Bombshell! Stone Brewing Berlin Bound

This is a massive play on Stone’s part and it will have global repercussions.

Already the 10th largest craft brewer in the United States, Stone is making an initial investment of more than $25 million to renovate a historic gasworks complex in Marienpark Berlin, turning the more than two acres (9,290 square meters) of indoor and outdoor space into a world-class operation that will welcome beer enthusiasts from around the globe.

Clearly this is huge news for so many reasons…

With an anticipated opening in late 2015 or early 2016, Stone will be the first American craft brewer to own and run a production brewery in Europe. And their choice to locate to Berlin – a city with a long and rich beer heritage – is both astute and business savvy. The German people’s love off beer is widely known and it’s very much a part of their national identity. That said, overall beer consumption in Germany has been steadily declining since its highpoint in the seventies. Germans still drink a lot of beer but their commitment to their traditional lagers are not what they once were…Sound familiar? This is the perfect time for an American brewery such as Stone to introduce its craft beers to a beer-loving people who may be ready for something new.

But this is not just about Germany. Stone’s new facility will serve as an international production hub primed to distribute their beers all over a Europe that has increasingly been showing more and more interest in American craft beers. American craft beer exports were up an incredible 49% in 2013 and that trend will no doubt only continue. Again, Stone’s read on the European marketplace and their timing is fortuitous – to say the least.

Finally, Stone understands that the success of this international expansion starts and ends with the quality of their beers. And the fact that they have chosen to brew their trademark beers for the European community, in Europe, is the ultimate game-changer. Wait till Europe’s craft beer lovers, who up until now only know American craft beer as an “export experience,” get to try beers like Stone’s “Enjoy By IPA” series brewed in their own backyard. They are going to be blown away by the freshness of the beers alone.

This plan didn’t come together overnight – Stone’s been working on this for a while now. They’ve weathered their share of setbacks but they got it done.

“This is a historic moment for Stone. I’ve wanted to say these next words for many years now: We’re coming to Europe. We’re coming to Germany. We are coming to Berlin!” said Stone CEO and Co-founder Greg Koch. “It has been a long time coming and I couldn’t be more proud to say that we are finally on our way to being the first American craft brewer to own and operate our own brewery in Europe. Once open, we will bring Germany and the rest of Europe a taste of our craft beer vision, and look forward to sharing the unique beers that we have spent the last 18 years brewing.”

Stone’s expansion into Europe marks a paradigm shift of some significance and will be remembered as one of those events that changed everything for the American craft beer industry going forward. This is good thing for Stone as well as for Europe’s beer lovers… but it’s also a wonderful thing for American craft beer, which is fast becoming a global brand.