Stone Brewing's Escondido facility gets major $20M expansion

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Two years after its acquisition by Japanese brewer Sapporo, Stone Brewing's flagship facility just finished a major $20 million expansion.

Over the weekend, crews began installation of eight new 30-foot, 400-barrel fermenter tanks in Sapporo-Stone's Escondido brewery, hauling in each on semi-trucks before lowering them into the facility by crane through a skylight.

According to a release from the company, the tank installation is part of its plan to double the brewery's capacity, pushing the number of beer barrels it can produce to upwards of 700,000 a year — a volume that would push it towards becoming one of the biggest brewers in the U.S.

The $20 million capital investment also went towards adding in new packaging lines to support the production of bottles, cans and kegs all at the same time.

"Today, we're celebrating our continued investment in San Diego," Zach Keeling, interim CEO of Sapporo-Stone Brewing, said in a video statement. "Together, we're on a journey to becoming one of the U.S.'s top 10 largest breweries, located right here in Escondido."

The upgrades to the Escondido facility were part of a larger $60 million investment into Stone Brewing after Sapporo bought the local craft brewery back in 2022.

At the time, the longstanding Japanese beer company said the goal of the acquisition was to expand its availability in the U.S. by using Stone facilities to brew its signature lager.

"If you come to our bistros and breweries, you won't see much change — we're still brewing the same Stone beer we always have," Keeling said. "But now, we have the capacity to brew Sapporo beer at the same time."

Founded in 1996, Stone Brewing is one of San Diego's quintessential craft beer brewers, helping to shape the local craft culture while also pioneering what is now broadly referred to as the West Coast style of beer.

Stone Brewing has seven tasting rooms and bistros across the country, including its flagship in Escondido, a tap room in Liberty Station and a tasting room at its factory in Richmond, Virginia.