The Stone Brewing Co. is the brainchild of beer-lover/brewer Steve Wagner and beer-lover/business guy Greg Koch. Between the two of them, there have been visits to over 140 different breweries in the US & Europe, more than 30 beer festivals and tastings, numerous classes in brewing, sensory evaluation and the microbrewing industry, several judgings in beer competitions, and the memberships in the Institute for Brewing Studies and the Master Brewers Association of America. In fact, the San Diego Union Tribune says "Calling Koch and Wagner beer experts may be an understatement." We are talking serious beer enthusiasts here!

Steve and Greg originally met each other in Los Angeles in 1989. Greg had just opened some music rehearsal studios and Steve's band was amongst the first tenants. They met again a few years later at a weekend "Sensory Evaluation of Beer" class taught at UC Davis. After the class, Steve and Greg not only discovered that they shared a love of beer, they also discovered that their tastes in beer and ideals in brewing matched as well.

Over the next three years, Steve and Greg kept in touch and kept talking about beer and brewing. Eventually the only possible conclusion became clear --- they had to open their own brewery.

Based on Steve's knowledge and experience in brewing and Greg's past success in business, the two managed to convince some private investors to drop a bunch 'o dough on some shiny new stainless steel brewing vessels, and off they went. After a nine month search, the newly formed team found the perfect location in San Marcos for the Stone Brewing Co. and moved in on February 1st, 1996. On July 26th, the ribbon was cut and the first beer was tapped in the brewery's tasting room, and at their first account.

Soon to follow were other trend setting establishments with great taste. We thank all of the great places that took a leap of faith on a new little brewery in its first weeks of business, and all the places that have added our fresh draft beer to their tap towers in the months that have followed. We truly appreciate your support.

And to our fans that go to these fine places and drink our beer, we pledge to never let you down. We will always brew nothing but the highest quality, uncompromising beers imaginable. We do it for ourselves, and we do it for you!