Why no Love for Stone?

Say whaah??

 

I have intense nostalgia for their original Pale Ale. It was my "desert camping" beer, and it was available at many places that didn't have a lot of craft on tap. I LOVED how it was more of an English-style Pale Ale. Such a delicious, solid beer. Wish that they had kept it.

 

I've been thinking a lot lately about how Stone has abandoned their entire core line-up that put them on the map (Pale Ale, Levitation, Smoked Porter, IPA -- v.1.0, Ruination -- v.1.0; and now Old Guardian and Russian Imperial Stout). I can understand that if a brand is not selling, that creating a new version of it (2.0) or discontinuing it and replacing it with a rotating offering, etc., seems like a necessary move, but it's really disconcerting and disappointing. I wonder what would happen if a brewery just stood their ground on their core line-up and see if the market would eventually come back around to appreciate the quality and craftsmanship of those beers. But, I get that there is an inherent danger of losing your ass if you dig your heals in and refuse to go with whatever the current trends are.

 

The problem with stone where I am is availability and age of the beer. Stone has popped up here and there in out LCBO stores in Ontario but normally it's not a lot and buy the time it gets here it's got a large import sticker slapped on the side of it. Here it's just a shelf beer with the locals getting more shelf space at the stores. That and where I live personally there are 10-15 brewery's with in a half hour of me.

 

They are re-releasing the Vertical Epic series....no complaints other than release more of the
earlier variants.

 

Was that Locoveza, or another one?

 

Definitely agree with the former. As to the later, I think they still very much stand out. EJB has the BB date on every container in prominent lettering. While I certainly applaud recent efforts by others, including @Sixpoint, to make it easier on consumers to know the age of the product, Stone is still the leader in this aspect in my book. I can't blame them for focusing (while in my eyes a disproportionate share of) their lineup on IPAs given the popularity, I'm hopeful that many of their darker and higher ABV recipes will continue to make a rotating appearance and thus addressing some of the shelf freshness issues. Outside of Ruination 1.0, the one recipe I'd stock (again) in my beer fridge would be Levitation. The ultimate session beer long before they were popular.

Edit: I'd also add that while all their BA efforts are met with mixed results, there have definitely been some 'home runs' for my palate.

 

Stone beers are still solid (given their huge range of production and variety).
Xocoveza
Ripper
Enjoy by....

are all on my list when I see them on tap or in a store and not more than a few weeks old. Xveza ages well, too, and remains delicious through the winter.

 

Wow this is tough for me. STONE is my favorite brewery. I know, I know why have a favorite? I don't know. I just look forward to every release from them. And I have been to the brewery in Escondido. I don't think it has to do with STONE at all. The craft beer craze is getting 'crowded', if you will. So many more excellent options. I get it. But STONE is an original. Not every beer I am blown away by, but I can generally count on them. I wonder if their sales have gone down? Certainly hope not. Just curious. But Stone should never be forgotten, IMO.

 

I'm right there with you. They really are my favorite brewey. The only reason I don't buy more of their beers than I do is that they are not available in my home state, but whenever I travel, they are one of the first breweries I look for. I just got an update from a WV bottleshop I follow that they are coming soon tho and I am sooooo stoked! I think they are going to be getting Ghost Hamner and I can't wait to try it.

 

I looked back at my ratings and I have always rated them a little lower than the norm but the gap has increased as time has gone by. Nothing has ever really struck a chord with me so there is something else I'll try.

 

I stopped buying a lot of Stone beers for a couple reasons:

- they keep fucking with recipes (IPA, Ruination, Pale Ale) - all the original versions were better
- the beer I've had from the VA facility has been sub par for Stone

 

Was that a recent purchase?

Cheers!

 

I love how experimental stone is, but a lot of their beers are very meh overall. They have some great beers like their RIS, Xocoveza, some batches of enjoy by, Wootstout, and a few of their quingente milliliter series, but the majority of their beers aren't worth seeking out with what is available nowadays.

 

Got better, fresher here in MA.

 

I like Stone still. They're consistent, which sometimes can be hit or miss with smaller local breweries. Plus Stone is readily available almost everywhere.

 

Did you really just say that Dogfish has standard beers?

I mean Sam's whole thing is trying to make crazy beers with weird ingredients...

 

Northern Lights Rare Beer Fest added 2 new photos.
February 6 ·
Beer Announcement: Stone Brewing

*2015 Locoveza Charred - Stone Xocoveza Mocha Stout aged and soured in bourbon barrels. Xocoveza is harmoniously layered with cocoa, Mostra Coffee, pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and milk sugar, this beer is an insanely delicious take on Mexican hot chocolate. The souring microflora transported our bourbon barrel-aged mocha stout to crazy new depths. The sourness marries magnificently with the toffee-like richness and oak vanillin character from the barrels and the chocolate, coffee and spice flavors of the base beer. We invite you to explore the irrationally delicious result of a barrel-aged beer gone loco.
Stone Xocoveza Mocha Stout aged & soured in Bourbon Barrels

Release Date: November 2, 2015

The base beer is the recipe of 2014 Stone Homebrew Competition winner Chris Banker, an intensely flavorful milk stout brewed with cocoa, coffee and spices to mimic the flavors of Mexican hot chocolate.

At first we were super bummed when a bunch of barrels of barrel-aged Xocoveza inexplicably soured. Then we tasted it. Turns out that the souring microflora transported our bourbon barrel-aged mocha stout to crazy new depths. The sourness marries magnificently with the toffee-like richness and oak vanillin character from the barrels and the chocolate, coffee and spice flavors of the base beer. We invite you to explore the irrationally delicious result of a barrel-aged beer gone loco.

Added by dwagner003 on 11-06-2015

This beer is retired; no longer brewed.


BEER STATS

 

Yes Locoveza, I thought it was pretty classless. The tickets to the fest were $100 and while most breweries brought some fine (some finer than others) beers I felt Stone could have brought better. Like I said, I'll spend my beer money elsewhere.

 

I enjoy the beers Stone does well. But lately it seems like when they try something new (outside enjoy by) they try to hard. Their is just so many good beers out there I don't find myself going back to the same ones over and over. I get a good break from them and then they seem great again when you try them.