Stone Brewing Escondido Closure, Rogue Ales Sale and $10 Million in Brewery Gold

Stone Brewing's production exit from Escondido, the ongoing sale of Rogue Ales intellectual property, a unionization effort at the Sam Adams Boston Brewery, and a $10 million gold discovery beneath a former brewery lead the latest Craft Beer Republic episode. Greg and Flex also get into changes at 14 Cannons, a particularly unusual beer origin story, and two IPA reviews.

The new episode, "Bad Beer, Great Wi-Fi," pairs current craft beer industry news with a look at Bitrate Fluctuation from Equilibrium Brewing and WeldWerks and 7th Inning Stretch from Trademark Brewing.

Stone Brewing Production Is Leaving Escondido

Stone Brewing's longtime Escondido operations are shutting down, eliminating about 220 jobs and ending the brewery's large-scale production presence in San Diego County. The closure follows Sapporo's sale of the Stone brand to Firestone Walker and Duvel earlier this year.

Sapporo retained the Escondido property but was unable to find a long-term solution for the facility. The shutdown is expected to happen in phases, with the first 58 layoffs scheduled for October. Stone's Escondido World Bistro and Gardens is expected to permanently close in November.

Stone beer production is moving to Firestone Walker in Paso Robles and Duvel-owned Boulevard Brewing in Kansas City. Stone's Liberty Station brewery and restaurant will remain open.

The move marks another major change for a craft beer brand founded in San Diego County in 1996. Stone Brewing sold to Sapporo for $165 million in 2022 before the Stone brand was sold again to Firestone Walker and Duvel four years later.

Rogue Ales Brands and Dead Guy Await a Buyer

The future of Rogue Ales and Dead Guy remains unsettled as bidding continues for the intellectual property of Oregon Brewing Company. The assets for sale include the Rogue name, beer recipes, proprietary yeast rights, social media accounts, rogue.com, and trademarks for brands including Dead Guy.

UK-based digital marketing company Silver Scope Media submitted a $400,000 offer for the assets. Competing bids were allowed through August 21, with challengers required to offer at least $440,000. Rogue had previously valued its intellectual property at approximately $2 million.

As of August 22, no higher bid or winning buyer had been publicly identified. A court hearing on the proposed sale is scheduled for August 26.

The bidder is a digital marketing company rather than a brewery, leaving the future of Rogue beer production unclear. Possible outcomes discussed include reviving production, licensing the beer brands to another producer, or acquiring the Rogue trademarks and digital assets for their value.

The sale also faces an objection from Oregon's Valley View Winery, which claims perpetual rights to use the Rogue name for wine and wine-based beverages under a previous agreement with Oregon Brewing.

Sam Adams Boston Brewery Workers Move to Unionize

Workers at the Sam Adams Boston Brewery in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, submitted an intent to unionize to Boston Beer Company. The group includes bartenders, beer ambassadors, cooks, and key holders.

Workers cited job security, equitable treatment, equality, clear and consistent policies, and clearly defined wages and benefits as motivations for unionizing, according to a report by United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 328. Boston Beer confirmed that it received a copy of the petition and was reviewing it internally.

The union effort adds another labor story to a changing craft beer industry. Greg notes Boston Beer's broader portfolio, including Truly, Twisted Tea, and Dogfish Head, while discussing the company's position compared with smaller breweries.

Former Belgian Brewery Site Was Hiding $10 Million in Gold

An 18-year-old working a summer construction job in Belgium helped uncover more than $10 million in gold beneath a former brewery property about 20 miles outside Brussels.

The construction crew was digging into the foundation to install new sewer pipes when the discovery began with what appeared to be coins. Workers eventually uncovered 49 gold bars, roughly 4,000 gold coins, and gold nuggets worth an estimated 9 million euros.

The stash had been hidden inside a bricked-up section of the cellar. Beer was produced at the property until around 1970, and authorities are now investigating the gold's origin and ownership. Potential claims could involve descendants of the brewing family, the current property owner, the construction company, or the workers who discovered it.

14 Cannons Replaces Brewing Equipment With Pool Tables

Greg also follows up on recent changes at 14 Cannons after the brewery previously announced an indefinite closure and major changes. The location has since added pool tables, and Greg says he learned that brewing equipment was removed to make room for them.

The change is notable because 14 Cannons was originally built as a showroom for breweries and brewing equipment. The location is now offering other local beer brands on tap, raising questions during the episode about the future of beer produced under the 14 Cannons name.

A Beer Made With Cultured Vaginal Bacteria

The show's recurring unusual beer origin stories end with Bottled Instinct, a beer from Polish brewery The Order of Yoni that was marketed as the world's first vaginal beer.

Samples collected from volunteer models under medical supervision were sent to a laboratory, where lactic acid bacteria were isolated and cultured. That cultured bacteria was used in a wheat-based beer made with champagne yeast, orange peel, and other flavorings.

The connection to brewing comes through lactic acid bacteria, which can contribute tartness to sour beer and also occur naturally in the human body. Greg and Flex spend considerably less time admiring the science than considering what the original brewery pitch must have sounded like.

Drunk Driver Accused of Intentionally Crashing Into Delaware Pub

A Delaware pub also makes the episode after police said a 35-year-old man intentionally drove a Mitsubishi Lancer into the front doors of Two Stones Pub in Newark after staff had repeatedly asked him to leave.

The pub was closed and empty when the crash occurred. Troopers later found the man walking along the same road, and police said he appeared intoxicated and refused field sobriety tests. The story leaves Greg and Flex considering the questionable logic behind driving into a pub and then casually walking away from the scene.

Featured Craft Beers: Double IPA and West Coast IPA

Bitrate Fluctuation from Equilibrium Brewing and WeldWerks

Flex drinks Bitrate Fluctuation, an 8.5% double IPA collaboration from Equilibrium Brewing and WeldWerks. Despite a can just shy of six months old, he finds it citrus-forward, pillowy, and dangerously easy to drink, with enough going for it that he would buy a four-pack.

7th Inning Stretch from Trademark Brewing

Greg drinks 7th Inning Stretch from Long Beach's Trademark Brewing. The 7% West Coast IPA was brewed as an anniversary beer and features grapefruit, pine, mango, and papaya in the brewery description.

Greg finds the beer light, dry, and easy-drinking for a 7% West Coast IPA, comparing its drinkability to a pale ale and putting it firmly in the newer-school West Coast IPA camp. The baseball-themed can also includes peel-off trading card-style stickers.

Bad Beer, Great Wi-Fi and Other Episode Stories

Outside the craft beer industry headlines, Greg is back recording from the same mid-grade hotel he keeps choosing for one important amenity: reliable Wi-Fi. Flex previously described the extended hotel stay as the world's worst camping trip, which remains a fairly accurate assessment.

The episode also resurrects memories of BOD body spray after the unusual beer story reminds Greg and Flex of its old commercials. Greg recalls wearing three sprays to school and immediately learning that BOD was not a product interested in subtlety.

Listen to Craft Beer Republic

"Bad Beer, Great Wi-Fi" is available now from Craft Beer Republic. The episode includes the latest discussion of Stone Brewing, Rogue Ales, Sam Adams, brewery industry changes, craft beer news, and reviews of a double IPA and West Coast IPA. You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!