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

[beersk]

Stone is in my top 10, maybe not top 5 though. Number 1 is definitely New Glarus.

 

[adiochiro3]

I have no where near enough brewery exposure to take a stand on this one; however, I have been to Stone brewery, and I can say 4 things about the place and their beer:

1. They love to make hoppy beers (which is not my favorite) and they are very good.
2. Their Imperial Russian Stout is off the chain! Don't EVER pass one up. (I guess everyone now knows the beer styles toward which I lean)
3. The staff is really nice and generally entertaining.
4. The setting, atmosphere, and architecture -- especially the bistro & gardens -- are worth the trip by itself.

 

[ktblunden]

I am a huge fan of Stone. The only regular release of theirs I don't like is Levitation and the only special release I haven't liked was the Bottleworks 13th Anniversary one. Everything else I've had I've either liked or loved. Solid brewery, nice people, and with the number of charity events they do every year they are obviously genuinely good people.

I'll add in that the Bistro is amazing, though I find the food menu to be a little pretentious and overpriced.

 

[geer537]

I don't think Greg is full of himself. We met him at a local beer bar. They had sanctioned him off in the back room and we were already hanging out back there. He was very humble and when I asked to take a pic with him, instead of finding someone to take it, he grabbed my phone and said pose! He's an old school metal head. I'll always respect that.

My wife and I also went to a dinner with Mitch Steele. While I have tremendous respect for him, he talked a lot about belgian beers and seemed to want to deviate from the hoppy- I am ot much of a belgian drinker so that didn't strike my fancy. Solid guys and both are very approachable people.

And Narwhal is fantastic.

 

[NervousDad]

I wouldn't put them in my top 5. I think, just like DFH, they get a lot of hype because how vocal he is in the community. Solid brewery no doubt, but top 5 I don't think so.

 

[Quixoticosis]

I'm amazed at the late hop character in a stone IPA that I buy in FL. Top 5? I can't make that statement. But Stone is certainly a leader in the hoppy beer category.

This. If you like hoppy beer, they're some of the hoppiest. Personally, I don't like my hops to beat me up in a back alley, so I don't usually drink it. But the boyfriend loves the stuff...

I actually really like Stone's smoked porter. Not what folks usually think of when they think "Stone". But quite yummy.

 

[terrapinj]

I wouldn't place any of their beers in my top 5 list but I think Stone Brewing Co is a model craft beer company.

- they make very good, consistent beer
- focus on local community with their Bistro/Gardens/Brewery and their numerous Company Store Satellites
- numerous events and drives etc for charities
- they host and organize tons of events that bring light and positive attention to craft beer and the San Diego craft beer scene
- Greg Koch has a big ego and can be obnoxious but he is a great CEO imo and has done good things for craft beer
(most of the "controversial" twitter and youtube "disputes" end up being PR stunts)

 

[ktblunden]

I found a picture of the cap the OP is talking about. It's a quote from an article about them in Beverage Business Magazine. They put a positive quote about them on some promotional materials, how dare they?

 

[jbaysurfer]

Sorry OP, you confirmed a bias, and merely AFFIRMED your previously held belief. Ever had an Enjoy By? One of the best IIPAs on the market. Maybe your local distributor/bottle shop sucks. And I'm not sure about the founder of stone, but I know the brewmaster is one of the most down to earth humble, and just plain cool dudes in the industry. Met him at Socal HB fest last year and he's so unassuming, I had shared an entire bomber with him before someone else told me who he was. Mitch Steele is awesome!

I do like many of the other breweries on your list though, so I don't think you have bad taste, just a bad bias for some reason.

 

[evrose]

I don't think Greg is full of himself. We met him at a local beer bar. They had sanctioned him off in the back room and we were already hanging out back there. He was very humble and when I asked to take a pic with him, instead of finding someone to take it, he grabbed my phone and said pose! He's an old school metal head. I'll always respect that.

My wife and I also went to a dinner with Mitch Steele. While I have tremendous respect for him, he talked a lot about belgian beers and seemed to want to deviate from the hoppy- I am ot much of a belgian drinker so that didn't strike my fancy. Solid guys and both are very approachable people.

And Narwhal is fantastic.

This.

Greg is a genuinely nice guy. I've "met" him at several Stone events. Last month, I saw him wandering around the Stone 13th Anniversary party, by himself (no entourage), just sipping a beer and enjoying the day. The few people who recognized him (he dresses like a homeless surfer) would be greeted with a smile and a warm welcome. He'd take a picture with anyone who asks.

The marketing of Stone beer, with a heavy emphasis on attitude (Arrogant Bastard, Fizzy Yellow Beer is for Wussies, Sublimely Self-Righteous etc. etc.) stands in stark contrast to the personality of Greg. I think that's what makes it work so well.

Stone is certainly in my Top 5.

 

[ted464]

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.

 

[Nightshade]

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.

 

[thisisbeer]

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.

 

[Kealia]

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).

 

[Xpertskir]

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.

 

[endlesstee]

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.

Ouch, Bruery's a better San Diego County brewery than Stone, and they're not even in SD County.

 

[Xpertskir]

Whoops..guess there was a reason I didn't go to bruery when I was in SD

 

[Oceantendency]

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.

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.

 

[ted464]

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.

Ha, it's true about lists changing... I'm already doubting mine

 

[Oceantendency]

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.

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.

 

[Brewligan]

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.

 

[TriggerFingers]

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.

 

[thisisbeer]

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.

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.

 

[Beer-lord]

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!

 

[evrose]

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.

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.

 

[thesemicullen]

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.

 

[MarcusKillion]

I do not think I am qualified to make that call since I have not drank all the beers from all the breweries yet .

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

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.

 

[Babybatch]

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!

 

[Johnnyhitch1]

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.