stone-anniversary-is-comingIt’s a big weekend in San Diego. Stone Brewing Co. is celebrating it’s 15th birthday at the Stone 15th Anniversary Celebration & Invitational Beer Festival. To enjoy the weekend as much as Steve and Greg are enjoying their anniversary beer above, consult this guide complete with mobile apps, beer tips, maps and more.

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Hang with the brewers

Check out the Friday Night Brewer’s Reception (tickets still available) where brewers from Hawaii to New York convene to hang with YOU. $75 includes 3 hours of unlimited beer tastings of 24 specialty brews and a unique variety of food samples including Stone beer cheesecakes and a “deep-fried food station.” Danger, Will Rogers!

August 19, 6 – 9 PM at Cal State San Marcos, 333 South Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos, 92096. Purchase tickets

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Fill yourself with a giant breakfast burrito

Stone Brewing Co. was once housed in the warehouse Lost Abbey/Port Brewing calls home. To help Stone celebrate their anniversary, Lost Abbey hosts a lovely free breakfast for festival-goers. We were ever so fond of last year’s massive breakfast burritos and pancakes… this time we will make sure to eat enough of them so we don’t fall over at the fest.

August 20, Doors open 8:30 AM at Lost Abbey/Port Brewing 155 Mata Way #4, San Marcos 92096. Free breakfast, pay per beer.

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Travel smart

Whether you’re coming from Los Angeles or a San Diego local, there are many options this weekend that don’t include driving. Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner from Los Angeles lets you to start the celebration early (we’ve learned from experience they have Stone beers in the cafe car). From the Amtrak station in Oceanside you can hop on the Sprinter which will take you straight to Cal State San Marcos. Both rails are bike friendly.

If you’re doing breakfast at Lost Abbey, guess what? It’s within biking/sauntering distance from the festival. Lost Abbey has even outlined the best ways to get there, whether you’re walking, biking, skating or Sprintering.

For those with cars, assign a designated driver. They can attend the Friday festival for the D.D. price of $25 and the Saturday sessions for $10.

Fear not if you are a lone driver. Your car will not be towed (or ticketed) from the Cal State San Marcos parking lot as long as you move it by Sunday at 5 PM. Do yourself a favor though and save these cab numbers in your phone: Yellow Cab North County — (760) 444-4444, Courtesy Cab —  (760) 599-4221. Better yet, get the Taxi Magic mobile app right now.

If those options weren’t enough, maybe these checkpoints will help you think twice!

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Get thee to the festival

Tickets are still available for Session B of the anniversary festival. $45 includes 10 tastes from over 40 of the nation’s top breweries, as well as brews from Belgium and Mexico. Four casks will be pouring Stone beers throughout the event, including the Baird/Ishii/Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA, and homebrewed sodas from the Society of Barely Engineers booth will be flowing.

Overwhelmed by the beer list? There’s a Stone 15th Anniversary mobile app for that. Beer and food lists, maps and twitter updates on the go! Here are some of our favorites that can help you begin your beer journey.

  • Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA
  • Eagle Rock Brewery Stimulus
  • Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA
  • The Bruery Loakal Red
  • Julian Hard Cider: Cherry Bomb
  • Hess Brewing Ex Umbris
  • Lightning Brewery Electrostatic Ale
  • Green Flash/Pizza Port Carlsbad/Stone Highway 78 Scotch Ale
  • Maui Brewing Co. Imperial CoCoNut PorTeR
  • Avery Brewing Co. White Rascal
  • Great Divide Belgian Style Yeti Imperial Stout

August 20, Session A 11 – 2 PM, Session B 3 – 6 PM at Cal State San Marcos, 333 South Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos, 92096. Purchase tickets to Session B (Session A is now sold out)


Try the anniversary ale in all its glory

That’s Greg and Steve enjoying the beer straight from the fermenters at their FRESH Dinner, just before it was officially born.

Not only will you get to finally enjoy the Stone 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA in the presence of its creators, you’ll have a chance to enjoy it on cask with many different hoppy options. Cask pours of the big brew will be available au naturale, with Simcoe hops, with Amarillo hops, and with Chinook hops.

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Drink, Eat, Give (and ye shall receive)

Mike’s beer cheese is back, and by special request you can try his super spicy Nuclear Bastard cheese this year too! While samples of his regular cheeses are included in the ticket price, a donation at his booth gets you a fistful of the pasty, SPICY, cheesey magic from the bearded man himself.

Also back this year are the legendary Arrogant Bastard Ale Onion Rings. Don’t forget the proceeds from the festival benefit the Boys and Girls Club of San Marcos, Surfrider Foundation, Palomar Family YMCA, and Fight ALD, so stop by their booths to learn more about them (and give them more money too, while you’re at it).

Now about receiving … The brand new Stone book by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner with Randy Clemens, The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance will be available for preorder at the festival. For $25 at the Warwick’s booth you can secure as many copies as you like. Each book will be signed by Greg Koch, Steve Wagner and Randy Clemens and each purchase guarantees you the opportunity to buy the next Quingenti Millilitre beers!

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Take it easy on Sunday

Don’t leave San Marcos without a stop at Holiday Wine Cellar. They have an epic array of beer and other fine beverages (including the harder stuff if you’re in need of bloody mary ingredients).

If you’re sticking around for the day, we love Neighborhood and Craft & Commerce in downtown San Diego for their killer beer lists and food, not to mention crafty beer cocktails. For those headed north to Los Angeles, stop by one of the many Pizza Ports for some doughy magic and a little hair of the dog that bit you.

Of course, there is that little brewery and bistro in Escondido that will have plenty of food and a lovely garden for your post-festival meditation needs.

Additional information:
http://www.stonebrew.com/
Twitter | Facebook | Anniversary | Hastag #Stone15

Stone World Bistro & Gardens photo by drimmelphoto.com, Video editing by Jason Overbeck