Before COVID reared its ugly head, saying there was a beer fest in San Diego County every weekend was closer to fact than exaggeration. Even with so many big beer events, few were grander than Stone Brewing’s anniversary festivities; multi-day affairs large enough to require commandeering college campuses to pack them with beers from the North County brewing-industry trailblazer as well as guest breweries from across the country. Even after moving the party to its Liberty Station brewpub (the largest restaurant in San Diego County), it remained epic in stature and surely would have been again were it not for the pandemic. Keeping this year’s anniversary celebration stocked with quality beer and as festival-like as possible was key when coming up with a game plan that would work in the current Coronavirus-tainted climate.
The company will utilize its Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens locations in Escondido and Liberty Station for three days of 24-year celebration from September 21-23. Each of those evenings, an identical ticketed anniversary beer dinner will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. where guests will be provided a five-course dinner along with 20 two-ounce pours of beers from Stone and its distributed brands, many of which are seasonal or specialty in nature. While the food at both venues will be the same, the beer lists are decidedly varied.
“So many people rally their friends and family every year as tradition. We knew we owed it to our fans to offer something special,” says Stone Public Relations Director Lizzie Younkin. “We’re lucky to have huge garden spaces that allow for plenty of physical distancing and our contactless ordering system has been in place and working well for us. We knew we could still offer the beer-tasting portion, but we would have to keep our guests seated with something amazing.”
Fans of the VIP component that has been a staple of Stone’s anniversary celebrations can opt to attend the Rare Beer Celebration on Monday, September 21 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. This one-night-only affair will include small-batch, specialty, aged and archived beers from Stone and its contemporaries, including the last kegs of the 2006 vintage of Double Bastard Ale and the 2014 edition of Stygian Descent, a rye whiskey barrel-aged black IPA. The full list can be viewed here.
Stone personalities such as co-founder Greg Koch, who addresses the crowd in enthusiastic fashion at each year’s festival, are as much a part of these celebrations as the beer, so steps have been taken to maintain that tradition, as well. “Pre-recorded messages from our co-founders via our online ordering system and traditional lanyards will help emulate that festival feel,” says Younkin. “Nothing beats the real thing, but we’re thrilled to give our fans something special to look forward to and the chance to enjoy a ton of awesome Stone and guest beers.”
Tickets are currently available online, as are the full food and beer menus for both locations. Guests will be seated at appropriately distanced tables and visiting parties at other tables won’t be allowed, but it’s a valiant and rather decadent attempt at recreating this annual festival.
Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Escondido is located at 1999 Citracado Parkway and Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station is located at 2816 Historic Decatur Street in Point Loma