This is an entry entirely about beer.
Though I’ve always been a stout drinking kind of guy, over the last year or so I’ve gradually moved toward hoppy pale ales and IPAs for my beer drinking enjoyment.
I’ve discovered that Stone Brewing Company, out of North San Diego County, makes my favorite hoppy beers: The Stone Pale Ale, The Arrogant Bastard Ale, and the Stone IPA.
I like their beer so much, I decided yesterday that I’d call their marketing department and see if it was cool for me to link to them. I got the phone number from their website, and while I was there, I decided to sign up for their newsletter, so I could find out if they were coming to any microbrew fests near Pasadena, and stuff like that. (That’s important, and it pays off in a second, so stay with me here.)
I called them up, and talked to a guy in marketing. I basically said, “I’ve got this website that a few people read. I really like your beer, and if it’s cool with you, I’d like to link to your website, and give you some free advertising, as my way of saying ‘thank you’ for killing off so many of my slower brain cells.”
He told me that Stone doesn’t really do advertising, but if I wanted to link to them, that would be cool. I told him that I’d e-mail him the address of my site, so he could see what my blog is all about, and that was that.
This afternoon, I got an e-mail back from him. Guess what? When I signed up for the newsletter, I was subscriber number ten thousand! I don’t think I win anything, but I thought it was random, and funny, and cool.
I’m totally putting “Number 10,000” on my resume. Take that, 1950s society!
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Well, I already gushed about Stone on your last post mentioning them. Now that you’ve signed up for the newsletter, go find the last one. They link to a cool couple of interviews that were done by a local news program on the origins of the company and it’s founders. It’s a great success story.
As another testament to how cool they are, my sister ordered me a gift set of their glasses and a shirt for Xmas last year. She also trekked about 8 bottles of their stuff (the big ones, not the regular 12 oz’ers) that I can’t get here in Austin in her carry-on backpack for me. Anyway, they sent the wrong size shirt by mistake. I called them the day after Xmas to ask for a replacement, fully intending to send back the mistake. I got the woman in charge of merchandise/shipping. She was very pleasant, apologized, told me to keep the mistaken size and immediately shipped out a replacment. The replacement arrived within days and they included a plastic Arrogant Bastard pint glass for my troubles. Now that’s customer service. \m/
Sweet. First post.
Here’s the URL for the show that I mentioned:
http://www.stonebrew.com/cool/articles/video/forefront2004/index.html
You are really board today arn’t you? Dont worry I’m in the same boat
Have you ever considered home brewing? I started brewing the occasional batch of beer this past year and I’ve found it to be a fascinating and low-impact hobby (both in time and in cost). It’s fun to experiment with different brews and I’ve gained a lot better appreciation for beer and a better understanding of my tastes and why I like what I do.
I’m so jealous, Wil. I’ve only had Arrogant Bastard Ale once, but it was incredible. I can’t get Stone Brew’s beers here in the Atlanta area and now you’ve gone and made me thirsty.
Oh Wil! Glad you’ve enjoyed the Stone brews. Some of them are among my favorites. Be sure you get to try the Double Bastard.
And if you like the hoppy kick of Arrogant Bastard, you need to get your hands on some Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA.
I could talk beer for AGES UPON AGES. But I won’t. I do, however, know what I’m bringing if I ever get to make it to a booksigning. 😀
I’ve been on the tour of the brewery. The people are really friendly and seem to enjoy working at Stone. My friend and I did a fund raisier and they kindly donated a few things. We were buying some more items for our support crew and they gave us a discount on those items as well. At the end of our fund raisier swim, we wrapped up in our Arrogant Bastard towels.
Wil, come to the San Diego County Fair homebrew contest. You can drink Stone beers, watch the homebrew judging, learn more than you every wanted to know about beers, then go on the Carnival rides. It’s one of my favorite events of the Summer.
Wil, I think you should try a beer called “north coast red seal ale” mmmm very nice hoppy pale ale.
C.
Werd. Way to represent for Stone.
It’s definitely one of the reasons my memories of San Diego are golden-filled, halcyon dreams. Good times and good brew.
I’m in the Bay Area now, so I don’t imagine I’ll see any brew-fests up this way featuring Stone, but one can always hope.
js
Here is to drunkin WWdN members!(HaHaHa) This is a very enjoyable post. Living in MA right now I have to get alot of Sam Adams, but I am partial to Miller Draft, or good ole Corona. (Lime please!)
they make Barley wine, that was my mothers favoret tipple. Howerver it usually tastes like, well try it and see.
