The Brewery Project: Stone

There are few, if any, craft beer circles that would omit Stone Brewing Co. from conversations about the San Diego beer scene.  The Escondido headquarters of this local brewing giant and 11th largest craft brewer in the country is awesome, and must be seen to be appreciated.  I've featured them in numerous posts including this review, this post about their current expansion, and these posts on the Vertical Epic series.  On this visit I decided to do my own Vertical Epic tasting with a glass of 11.11.11 and 12.12.12.  The 11.11.11 had really mellowed.  The Anaheim chilies and cinnamon were not nearly as predominant in the glass as when I first had it over a year ago.  That's not to say the beer wasn't good, it was excellent, just different.  The 12.12.12, on the other hand, exhibited more of its spicy notes this time around than the bottle I had just a few weeks back.  I didn't actually like it as much as I did the first time, but I was also drinking it on the heels of its predecessor, so that could have been the difference.  The beer speaks for itself, the tour is great, the food in the bistro is delicious, and the setting is amazing.  If you haven't been to this brewery yet, you need to make time to check it out.  After all, it's just a Stone's throw away!