Do u think stone is a top 5 brewery in the U.S.?

Williams 728
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I live in Michigan and have never had the opportunity to try anything by Russian River, or a few other west coast breweries. Based on what I have had I would probably say for USA breweries.... 1 Bell's 2 Founder's 3 Jolly Pumpkin 4 Dogfish Head 5 Rogue (Great Lakes, Arbor Brewing, and Sierra Nevada honorable mentions)

I haven't had enough beer from Stone to give them a fair shake, but their IPA is fantastic.
 
I enjoy a few of Stones offerings but there are quite a few I would put above them easily with Avery being in my top 5 without a doubt.

Are they good at making a badass hoppy beer? Yes but there are many other categories they are weak in and the prices they charge are ridiculous IMO.
 
No way I could put Dogfish Head over Stone. I don't know if there top five but they brew some of my favorite beers and I would say there pretty damn close to it. But there are so many great breweries it's hard to make a list, the list may change depending on my taste that day.

Plus if your upset about him saying how many people would talk about Stone being a top five brewery it seems to be proven somewhat on the amount of talk this thread has generated in a really short time.
 
I'll throw my vote for Stone, too - but I'm in CA as well.

Yeah the location is great, but they offer such a great variety of great beers.
Enjoy By? Yeah, it's THAT good.
IPA - Solid
Levitation - one of, if not their best beers IMO. Who else makes a session ale that has that much character and flavor? (Rhetorical)
Arrogant Bastard - Sure, when I'm in the mood.

I've been lucky enough to try a lot of beer and I would definitely put Stone in the top 5 considering the number and range of great beers they have to offer (above list not being comprehensive, mind you).
 
I'll just interject the point that stone isn't even a top 5 San Diego county brewery.

Alpine, Ballast Point, Alesmith, Bruery, Lost Abbey/Port are all better.
 
Xpertskir said:
I'll just interject the point that stone isn't even a top 5 San Diego county brewery.

Alpine, Ballast Point, Alesmith, Bruery, Lost Abbey/Port are all better.
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Ouch, Bruery's a better San Diego County brewery than Stone, and they're not even in SD County.
 
Xpertskir said:
I'll just interject the point that stone isn't even a top 5 San Diego county brewery.

Alpine, Ballast Point, Alesmith, Bruery, Lost Abbey/Port are all better.
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Coronado Brew Company and Mission Brewery are better than STONE, but I love Iron Fist too. Ballast Point donates a couple cases of Yellowtail Pale Ale to our Annual Bluewater Spearfishing meet (San Diego Freedivers Club) and the diver who lands and brings in the largest Yellowtail gets the prize. I love Ballast Point as a Brewery and the fact that all their labels have fish associated with the style.

As a side note for all fishermen in regards to STONE> I have stopped drinking Stone and will not purchase a single STONE product ever again due to the fact they gave over $8,000 a few years ago during MLPA (Marine Life Protection Act) which aided the closure of several fishing spots up and down the coast of CA. He says he got the money back, but no he didn't. The Waterman's Alliance which is still fighting all the fishing closures has all the contributors to the closures and STONE was never removed. So as good as Arrogant Bastard Ale is, I could care less.
 
thisisbeer said:
No way I could put Dogfish Head over Stone. I don't know if there top five but they brew some of my favorite beers and I would say there pretty damn close to it. But there are so many great breweries it's hard to make a list, the list may change depending on my taste that day. Plus if your upset about him saying how many people would talk about Stone being a top five brewery it seems to be proven somewhat on the amount of talk this thread has generated in a really short time.
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Ha, it's true about lists changing... I'm already doubting mine
 
Xpertskir said:
I'll just interject the point that stone isn't even a top 5 San Diego county brewery.

Alpine, Ballast Point, Alesmith, Bruery, Lost Abbey/Port are all better.
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I totally agree about Ballast and Lost Abbey are better. Lost Abbey's tasting room is in San Marcos near Escondido/Vista and it kicks A$$. Some awesome brews. Then again San Diego County is seriously like Micro and Brewery Heaven. There are over 12 Breweries within 5 miles from my house.:mug:
 
I guess its all about preference. Good thing we have choices in the craft beer world, and that in turn gives us preference. There are many factors that change a beer. If your making your stance on a bottle of beer that's been shipped cold to a distributor just to sit on a warm shelf and back into a fridge when its bought. Then I can join you and say I have had bad stone beer. Now from the tap at the source that's different.

Pretty bold to talk that way about a guy you've never met personally. But that's just you I guess.
 