Wil, come on down to San Marcos (my home town, where the brewery lives) and pick up a growler of the Ruination. I guarantee nothing but tasty drunkeness. While you’re in the neighborhood, stop by the Wild Animal Park in Escondido, where you can see animals living together in a magnificent savannah ecosystem.
Aw com on man, ya can’t beat Irish Guinness! When clicking the link select the country as Ireland for all the history of Arthur Guinness and how it all started in Dublin in 1759.
I have a picture of the very first Guiness Brewery, thats still operating in Dublin in my photoblog here
Click here for my blog
I’m guessing I’ll see you at the Stone Brew Fest this summer then? Nothing like drinking beer for charity. Also, sounds like you’re liking the hops more, so you should come down to San Diego to O’Brien’s pub. Nothing but HOPS. RacerX, Exponential Hoppiness… so much love on 1 tap.
I would like to make my own, humble suggestion.
On your next vacation opportunity, take yourself to Bend, Oregon. After a day of mountain biking, river rafting or gazing through the roof up the twin trunks of the Pine Tavern, take yourself over to the Deschutes Brewery and give ’em a try.
Favorites at our house: Black Butte Porter (which was the official geek drink when I worked in Stale’n’Bored Again), Mirror Pond Pale and the seasonal Jubelale.
(Um … you can also find the stuff at various chain liquor stores in Southern California, but it’s not nearly as fun as seeing Mt. Bachelor for yourself)
I’m a fan of Arrogant Bastard, as well. If you like different types of beers, ales and sodas, you should stop by Galco’s. It’s just over in Glendale. Pretty cool little mom and pop grocery shop that has a small deli, as well as the largest, widest variety of soda’s and the like, that I have ever seen.
Thanks for the shout out Wil. Clearly your readers have great taste in beer (well, the ones on the West Coast anyway).
Yeah, plan to come down to the Stone 9th Anniversary Open House & Invitational Beer Festival later this year. It’s a pretty good time…that is if you like to have the ability to choose between 31 great breweries that were hand picked to join us for our event.
Cheers,
Greg
for a good hoppy IPA, give Dogfish Head’s 60 and 90 minute IPAs a try… the beer has a continual hop addition for 60 (or 90) minutes.. they also do a 120 minute IPA that i’ve never tried and clocks in at 21% ABV
http://www.dogfish.com
I feel bad for Seth – one of the perks to dwelling in the Northwest is that good beer is the norm, not the exception. Black Butte Porter flows through my veins in lieu of blood. I am unaware of a bar that has Miller Draft on tap, but all of them have Black Butte. And Arrogant Bastard.
I second, third, and fourth the motion to try Dogfish Head brews. The 120-minute IPA is rare this year, because they had a problem with the boiler and had to dump the whole batch. *cry* But the flavor is like nothing I’ve had before, or since. It changes in your mouth. And the second sip is a whole different rainbow of incredible flavor. And as your glass warms, the flavor morphs some more, but it’s always fantastic. It’s the kind of beer you can get downright philosophical about. I wasn’t a beer drinker before I tried it, and now I’m a downright beer-snob.
P.S. I am not affiliated with Dogfish Head brewery in any way – I’m just a big fan.
http://www.dogfish.com
Wil,
Beer, to most of the people I know, is good. I have never tried your favorite kind but I will keep an eye out for the chance. For some reason, beer doesn’t even give me a big belly. Go figure.
FG
When I finally got my own mug for the mug club at my local brewpub (I’m not an alcoholic, just a beer geek) I got mug number 200. I always liked that number, but I know most of the bartenders enough now that they don’t even ask me what the mug number is. Oh well, I live in Wisconsin. And to give them a cheap plug, check out http://www.foxriverbrewery.com
Sorry about the dead link in my last comment…their new site address is:
http://www.foodspot.com/foxriverbrewingappleton/
Not a beer drinker myself, but I can definitely support the idea of loving and promoting your favorite intoxicant. I personally prefer a good Crown Royal and with a dash of Coca Cola.
Can’t get Stone, or any number of great American beers, up here in the Gr8 white north. I’m seriously considering driving to Buffalo for a day, just to buy some beer. My favourite beer related website is http://www.themanroom.com
ciao
Cool! My parents’ home is near that brewery…well, not too near, but near enough.
