THE GIST
After years of lambasting ‘fizzy yellow beer’ San Diego’s Stone Brewing Company are to release its own, under the recently established Arrogant Brewing imprint. The beer is a noble hopped pilsner weighing in at 5.8% ABV and 47 IBU’s.
WHY IT MATTERS
‘“They do it cheaply. We do it right. Choose vapidity, or choose righteousness…but whatever you do, choose wisely,” said Arrogant Bastard with the expectation that, ultimately, it’s up to you to figure it out for yourself.’ Spits the copy on the can, in Greg Koch’s inimitable style.
Stone releasing a pilsner marks a huge turning point for craft beer, and not just for Stone itself. As larger craft brewers continue to expand so does the availability of tank space – suddenly that longer fermentation and maturation period for producing a lager isn’t putting financial pressure on the brewhouse like it once did.
However, lager is already a highly competitive market, with products like Firestone Walker Pivo Pils excelling, plus the hundreds of great pilsners being brewed by small, local breweries we haven’t even heard of yet. In brewing a lager Stone are finally attempting to compete directly with the market they have for so long fought against, and that’s not going to be easy.
Will Stone’s first foray into the lager market succeed where others have already? Or will this be an example of pride coming before a fall?
— Matthew Curtis
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Arrogant Brewing Who You Callin’ Wussie, via Arrogant Bastard Brewing Co.