service isnt always the greatest.

Your mileage may vary but overall, I enjoy the place...Ive just walked in to turn around and walk right back out (because of crowds) more than once.

 

 

 

 

An excellent place. Beautiful zen garden with a spring running through. A lot of beers on tap too. I went on a tour, and they show you all the working mechanism of the brewery. Great smell of the wort too!

 

 

 

 

 

Stone Escondido was an awesome place. I loved the food and garden. My biggest complaint was the vibe. Unlike other breweries it didn't have that laid back, community feel that I love when I visit other establishments. Either way its 100% worth visiting if you're nearby. The peruvian chicken was so good and the beer is well above average.