In the mid-1990s, when the craft beer movement still was in relative infancy, Stone Brewing co-founders Greg Koch and his homebrewing partner Steve Wagner were busy experimenting with beer recipes and bemoaning the “industrial fizzy yellow stuff.” Although they didn’t realize it at the time, one of their hop-centric creations — the now iconic Stone IPA — in addition to Arrogant Bastard Ale, would help the Escondido, Calif.-based company become an international brewer with a powerhouse reputation for brewing bold, flavorful craft beers.
Co-founded in 1996 by the two musicians and self-described beer geeks, Stone Brewing now is the 10th largest craft brewer in the United States, producing more than 325,645 barrels of beer and generating more than $200 million in sales in 2015, says Executive Chairman Koch. Stone Brewing also has grown from four employees to about 1,200 employees and maintains brewing facilities in Southern California, Virginia and Germany.