A Brew By Any Other Name… A connoisseur of fine dining goes into a nice restaurant. Instead of the usual glass of wine with dinner, he instead asks for something special. "A Stone Smoked Porter". Just the sound of this deeply intense ale quickly begins to quench his thirst. The waiter eyes him coldly and says nothing. "Okay. How about a Stone Pale Ale?". Surely this beauty of an ale with its complex flavors will make the grade. The waiter's nose turns up slightly, as if to refute his very presence. "I'm sure you've got a Stone IPA floating around?" he queries timidly. The waiter's cold statuesque demeanor speaks volumes. 'Gimme a Bud" the customer states, deflatedly. The waiter smiles warmly and takes his order. We are a country that subsists on marketing. "Best beer in the land", "Number one!", "Preferred by most", "Gold medal at state fair", "Born on date" (to mark freshness, even though its pasteurized!!!). We like the TV commercial, we follow the lead cow, we buy the product. Very simple. Very boring. But every once in a while there comes a company or product that gives us a much needed kick in the proverbial rump. To deviate from the straight and narrow path and to make a hard, spontaneous left turn can be a good thing. The Stone Brewing Company in San Marcos is that left turn. Stone Brewing was formed by Steve Wagner and Greg Koch back in 1996. How they met sounds more like the introduction of a classic comedy team from the Vaudeville days. Mr. Wagner played in a rock band back in the eighties. Mr. Koch owned several music rehearsal studios that Mr. Wagner and his band rented. Three years later, they met at a one day home brewing class at UC Davis. Their shared interests in music and beer was the foundation for their friendship and eventual business partnership. I paid a visit to their brewery recently. The sales manager, Arlan Arnsten, offered a great crash course in how beer is produced, as well as an intriguing comparison for my wife, Nancy, and her parents, George and Dolores, visiting from Michigan. My father-in-law drinks Budweiser, a lager, the king of beers. Stone brews nothing but ales. I was curious to see how George the Bud drinker would react to this brewery's definite intense, complex output of ales. I was pleasantly surprised when he enjoyed the Pale Ale and the Arrogant Bastard. My wife's favorite ale was the Double Bastard (a note about that particular ale shortly). My mother-in-laws' favorite ale was anything after her third glass. Before I continue, here's a quick seminar on what it takes to create this elixir for the common man: Four ingredients create beer - water, barley malt, yeast and hops. Ales are top fermented warm, lagers are bottom fermented cold. Stone uses those four ingredients. Most larger, commercial breweries will add preservatives, additives and adjuncts such as corn and rice. Unlike Stone, they also pasteurize their product. This is the act of flash heating and then cooling the beer as it flows through pipes. Like the act of fining and filtering in wine, this strips the product of certain flavors. Bluntly put, Stone's ales are not for everybody. Their motto is "Hated by many. Loved by Few". They do not wish to follow in the paths of the beer giants, but to stay their 'left turn' course and produce unique, finely crafted ales for those passionate enough to appreciate such gems. These are ales to sip and savor, not to chug a 6 pack and release a "Barney"-like belch. Stone Pale Ale - This is their flagship ale. A beautiful amber hue invites the taster to enjoy the balance between the medium bodied malt flavors and the spicy, slightly bitter hops. Stone Smoked Porter - A dark, rich porter that is full bodied and accented by chocolate and coffee nuances. It is neither too heavy and has a clean aftertaste. The smoky characteristic comes from specialty peat smoked barley. Stone IPA (India Pale Ale) - For your history buffs, IPA comes from the period of British rule in India. They desired their ales, but for traveling purposes, needed to add more zip to keep it fresh, Thus, they added extra hops. This ale is hop heaven and its not for everyone. Its distinct bitterness either plays to your palate like a Vivaldi concerto or you'll squeamishly push it away. It is one of my favorite ales due to its balance of floral notes and a crispness that is astounding. Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale - We were told that this was a mistake. Too much chocolate barley was added. Someone muttered that it tasted like an 'arrogant bastard', thus the name. This is an in-your-face ale that registers a sensory overload with every sip. It is rich, lush and intense due to heaps of chocolate barley and hops. The image of a gargoyle on the bottle is supposed to represent a 'protector' against the evils of added preservatives and the like. I am not one to argue with a gargoyle hoisting an ale. Double Bastard Ale (Seasonal) - If you like the Arrogant Bastard, keep an eye out for its soul mate, the Double. At 10% alcohol, its not a brew you're going to consume during the first quarter of a football game. You quaff this beauty as you would a vintage wine. Like the chewing gum ad, double your pleasure, double your fun. This is intense, concentrated ale of the Gods. * Footnote - when the day was done and my wife and In-laws had uttered positive responses about the tour and ales, we went home and had a delightful meal. George and I shared a Double Bastard