Who is Stone Brewing?
Stone Brewing has been around for decades, and you would be hard-pressed to find a beer drinker who hasn’t heard of their beers. Infamous for championing the American philosophy of “more is better”, Stone Brewing is well-known for producing hop-crazy beers. Stone was instrumental in the popularization of the West Coast IPA.
Nowadays, Stone’s beers can be found all across the USA. Stone IPA is one of the best-selling IPAs ever, and they have built their brand hoppy IPAs and on over-the-top beers.
Where is Stone Brewing?
Based in San Diego County, Stone Brewing has been brewing beer in southern California since the mid 90’s. Stone Brewing now produces beer in three locations: Escondido, CA; San Diego (Liberty Station), CA; and Richmond, VA.
Out of all of their locations, Stone’s Liberty Station World Bistro & Gardens is one of our favorite brewery locations to visit. Not only does Stone produce amazing beer here, but the facilities are second to none. Stone has completely transformed this former U.S. Navy location into a beer lover’s paradise. The Spanish-style building holds true to San Diego’s roots. Koi ponds & rock features make the beer garden Instagram-worthy. Avgeeks will find themselves staring to the sky as airplanes zip in & out of SAN airport overhead.
Oh, and did I mention Liberty Station has an on-site restaurant and bocce ball courts?
What’s so special about Stone Brewing’s Xocoveza?
Xocoveza (8.1%, 50 IBU) is a great story. Homebrewer Chris Banker won Stone Brewing’s 2014 homebrew competition with this Mexican hot chocolate-inspired stout, and Stone has since brought this delectable beer to market.
Banker, an engineer by trade, used vanilla beans from Baja California and a slightly tweaked recipe to produce the award-winning milk stout that has gone on to become one of Stone’s most successful beers ever. This dark, rich imperial stout has now been used to produce over 20 different experimental versions and limited-releases including tequila-aged and bourbon-aged varieties.
How does Stone Brewing’s Xocoveza taste?
Xocoveza pours an opaque black color with a frothy head. The aroma is sweet with rich chocolatey notes.
With a thick mouthfeel, the beer washes over your tastebuds and brings notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla as you drink it.
This imperial stout really opens up as it warms up a bit, and the chocolate notes & hints of pasilla peppers start to shine through the longer you drink it.
This is a wildly delicious beer that begs to be drank. Slow it down and pace your sips to enjoy the ride, amigo.
Final Thoughts
Chris Banker & Stone Brewing produced a winner with this beer, and I always keep an eye out for it during the holidays. The hint of spice adds just enough complexity to this stout without overpowering the chocolate & vanilla flavors. It is well-balanced and very smooth.
Plus, the high ABV means this stout can withstand some aging if you want to stash them for later in the year. All in all, this is a great beer that deserves a pick up (especially if you find it used in a limited edition barrel-aged version).
Do you have any favorite Mexican hot chocolate beers? Let us know in the comments below!