Meanwhile, I see that Applejack in Wheat Ridge (just down the street from my office) carries their products. Might have to try ’em one of these days…though we have many fine microbrews here in Colorado, too.
I’m really picky about beer because there are some I like and others I just don’t like at all. Oddly, I hate the mainstream American beers. I prefer the German brands instead. I especially like heifenweizen (spelling?) all brands it appears. But I have not tried any microbrewerys. Stone sounds interesting, however. I definitely want to try it!
I’m really picky about beer because there are some I like and others I just don’t like at all. Oddly, I hate the mainstream American beers. I prefer the German brands instead. I especially like heifenweizen (spelling?) all brands it appears. But I have not tried any microbrewerys. Stone sounds interesting, however. I definitely want to try it!
Scott T: That’s because mainstream American beers are piss. You’re not missing out on anything. 🙂
Yea, that Stone IPA is very good. Their Ruination Ale is also quite good. But since you are a So-Cal inhabitant, may I suggest Firestone Pale Ale. It is some amazing stuff. For a while I was having to import it up to Sacramento myself, but luckily BevMo now carries it.
I was out the other night and the bar was out of Arrogant Bastard Ale. I was incensed by that, but was mollified by some Hop Devil Ale instead.
Not sure if they sell out west or not, but most of the beers by the Victory Brewing Company are quite good. The Storm King Stout is quite nice.
I have not had any of the other Stone beers, but I will keep a lookout for them at the local bars.
Wil, I think for your huge, free promotion of their brewry, they should try to find you a bottle of their Russian Imperial Stout, although it looks like you’ll need to wait until June for the next run.
Either way, get your hands on a bottle of this stuff!
Wil,
Morning.Sounds like your readers wanna get you drunk. Not me. I don’t drink beer. I drink more Wine than I can put in me.Anyway You an all your friends here have a good day.Try an stay sober..
Disclaimer:
Hey YOU! Yeah… I mean you, you underaged kid reading this post: “Do not,” I repeat, “DO NOT drink beer just because Wil and nearly all of his eFriends do. Alcohol is very very bad for you and it’s illegal. Wanna go to jail??”
End Disclaimer
Man am I jealous. I live in Florida and the laws make it really difficult for us to import wines and beers. I’d love to try those hoppy brews, but I can’t afford to fly out to Californica just to sip some brewskis. Damn!
I’m really picky about beer because there are some I like and others I just don’t like at all. Oddly, I hate the mainstream American beers. I prefer the German brands instead. I especially like heifenweizen (spelling?) all brands it appears. But I have not tried any microbrewerys. Stone sounds interesting, however. I definitely want to try it!
I’m really picky about beer because there are some I like and others I just don’t like at all. Oddly, I hate the mainstream American beers. I prefer the German brands instead. I especially like heifenweizen (spelling?) all brands it appears. But I have not tried any microbrewerys. Stone sounds interesting, however. I definitely want to try it!
I’m really picky about beer because there are some I like and others I just don’t like at all. Oddly, I hate the mainstream American beers. I prefer the German brands instead. I especially like heifenweizen (spelling?) all brands it appears. But I have not tried any microbrewerys. Stone sounds interesting, however. I definitely want to try it!
The last time I was at the Yardhouse, they had Arrogant Bastard Ale coasters that read:
“Fizzy yellow beer is for wussies.”
I asked for a stack of them. 🙂
I was fortunate enough to have a training class in July of last year that required me to spend three days in San Diego. I love to try local brews when I travel and the hotel bar had Arrogant Bastard on tap–definitely one of the best I’ve tried and being from Arkansas, it’s a damn shame I won’t be able to try it very often. Enjoy your proximity to this great beer you bastard.
Living in Colorado I was spoiled by the number, and quality, of microbreweries in the state. I did however work for a macro brewery for about two years, and despite the cases of free beer I was given each month, I still spent my money on micros (I used the free beer on my hair; it was a fabulous conditioner).
Anyway, if you’ve never tried a Fat Tire (New Belgium Brewing Co) or an Easy Street Wheat (Odell Brewing Co), you’re missing out. Pure euphoria. I
congratulations, mr. ten thousand!