I would say Sierra Nevada and Stone would be 1 & 2 for tops in production, quality, and distribution. Do they make the best beers? That is subjective as there are a ton of great breweries in America. Truth be told....SN and Stone are world class---period. Like New Jersey said, go to Stone (or SN for that matter) and experience it. Don't confuse arrogance with confidence in one's craft and ability.
 
TriggerFingers said:
I would say Sierra Nevada and Stone would be 1 & 2 for tops in production, quality, and distribution. Do they make the best beers? That is subjective as there are a ton of great breweries in America. Truth be told....SN and Stone are world class---period. Like New Jersey said, go to Stone (or SN for that matter) and experience it. Don't confuse arrogance with confidence in one's craft and ability.
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I think "World Class" would be a better term for Stone. There are so many breweries I'm not sure I could really sit down and make a list of my personal top 5 and it would stay the same a week later. Besides there is TONS of beer I haven't tried so it wouldn't be a very valid list anyway.
 
I've rarely tried anything by Stone I didn't LOVE. And, I've never tasted anything by Stone I hated. But, we likely only get the large brew runs in Louisiana.
I count Enjoy By and Ruinten as 2 of my top 10 beers of all! Greg Koch is the beer-jesus!
 
Xpertskir said:
I'll just interject the point that stone isn't even a top 5 San Diego county brewery.

Alpine, Ballast Point, Alesmith, Bruery, Lost Abbey/Port are all better.
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All of which combined don't have the same distribution, national name, and general success as Stone. (btw, Bruery is in Orange County, not San Diego)

With that in mind, Lost Abbey is my favorite brewery. Green Flash is awesome as well. Ballast Point and Alesmith are excellent, but not quite on the level of Stone.

But this is all just a matter of personal opinion. Everyone is going to rank these things differently. It's like trying to list the Top 10 best guitarists in history.
 
I don't think I rank beer this way. I look at individual beers rather than breweries. I'm not big on very hoppy beers, so not a lot of Stone beers have appealed to me. That said, I think w00tstout is fantastic.
 
I do not think I am qualified to make that call since I have not drank all the beers from all the breweries yet .
 
hmm is Stone in my top 5? I'm honestly not sure, they do however, consistently provide a top quality product that I quite enjoy. And I'd certainly put them above a number of the breweries in your list (Terrapin? yikes). But maybe you hate their beers, that's cool taste is subjective.
 
I wouldn't even begin to start rating top 5 before I did a top 100, 50, 25, and 10. Then we could move onto 5. That being said I initially avoided Stone because of all the stupid demons on their bottles. (Yes I know they are technically called grotesques.) But I've recently enjoyed some Arrogant Bastard on draught. Yumm!

And then some 17th Anniversary Götterdämmerung IPA on draught. Yumm! Yumm!

I imagine that Stone would hold its own at least through the TOP 10 and likely into the TOP 5. There are just too many good beers that I have yet to try.

For instance I also recently had an IPA from one of the breweries that the OP mentions, Avery Brewing Company.

That DuganA IPA - Maybe it was the night, the glassware, the pour, or the stool I happened to sit on but that was one of the most enjoyable IPAs that I've had to date. I give it 3 Yumms!
 
IMO Stone and Rouge sit on the shelves WAYY to long....

WHY??

Pricing...16$ for a 6pack of stone ipa is a little out of control IMO.
 
Stone is definitely in the US top 5. Breweries are like indie bands these days. Everyone likes to drink beer from small regional breweries (which is great). But, once a brewery starts to get bigger and expand their distribution they've "sold out" and are not cool anymore. Stone still makes great beer. We're lucky that there are so many great breweries in the US, but Stone is one of the best and one of the most influential breweries in the US.
 
thisisbeer said:
I think everybody knows taste vary. People are still entitled to there opinion about a brewery. Which is what the OP asked, many peoples opinions on stone brewery. It seems about everybody has contributed an opinion about Stone but you. You could help by contributing your opinion on Stone. Since your the only one that knows tastes vary does that make you special?
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You want my opinion? Stone Brewing Company is probably a Top Five craft brewery because of volume of sales. Taste's got nothin' to do with it.
 
LandoLincoln said:
You want my opinion? Stone Brewing Company is probably a Top Five craft brewery because of volume of sales. Taste's got nothin' to do with it.

It's a completely pointless thread.

"There's this popular brewery which I don't think makes very good beers."
"Well, I like their beers but I don't like this other one."
"I disagree. I like that one but I don't like this other one."
"You're wrong! This other one is really good but the first one is just awful."

