A new beer will be available in the Garden State next week.

It didn't sneak in under the radar, but brashly thrust itself front and center onto shelf and tap. That's because it's Arrogant Bastard Ale, the cult beer from Stone Brewing Co. in San Diego County, Calif..

With its tagline of "You're not worthy," this beer has been taking the country by storm under the reins of this fast-growing brewery.

Arrogant Bastard is an uncompromising amber-colored hybrid ale. Deep in flavor and concentrated in malt and hops, it is 7.2 percent alcohol. Look for it on March 1.

Other year-round beers from Stone include pale ale, a classic, yet tangy example of the style (5.2 percent); India pale ale, another true-to-style brew, well-hopped at 6.9 percent; smoked porter, with just a hint of smoked malts; and Levitation Ale, the lightest offering with plenty of flavor at 4.4 percent. Ruination India Pale Ale is strictly for hop lovers, rated at more than 100 IBUs, (international bittering units) and 7.7 percent alcohol. Seasonal releases such as barley wine, imperial stout and Double Bastard also are plentiful.

Stone does not cut corners. The company just invested $12 million in a new brewery complex in Escondido, about a half-hour north of San Diego. The brewery is up and running while the restaurant, Stone World Bistro and Beer Gardens, is expected to be operating by late spring.

With typical company trademark arrogance, Stone CEO Greg Koch says he expects the restaurant to draw customers "worldwide."

Founded in 1996, Stone has grown from a small microbrewery to the largest regional craft brewery in Southern California; the new complex houses a massive cold storage warehouse from which Stone distributes its products and other craft breweries' beer.

For more information, visit stonebrew.com. Be sure to check out Koch's cutting-edge video blogs.

Tony Forder is editor of Ale Street News, a bimonthly guide to specialty beers. Send questions to Cheers, in care of Ale Street News, Box 1125, Maywood, NJ 07607; e-mail tony@alestreetnews.com; or call Forder at (201) 368-9100. Responses will appear in this biweekly column as space allows.