You’ve heard about it for years. Stone Brewing Co. is building a brewery in Berlin, Germany; and in doing so will become the first independent American craft brewing interest to do so. This is a big deal, but there’s one thing that’s been outstandingly absent from the equation—beer. Until now! The first batches of beer brewed on the 10-hectoliter pilot brewhouse nestled within the company’s work-in-progress restaurant, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Berlin, will make their collective debut on December 7. And not just in Berlin. The beers will be unveiled at more than 40 locations throughout Germany, Belgium, Italy, Poland, Spain, The Netherlands and United Kingdom.
For its European coming-out, Stone has selected a varied line-up of fan-favorite beers. The company’s hoppy flagship, Stone IPA, is the most expected of the trio. Decidedly and enduringly West Coast in style, it is most exemplary of Stone’s brewing expertise and tendencies; a sign of things to come for Europeans looking to get a succinct taste of what Stone is all about. Debuting alongside that India pale ale will be its unabashedly rangy, rowdy second cousin twice removed, Arrogant Bastard Ale. A breakthrough beer that ironically won the hearts of imbibers by casting doubt on their ability to appreciate quality suds, this American strong ale will try and recreate its unorthodox rise to fame across the Atlantic.
The third of the initial Berlin beers is the most surprising and, despite the brash bitterness of the aforementioned ales, also the most daring of the bunch. Stone Xocoveza, a beery take on Mexican hot chocolate fortified with cocoa, coffee, chilies, cinnamon and nutmeg developed by San Diego homebrewer Chris Banker, will round out the trio. To say it will be a tad outlandish for a people almost exclusively attuned to Pilsners, Weiss beers and similarly approachable, easy-drinking beers—many of them as slighted of their noble heritage by macro-beer economics as the American adjunct lagers in our country—is an understatement. This brew will certainly challenge the idea of what beer can be to those with the gumption to try it…and that’s the point.
Local producers were sought out for the cocoa (Belizyum) and coffee (Five-Elephant) for the European version of Xocoveza. Otherwise, it is based off the same recipe that rose to an insane level of popularity in the U.S. after first being brewed and released in 2014. Meanwhile, Stone IPA and Arrogant Bastard Ale—beers that are 18 and 17 years of age, respectively—have been brewed exactly the same as ever. The former will be kegged and delivered same-day to ensure Europeans get the freshest version of it possible (i.e., more hops). A full listing of the events featuring Stone’s first Berlin batches can be found online.