Stone Brewery – Escondido, CA

WOW!! That is all I have to say about that…

If, as Ben Franklin said, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy” then Stone Brewery is proof that we love our selves more than anything!! This place is simply amazing! It is a beer drinker’s paradise. No amount of adjectives, can do it justice – one must experience it to believe it.

Stone Brewery is kind of a hidden oasis in the town of Escondido, California. It is way off the beaten path, and the only building on a desert plot. As the building shows itself on the drive up, a sense of excitement hit me and my fellow beer reviewer. We drove over two hours to get here, you see, and the sheer eagerness could no longer be held back. This place, this oasis in the desert, was all that we could have asked for as beer enthusiasts, and more!
The building it self has no identification on the front indicating ‘STONE BREWERY’ or any thing of the sort. It’s blank. It gives you a sort of members only, secret beer drinkers society feeling to just find this place. From the outset, it looked modern, clean, industrial, but yet very desert like.
One enters through a small gift shop where they sell T-shirts, hats, glasses, and bike jerseys, among other things. The dominating image, however, is the black stone bar at the back of the shop where one picks up their growler (jug) full of beer. They come in one, two, and three liter bottles. Oh, and they are magical bottles. The two liter bottle reminds me of the I Dream of Genie bottle, fat at the bottom, and narrow at the top. I rubbed it and rubbed it but no genie… however, the beer flowed like wine!
The tour was fun. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, and quick with a joke. In the end though, he knew damn well why we all took the tour – to get our free beer at the end! It was no secret, but he entertained us none the less.
We decided to have lunch out side in the Stone Garden, to take in the hot summer day in So. Cal, but basked in the shade of the building. We sat next to a bar with a built in water fall and koi pond. The tranquil sound of the water fall had a great, soothing effect as we enjoyed our beers. Many of the tables are made from solid stone ranging from a couple of inches thick to a foot and a half thick. It was obvious that no expense was spared. Many of the blocks of stone must have weighed a ton or more but were amazingly fitting to the décor. Even the bathrooms had walls made out of several thousand small river stones!
Our waiter was not your typical waiter you see in your local Chilies or Applebees. He rocked a shaved head, goatee, and visible tattoos down his arm. This looked like a man who knew his beer, and was not out of place with the feel and atmosphere of the bistro.
The service was great, and the food better. I thoroughly enjoyed my Buffalo Burger, made with buffalo meet. I kid you not, it was the best burger I have ever had period. Nothing I have grilled up at home or had any where else compared to the thickness and juiciness of this burger. At $15 dollars, it was a bit pricy, but well worth it, and more! My compatriot ordered the Ruination soup and some grilled BBQ okra – he’s the healthy one of the two. The soup was creamy, thick, and got us both buzzed. The Ruination beer was the centerpiece of this dish while the cheese and broccoli added texture and flavor. It was surprisingly good, and surprisingly strong. I never thought I would get buzzed eating food, but yet another experience to add to my list of accomplishments. The okra too was great. It had a smoky flavor to it because it was cooked on open fire, it seemed, and was served with a reduced beer-teriyaki sauce. What a combo! The food was as good as the beer, and they complimented each other perfectly.
Up to this point, neither of us could find any flaws to this place. I refused to believe that they had attained perfection, so I sought to find the smallest flaw in the place. I could not find it. Perfect in every way – design, furniture, lighting, ambiance, food, drink, indoor, outdoor, lounging, casual dining, all are welcome with no dress code… I could not complain about one thing. Believe me when I say that is a first for me. Simply incredible!
After our lunch, neither of us were in any condition to drive, so we took another lap around the garden, took a few more pictures for the site, and just lounged around talking about our thoughts and opinions on the place. Once I was sober enough to drive, we proceeded to the gift shop to buy our take home growlers.
It was a sad time leaving that place, but it was truly a memorable experience. The expression of sheer joy and euphoria could not be smacked off our faces. The whole ride home we were grinning. Not a word had to be said between the two of us because we knew exactly what the other was thinking… when are we coming back?

So good, it gets an amazing 11 out of 10!

You can see a photo gallery of our visit to Stone Brewery here: LINK