Sapporo is buying Stone, according to a late Thursday announcement from the U.S. division of the Japanese beer giant and the San Diego brewery.
Founded in 1996 by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner, Stone Brewing has been one of the most influential craft U.S. breweries of the past few decades. It also was the ninth-largest craft brewer by production in 2021, according to the Brewers Association rankings. Stone’s provocatively “arrogant” brand and Koch’s knack for attracting publicity have been as much a part of its image as its characterful beers. That image always included a claim to fierce independence, with Koch saying on multiple occasions that he would “never sell out.”
“Until now,” he says in a blog post titled, “It’s Time,” published Friday to time with the sale announcement. In the post, Koch says that he’s leaving the company, and he also argues that craft beer has boomed and, essentially, that its “revolution” is won.