Beer Buzz: Stone Brewing’s Greg Koch Factoids, New Bud Light Beachwear

Greg Koch Factoids (Escondido, CA) – We’ve written extensively about Stone Brewing’s co-Founder Greg Koch over the years . He’s one of craft beer’s biggest, and some would argue, more polarizing personalities and we thought we thought we pretty much up-to-speed on the guy…but we were wrong. Because Inc, just published an insightful piece on Koch with all kinds of interesting factoids about the Stone exec that we were unaware of including…

Greg Koch was a wannabe musician who ran a rehearsal studio in Los Angeles for renowned rock bands like Fear Factory, Fishbone, and the Melvins. (Our understanding was that Koch was also in a band that was signed to a major label contract but never released an album.)

Koch’s favorite bands were ones that just went for it. Bands like early Jane’s Addiction, Metallica and Primus. Because as he explained to Inc., “nobody ever asked for the kind of music they were playing.”

Koch, who founded Stone Brewing, along with Steve Wagner, never expected to sell more than maybe 100 cases of Arrogant Bastard Ale. “In 1997, nobody in the industry would have said people wanted a 7.2 percent alcohol, overly hoppy, overly aggressive beer.”

 

Words To Drink By (Escondido, CA) – “To me, cult brand just means that you’re hardcore doing it the way you believe in, and other people are responding. It means that you get known for the quality and character of what you do–not some ad campaign.”  Stone’s Greg Koch to Inc.

 

 

Bud, You Need To Upgrade Your Beachwear (USA) – Anheuser-Busch InBev is expanding a stable of clothing that it markets with Shinesty, a company that bills itself as being “responsible for the most outlandish collection of clothing the world has ever seen,” with a new line of Bud Light beachwear

New additions range from the outlandish tropical print Bud Light Pajameral (which must be seen to be believed) to Bud Light shorts and matching short-sleeved blazer, because every pair of beer shorts demands a Bud Light matching blazer.

The Bud Light line of swim suits and Hawaiian shirts are only a little less offensive and speak to a generation brought up on Kardashian family memes and vulnerable to low-carb mass-market beer branding.

 

 

What We’ve Been Drinking Lately (San Francisco, CA) –Anchor Brewing recently sent us a tasty collaboration that they did with and San Franpsycho,  a community-based clothing and lifestyle brand. Brewed to honor the city and its culture, but available nationwide, Anchor San Franpsycho IPA is a 6.3% ABV hazy golden India Pale Ale with pungent stone fruit flavors and a subtly sweet finish.

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Thx to the Full Pint for the Greg Koch screen capture…