Who. Gives. A. Crap.

You want to be a beer snob, go to beer snob central (AKA beeradvocate).

This website is for beer geeks.
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You rank your top five breweries by sales and taste has nothing to do with it? Poor guy....
 
LandoLincoln said:
You want my opinion? Stone Brewing Company is probably a Top Five craft brewery because of volume of sales. Taste's got nothin' to do with it.

It's a completely pointless thread.

"There's this popular brewery which I don't think makes very good beers."
"Well, I like their beers but I don't like this other one."
"I disagree. I like that one but I don't like this other one."
"You're wrong! This other one is really good but the first one is just awful."

Who. Gives. A. Crap.

You want to be a beer snob, go to beer snob central (AKA beeradvocate).

This website is for beer geeks.
Click to expand...

Actually Stone is #10 in craft beer volume...
 
I would definitely put them around #5 right now, so the top 5 is arguable. Obviously they Are in the discussion. My current opinion is:
1 alchemist
2 russian river
3 oscar blues
4 stone
5 sierra nevada

The 4-10 spot depends on the season, stone and Sierra Nevada get top rankings because of consistency/variety. Just my 2¢!
 
cheezydemon3 said:
Oh! No, I am afraid that EVERYTHING in OHIO sucks. Especially Universities and sports teams....and beer.

*watch, this will be funny*
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How's this for funny:
GABF 2013 - 8 medals for ohio
GABF 2009 - 2013 - 0 medals for Kentucky

booya.

And you can rag on Ohio sports all you like and you won't get a rise out of me. I can't speak for these Columbus boys though.
 
Dolomieu said:
Total BS. Blame your bottle shop not our state.
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Ridiculous to blame the state Ohio. I love Stone's beers and yes thy are a top 5 brewery. I have had every stone beer multiple times and their IPA and Sublimely Self Righteous dozens of times and never a single issue with quality of the beer.
 
Calichusetts said:
Top 5 for me would be impossible. So many choices as well as so many great breweries that I have not had enough of their offerings to accurately judge (I've only had 2 Russian River). Instead, I would just drop the number....in otherwords, what do you consider the top breweries in America? While still very subjective I think it is easier and less trivial. Furthermore, I would say keep it regional. There is only a small number of "great" breweries that distribute all their offerings nationally.

Here are some regional/local breweries I consider "top" American breweries:

Jack's Abby
Maine Brewing Co.
Southern Tier
Cambridge Brewing Company (CBC)
Hill Farmstead
Lawson's Finest
Troegs
Tired Hands

Again, I'm just listing breweries that I have access to nearly their entire line up and have consistently been high quality.
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This.

Agree that I haven't had the range of samples from many of these breweries that would allow me to pass judgement. I look to these lists for ideas about what I want to try next time I'm at one of my favorite craft brew bottle shops.

I have not had anything from Troegs or Tired Hands, but otherwise I like this list, and would include Stone as well. Some of the most memorable beers I've ever had were from Stone (RIS!).

I would also add Ballast Point (Sculpin!) and Bell's (TH!) for their superstar beers though I'm not familiar with the broader range of their offerings.

I lament the absence of CT breweries from these lists - including my own.
 
I don't think I would put them in my Top 5 but my favorite beer of all time was theirs. 2007 IRS, served in 2012. Phenomenal!
 
Johnnyhitch1 said:
IMO Stone and Rouge sit on the shelves WAYY to long.... WHY?? Pricing...16$ for a 6pack of stone ipa is a little out of control IMO.
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I agree. I like a lot if Rogue's beers, but they can get pricey, especially for their double brews $14-$16 for a 22 ouncer.
 
I would have to say yes. Double Bastard is my favorite brew, Arrogant Bastard is one of my faves as are Ruination and their RIS. Their pale ale and IPA's are solid, too. Only brew of theirs I didn't care for was the Epic Dark Ale or whatever it was (Belgian Strong Dark was the style I believe).

Not saying they're one of the top 5 just because I like their beers, it's because I've sampled many of their offerings, and compared to other breweries I've sampled similar amounts of, they match or exceep them all.
 
BUCKNUTS said:
Ridiculous to blame the state Ohio. I love Stone's beers and yes thy are a top 5 brewery. I have had every stone beer multiple times and their IPA and Sublimely Self Righteous dozens of times and never a single issue with quality of the beer.
Click to expand...

Ok dude, go reread the posts and calm down.
 

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