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When one thinks of breweries, it’s likely that images of massive steel tanks surrounded by endless hops and malted barley come to mind, accompanied by a brewer or two with shaved heads, long beards, and the occasional hop tattoo. Stone Brewing Co. likes to do things differently though.
For a brewery known for aggressively hopped, in-your-face beer profiles, their World Bistro and Gardens in the North San Diego County bastion of Escondido offers a humble setting with an almost zen-like atmosphere, perfect for pondering the day away over pints of liquid meditative bliss. Sure, you’ll see the brewery and the brewers, but that’s only part of the experience.
Our small tribe arrived at Stone around 12 p.m. and stayed till 9 p.m. You read that right. We essentially camped out in the garden of Stone for 9 hours, jettisoning our plans to visit other breweries in the area once we realized all that this brewery had to offer.
Not only is Stone a Beer Mecca, but it’s also a Beervana.
Stone’s World Bistro and Gardens includes the brewery and packaging facility, a bistro with outdoor dining, and a garden area that you can walk around and drink in. The garden includes a stream, large wooden reclining chairs made out of whiskey barrels (made by the Hungarian Workshop), and a grassy area. We enjoyed an outdoor lunch on a sunny Southern California day, and then headed into the brewery for the tour, which included 4 sample beers and a free sample glass. Our tour guide was Ken Wright, their brand ambassador, who turned out to be an alumnus of my university – Santa Cruz (Go Banana Slugs!).
Afterwards we took up space on the wooden chairs overlooking the stream and the grassy area, where the music complemented glasses of Russian Imperial Stout, Ruin Ten, and Stone IPA. Our fine day also saw the occasional dragonfly and butterfly dance atop the stream as we sipped our pints in the sun.
The grassy area also includes live music every Wednesday. The acoustic duo that played that day threw out a set that ranged from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Metallica to “Let it Go” from Frozen. Kids happily ran around to the music while the adults drank in the ambiance from many different senses.
Interestingly, it was almost impossible to find the word Stone printed anywhere in the whole establishment. Inside the actual brewery, there is a stone book that looks like an old tomb with Stone written on it, but throughout the buildings and grounds and on the menus, you will only find a specific version of the gargoyle we have all come to know and love.
Just another reminder that Stone not only does things differently, but also does things right.