Wil, if you like the stuff from Stone brewing, see if you can get your hands on some Downtown Brown Ale…it’s made by Lost Coast Brewing, out of Eureka. Very smooth and highly drinkable (get a case, you’ll go through it quickly). I haven’t tried their other stuff, but the Downtown Brown is easily one of my top 3 beers.
http://www.lostcoast.com
For a *real* beer, try some stuff from the Deschutes Brewery out of Bend, Oregon.
http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/
50/50 mix of Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond = the win.
Try the Obsidian Stout. It’s a life changing experience.
Oh the bane of being a micro-brew fanatic in Texas! 🙁
Mmm… I like a yummy hoppy beer that bites me back. Anchor Steam and a true Bass you can only get in a true Irish pub, not the watered down American pisswater sold in grocery stores, have rocked my world.
Have you seen this? It’s not beer, but one of the funniest taste tests I’ve seen in awhile. http://www.bumwine.com/
Well, I’m in the SouthEast, so I obviously don’t get the same micro-brews you do. And I don’t claim to be a beer connoseur, merely a beer lover, but my latest favorite is Sam Smith’s Oatmeal Stout. I’ve loved the Sam Smith’s Nut Brown for years now, ever since I discovered it at my favorite burger bar in Atlanta, The Vortex. But a buddy turned me onto the Oatmeal Stout a couple of months ago, and it’s rapidly become my beer du jour. As a matter of fact, I need to trot down to the local liqour store and pick some up for the weekend!
Do yourself a favor and buy a tap kit and a beer fridge. In Denver we’ve got the Rockbottom Brewery (amongst many excellent others.) They sell 5 Gallon kegs that, with CO2 will last about 4-6 weeks. Which is just long enough to enjoy it before it turns (not being pasturized). It’s not only cheaper than beer in cans and bottles, it’s cheaper than buying kegs at Liquor stores…it’s also smaller than the kegs you normally get (half or quarter kegs) which invariably get a funk to them before they run out.
There is _nothing_ like driking a Pint of excellent beer, fresh off the tap, at home.
Oh, and I’ll let you in on my own personal phrase:
I’m a full-spectrum-beerslut. I’ll drink the pale crap from a can on a hot sunny day mowing the lawn, and I’ll drink the darkest doppelbach on a fall afternoon as the snow is starting to fall.
My husband LOVES the Arrogant Bastard Ale. I don’t think I knew that it was made down here though. (We’re in North San Diego County.) That’s kinda’ cool. 🙂
Wil,
I’ve never appreciated beer as much since I started homebrewing. I’ve been doing it now for 12 years, and I still am amazed how cool it is. Some people do it for themselves and friends. Some do it to compete in competition. Some do it to learn the process and history of beer. There is a huge community of brewers out there.
In addition, there are so many styles of beer, but when you actually make a beer of that style, drink it for the first time, and serve it to your friends, that is when you feel like you’ve truly come home and understand what that beer means. It makes you ask the questions: What makes a stout stout? What exactly is a pale ale? Why are some beers dark, light, hoppy, malty, and so on?
Finally, there are so many web related resources dedicated to brewing beer, from the Home Brew Digest mailing list (http://www.hbd.org), to rec.crafts.brewing on usenet, to a gazillion websites like Bath Tub Brewers (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bathtubbrewers/), historic brewing lists (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sca_brew/), and so on.
There is also a national organization dedicated to homebrewing beer, the American Homebrewer’s Association (AHA) (http://www.beertown.org/homebrewing/index.html). Often times, your community will have a local chapter of the AHA, a collection of your neighbors that love beer and homebrewing.
All these resources together make up a close nit community where many people know each other, give advice, and learn the craft. Consider yourself invited to join that community.
– Dave, the all-grain evangelist
An old friend of mine from elementary school is high up there…..cool that you like his beer so much.
Cool! IPA’s GOOD! Have you gone to ratebeer.com ? very helpful!
Might i recomend some of these? :
1 Kelley Brothers Four Towers IPA
2 Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
3 Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
4 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale
5 Sequoia Scotch Pine
6 Sequoia Amarillo IPA
7 Lagunitas Maximus ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!!!!
8 Corona Extra What the??!! CRAPPPPPPP
9 Stone Imperial Russian Stout
10 Sequoia Buzz Saw Triple IPA
11 BJs Owens IPA
12 Stone India Pale Ale
13 Arrogant Bastard Ale
14 Double Bastard Ale
15 E. J. Phair India Pale Ale
also highly recomend brewing your own! fun tasty and cheap!
DAVE