ESCONDIDO, Calif. — Collaboration beers bring like-minded brewers together, but few so exactingly embody this truism as Stone Brewing’s new draft-only offering: Societe / Stone The Skedaddler IPA. This massively hopped, West Coast IPA combines the brewing expertise and varietal-blending technique of two of San Diego’s foremost IPA cult favorites, the hop-bine harnessers at Stone and the lupulin savants at Societe Brewing. More importantly, it succinctly encapsulates both companies’ shared devotion to delivering their fans the freshest, highest-quality beer possible.
“We consider Stone trailblazers of the craft-beer revolution. Their vision was so in line with ours that, in the early days of Societe, we reached out to them and they were kind enough to provide some useful advice that helped shape our company,” said Societe co-founder Doug Constantiner. “It was such an honor for Stone to ask us to brew a collaboration beer with them.”
The belief of the team at Societe Brewing is that draft is the ultimate experience when it comes to hop-driven beers. So when Stone Senior Innovation Brewing Manager Jeremy Moynier contacted Constantiner and Societe co-founder Travis Smith to see what they’d think of brewing a collaboration beer that would be shipped across the country exclusively in kegs, the duo, touched by that level of respect and accommodation, happily jumped onboard. Stone and Societe started down the long, temperature-controlled road to what is Societe / Stone The Skedaddler IPA. Coming in at 7% alcohol-by-volume and boasting an eclectic hop bill built with American, Australian, German and New Zealand hops, it is full-bodied yet dry on the finish, with vibrant citrus, stone fruit and tropical flavors on the palate; just what a craft-beer fan would expect from two companies renowned for their IPA prowess.
“Independence is always in our battle cry, each year we release a draft-only beer in the summer months that reinforces our steadfast commitment,” said Stone CEO Dominic Engels. “Societe is the perfect partner for this occasion. The team maintains incredible allegiance to its fans and its dedication to delivering only the freshest beers. Like us, they’ll never sacrifice quality. Independence is our mutual guarantee to fans that these moral beliefs will never be compromised.”
“The fact that Stone would go so far to help us share our ideals and our beer with craft-beer lovers across the US means so much to us,” said Constantiner. “We only distribute in San Diego County, so for many this will be their first taste of anything having to do with our brewery. Knowing how much Stone cares about that is a big deal. They say it can be dangerous to meet your heroes, but this beer and the process that birthed it proves it can also be awesome.”
Societe / Stone The Skedaddler IPA will be available nationwide beginning this week. And did we mention it will be draft-only?
Quick Facts
- Name: Societe / Stone The Skedaddler IPA
Web: Stonebrewing.com/skedaddler
Stats: 7% ABV, 70 IBUs
Availability: Nationwide on draft only
Featured Hops: Magnum, Mosaic, Citra, Ella, Southern Cross, Idaho 7, Galaxy
Find Beer: findbeer.stonebrewing.com
Tasting Notes
- Appearance: Golden and clear with a thin white head.
- Aroma: Smells like hop goodness! Sweet tropical fruit, pineapple and coconut, stone-fruit, melon, resin, pine, and really, really dank aromas. This beer has a very complex nose with a ton of fruit.
- Taste: A massive amount of fruit that goes into a lot of dankness! A nice blend of fruit, fresh hop-resin and dank backbone. A taste of old school and new school. This truly tastes like a Stone/Societe beer!
- Palate: Sweet fruit and a smooth middle that leads to a dry, bitter finish.
- Overall: We have been wanting to brew with Societe for a long time. We were so stoked that this collaboration worked out. We had so much fun doing the pilot at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station that we invited the guys up to brew with us again on the big system in Escondido. We are all very excited about this draft-only IPA and know people will enjoy the amazing collaboration between two very like-minded breweries.
Pairing Notes
- Starters: Stone Aji-verde Black Tiger Shrimp *, Kampachi & Scallop Aquachile**, Durian Fruit & Mangosteen, Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Soups and Salads: The Pungent One: Cheddar, Garlic & Stone Ruination Double IPA 2.0 Soup *, Pear & Bleu Cheese Salad, Pesto Pasta Salad, Manhattan Clam Chowder
- Main Courses: Dukkah Crusted Rack of Lamb **, Peking Duck, Pasta Primavera, Jumbo Scallops
- Desserts: Baklava, Homemade Vanilla Ice-Cream topped with Fresh Strawberries, Beignets, Churros with Whipped Cream
*Pairings available at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Escondido. See the full menu here.
**Pairings available at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station. See the full menu here.
About Stone Brewing
Founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner in 1996, the groundbreaking San Diego-based Stone Brewing is the 8th largest craft brewer in the United States. Recognized as an award-winning industry leader, Stone has been listed on the Inc. 500 | 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list 12 times and has been called the “All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine twice. The multifaceted company was the first American craft brewer to build, own and operate its own brewery in Europe (Berlin, Germany), and also opened a production brewery in Richmond, Virginia in 2016. Known for its bold, flavorful and largely hop-centric beers, Stone has earned a reputation for brewing outstanding, unique beers while maintaining an unwavering commitment to sustainability, business ethics, philanthropy and the art of brewing… and pledging never, ever, sell out to the man. For more information on Stone Brewing, please visit stonebrewing.com or the company’s social media sites: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About Societe Brewing
An independently-owned-and-operated production brewery founded by a pair of professional brewers in 2012, Societe Brewing produces an array of almost-exclusively draft offerings ranging from hoppy “Out West” ales, to Belgian-inspired and continental “Old World” ales and lagers, and dark “Stygian” beers. The brewery also features a 1,500-square-foot, temperature-controlled room housing used wine barrels filled with a maturing stock of “Feral” (barrel-aged sour) ales. Proud to be part of the hotbed of brewing innovation that is San Diego, California, Societe distributes its beers to finer bars and beer-centric restaurants and retailers throughout its home county. The brewery has earned medals in multiple style categories at the Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup and San Diego International Beer Festival competitions, and its multifarious portfolio of beers includes The Pupil and The Apprentice IPAs, The Coachman Really Small IPA, The Harlot Belgian-style Blonde Ale, The Heiress Czech-style Pilsner, and The Butcher Imperial Stout. For more information, visit the company’s official website—societebrewing.com—or follow Societe via social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.