Stone's Founders Reclaim Escondido, Hardywood Buys Starr Hill and a Flamingo Heist in "40 Beers and a Flamingo"

Stone Brewing's founders are taking back the famous Escondido bistro, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery has acquired Starr Hill, and a Canadian man's 30 to 40 beers in Las Vegas end with a stolen flamingo. The new Craft Beer Republic episode, "40 Beers and a Flamingo," also finds Flex the best vacation beer of his life in Fort Myers and Greg letting a Giants fan trash the Dodgers for over an hour before telling her where he's from.

Stone Brewing's Founders Take Back the Escondido Bistro

Stone Brewing founders Greg Koch and Steve Wagner are taking over the Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido. The location was left out of Sapporo's sale of the Stone brand to Firestone Walker, and Sapporo had planned to close it in November as part of 272 layoffs.

Koch and Wagner kept ownership of the property the whole time Stone was being sold. The bistro will still close as planned on November 13, then reopen as an independent restaurant with a new name once the state approves a license change, with a goal of opening before the holidays. The city says most of the jobs will be saved, and the founders are also exploring what to do with the brewery next door. As for whether death metal will still play in the men's room, Koch says the answer is somewhere between yes and hell yes.

Greg points out that Koch spent years swearing he'd never sell out to corporate beer before selling out, and Flex wonders if he's setting up to sell again.

Hardywood Park Craft Brewery Acquires Starr Hill

Two of Virginia's largest craft breweries have merged, with Hardywood Park Craft Brewery acquiring Starr Hill Brewery. The deal, which closed October 1, cements a partnership the two started in 2025. Starr Hill keeps its ownership, leadership team and brand identity, and both breweries will keep their existing locations, taprooms and employees.

The Brews to Barns Act Targets Spent Grain

The Brews to Barns Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives with support from the Brewers Association. The bill would create a federal excise tax credit for breweries that donate spent grain for agricultural use. U.S. breweries generate around 4.7 million metric tons of spent grain each year, and about 90% of it already goes to livestock feed or compost.

The Best Vacation Beer Flex Has Ever Had

Flex is fresh off a Fort Myers Beach vacation, where a stop at Publix turned into a grocery store review from someone who worked at one for 15 years. His verdict: the most immaculate grocery store he's ever been in.

That Publix also had the only four-pack of Palm City Brewing's Hazify left on the shelf. Flex ended up ordering it at every restaurant on the trip, and now calls it maybe the best vacation beer he's ever had. The trip also included his first grouper, his first hogfish, and a pan-seared snapper at Fresh Catch that might be the best meal of his life.

Letting a Giants Fan Trash the Dodgers

On a work trip to the Bay Area, Greg watched the Dodgers play the Brewers at a bar in Emeryville's Public Market next to a Giants fan who spent over an hour trashing the Dodgers. Greg let her go the whole time before finally telling her he's from LA. She admitted she deserved the five minutes of Giants trash talk that followed.

A Brewers Connection at Naughty Pine

Naughty Pine Brewing's Emo-ween brought a few emo bands in for Halloween, and listener Michael called in that night with some news for Flex: Naughty Pine owner Brittany Brouhard's father-in-law, Mark Brouhard, played for the Milwaukee Brewers in the early 1980s. With the Brewers in the World Series, Flex is living and dying with every pitch.

Celebrating the End of Probation

A Middleburg Heights, Ohio, man was arrested after police found him stumbling and twirling in circles behind a GetGo gas station. He told officers he had just finished five years of probation and was celebrating, with a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of rum. Police poured out both.

A Stolen Flamingo in Las Vegas

A Canadian man in Las Vegas for a work event was convicted of animal cruelty after taking Peachy, a 27-year-old Chilean flamingo, from the Flamingo hotel's habitat after drinking 30 to 40 beers over 24 hours. Peachy was injured and is now more anxious during checkups. He faces up to four and a half years at sentencing. Greg and Flex were hoping for a goofy story, and the cruelty part took the fun out of it fast.

Beers We're Drinking

Flex: Palm City Brewing Hazify

Flex is drinking Hazify from Palm City Brewing in Fort Myers, a 6.5% hazy IPA with pineapple, mango and tangerine notes, a soft mouthfeel and no bitterness. Flex gives it four and a half out of five and is sad he can't get it at home.

Greg: Altamont Beer Works Gnarly Budz

Greg is drinking Gnarly Budz from Altamont Beer Works, a 7% West Coast IPA collab with Shred Beer Co. that's dank, piney and so light it drinks like a hoppy pilsner, which makes the 7% easy to forget.

Listen to Craft Beer Republic: 40 Beers and a Flamingo

"40 Beers and a Flamingo" is available now from Craft Beer Republic, with Greg and Flex covering craft beer news, Stone Brewing, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, Starr Hill Brewery, the Brews to Barns Act, Altamont Beer Works, Palm City Brewing and one very unlucky flamingo. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app!