Last week, Stone Brewing ran the first test batch of Sapporo beer brewed at its Escondido manufacturing facility. That early trial milestone comes more than three months following San Diego County’s largest beer-producer announcing it was being purchased by Sapporo USA. That international acquisition, which affords the Japanese company a pair of bi-coastal sites at which to brew its beer domestically, closed on August 31. Through it all, both entities have assured fans that Stone’s beers, staff and legacy will remain intact. But that doesn’t mean everything will stay the same.
Next week, Stone will launch a new line of liquid wares that will mark the company’s entry into the ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail market segment. Dubbed Stone Buenafiesta Margaritas, the canned tipples are the newest addition to Stone’s popular “Buena” family of beverages that launched in 2019 with Stone Buenaveza Salt & Lime Lager, and grew with the 2021 addition of Stone Buenavida Hard Seltzer. This brand extension could easily be mistaken as an initiative dreamt up by Sapporo brass, but it was wholly conceived by Stone’s leadership team and put into motion years ahead of the acquisition.
“We know there is an incredible opportunity in Southern California, which is not only Stone Brewing’s largest market, but also the biggest market for ready-to-drink cocktails,” says Stone Vice President of Marketing Erin Smith. “People want convenience and quality more than ever, and as we started exploring the category we saw an opportunity to do what Stone does best, bring a level of craftsmanship to cocktails just like we have with craft beer for 26 years.”
When defining craftsmanship, Smith leads with the use of high-quality ingredients, something she says was key to the success of Buenaveza and Buenavida. She says the same is true of the quartet of Stone Buenafiesta Margaritas, which incorporate real fruits, fruit juice, distilled citrus oils and other natural ingredients to produce the following varieties:
· Classic Lime: Lemon, lime and salt with bitter orange to simulate incorporation of orange liqueur
· Passion Fruit: The namesake fruit is added to the mix for some sweetness and complex tart character
· Pineapple Habanero: Inspired by al pastor tacos stuffed with pineapple and salsa, this version incorporates lime, pineapple, habanero and jalapeño peppers
· Strawberry: A nod to a “modern classic” with aloe vera added to cut the berry sweetness
When asked why Stone went with margaritas as its introductory cocktail-segment offering, Smith points to marketing data showing a high demand for tequila-based cocktails among RTD consumers. That, coupled with how well a margarita fits into the Buena line, made it a clear-cut decision. With that settled, she and her team got to work conducting preliminary market research.
“We sampled many of the brands in the market and, to be honest, we were confused,” says Smith. “A lot of beverages look like margaritas, but, in reality, they’re inspired by margaritas, masquerading as ‘cocktails’ and aren’t actually made with real tequila. The few that were lacked the tequila flavor you’d expect in a margarita. We were fully confident our brewers could create a tequila flavor-forward cocktail that would be ready-to-drink in a single-serving can.”
Leading research and development for the Buenafiesta project was Steve Gonzalez, Stone’s Senior Manager of Brewing and Innovation – Small Batch. A 10-year veteran of the company who has specialized in experimental brewing, his professional experience also includes time as a distiller for E & J Gallo Winery’s Spirits Division. Working with colleagues from other departments and liaisons at the independent packer that manufacturers the Buenafiesta products (which require a completely different setup than that of Stone’s facility), he developed and fine-tuned the recipes, while sourcing most of the ingredients. The latter started with selection of a tequila supplier.
“Our supplier is based in the town of Tequila in the State of Jalisco, Mexico, where they own over 1,000 hectares of blue-agave farmland and have been making tequila for over 150 years. That’s a long time,” says Gonzalez. “Of the suppliers we sampled, their tequila had the most character; a little bit of sweetness, some complex resiny character and that agave flavor come through in a really special way. Some subtler notes of olive and an herbaceous quality are there, as well.”
All-natural juices give Buenafiesta margaritas their fruity flavors. Stone also incorporates an agave syrup from Guadalajara to boost the flavor of that indigenous plant. A portion of proceeds from sales of that syrup are donated to Guadalajara orphanages by Stone’s purveyor.
“Our recipes are complex,” says Gonzales. “We make sure that, whether you are diluting one of our margaritas with some crushed ice or drinking it straight, it will deliver a ton of flavor either way.”
Stone Buenafiesta Margaritas will launch exclusively in Southern California (San Diego County, Orange County, Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire) in four-packs of 12-ounce cans featuring the “gargoyle calavera” in keeping with the Buena line’s established motif. The RTD margaritas come in at 12.5% alcohol-by-volume across the board.
Stone Buenaveza Salt & Lime Lager is currently Stone’s third best-selling beer and top draft brand, and Stone Buenavida Hard Seltzer has performed well in the 15 months since it launched. These portfolio additions have gone a long way to helping sustain and differentiate the company in recent years. Stone Buenafiesta Margaritas will further accomplish the latter goal, leading to the question of whether there are plans to add new limbs on the Buena family tree.
“It’s been a great brand platform for Stone to reach new fans with innovative offerings, not to mention an outlet for our talented brewers to show off their skills with new styles,” says Smith. “We’re always innovating, so only time will tell.”