Stone Brewing's Co-Founder on the 5 Beers He's Drinking Right Now

Welcome toTapped , where the brightest nous in beer pour out out their suds - soaked cognition . wassail it all in , right this way .

Back when years start up with " 19 , " America ’s craft beer scene was still in its babyhood . And if you ’ll pamper this weak metaphor for a little turn longer , Stone is now everyone ’s pa , having just plough 20 . It ’s also one of thebiggest craft brewery in America , having fundamentally changed the face of craft brew with great beer ranging from the Enjoy By series to Smoked Porter . If anyone ever incriminate Stone ’s folks of beingArrogant love child .

Which is to say , Stone Brewing Co. co - father Steve Wagner is palisade by Earth - class beer , but what does he fuddle when he ’s not drinking Stone ? Well , we asked and he give us five . ( Not all at once , plain . That ’d be messy . ) Wagner filled us in on his favorite beers at the moment , and recount us that in celebration of the company ’s 20th year of brew delicious brews , the brewery ’s re - brew some of its anniversary beers , like the6th Anniversary Porter . That ’s correct . This dude gives us present forhisanniversary . Who ’s the bastard now ?

Russian River Blind Pig IPA

Leighton Pope/Thrillist

Port Brewing Co. Hop-15

" It ’s call Hop-15 because it has 15 hop varieties in it . It ’s a double IPA – around 10 % . It ’s got an amazing hop character , but it ’s grueling to pick out individual things with that many hop varieties in there . There ’s a destiny go on ! There ’s definitely some piney , citrusy - character [ annotation ] , but also some tropical yield . It ’s a kitchen sinkhole - type thing , and it ’s altogether astonishing . "

Odell Brewing Co. Cutthroat Porter

Porter , 5.1%Fort Collins , CO"I was in Boulder for a Brewers Association board meeting recently and got reacquaint with Odell ’s Cutthroat Porter in the measure at the Boulderado . A really well - made London - style porter with a skillful roastiness , java note of hand , and a restrained ABV . I have always delight a really serious ostiary , and it was perfect for a inhuman day in Colorado . "

AleSmith Brewing Co. Nut Brown Ale

Brown ale , 5%San Diego , CA"This is one of my nightcap go - tos when I ’m out drink beer . I care to finish with an AleSmith Nut Brown . It did n’t used to be bottled , but it is now . Just a classic English nut case brown . dandy malt fiber . Low ABV , which is a good fashion to eat up the dark . And it ’s a nice change from IPAs , which is mostly what I fuddle . "

IPA , 6.25%Santa Rosa , CA"It ’s one I drink regularly . The beer has an emotional connectedness for me . When Greg ( Koch ) and I move to San Diego to start Stone , that was one of the few IPAs available around town at the time . And it had a heavy impact on us . We became friends with Vinnie and Natalie from Russian River .

" If you know the story , Vinnie was brewer / owner of Blind Pig Brewery in Temecula , which is pretty close to San Diego , back when we lead off Stone . There ’s a connection there . It ’s still a great IPA , and it was highly influential in my brewing career . "

Mother Road Brewing Co. Tower Station

IPA , 7.3%Flagstaff , AZ"[This is a ] really nice unfiltered IPA with muckle of tropical yield in the nose and a skillful citrus flavor . I had it on draught , but it come up in a cool 16 oz can where the intact top of the can peels off when you open it . Bonus ! "

Port Brewing Hop-15