When I am forced to travel to Orange County for work, I try to make the best of it with trips to local beer destinations, a fact I have chronicled here in the past. With my flight not leaving until Sunday, my friend from the office, Robert, and I took the opportunity to extend our beer wanderings slightly and we met some colleagues who live in the San Diego area at the Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido. Picking a reasonable time to hit the road, I-5 was quite manageable and Robert and I arrived a tad early. The rock lined walkway dotted with lush green plants, accented by artful rebar and torches set in the rock had me impressed before I even reached the large wooden doors. Robert and I entered, confirmed our reservation and set about exploring the grounds. The main indoor dining area continued the tasteful industrial/rustic/artisan motif with rough hewn wood forming the bar and various levels for tables, more rebar, stones of various sizes and for various uses all of which looked through a gigantic glass wall into the brewery contained within. Glancing up at the high ceilings revealed a reserved section above that opened out onto a balcony above the back patio. Not members of the wedding party, we remained on the ground floor and exited to the patio through large rolling doors. A multi-layered koi pond topped with flame greeted us to the right and a large circular table surrounding a fire pit was found to the left in front of a second bar.
Robert and I decided to order pints, as Dave and Courtney were going to be a bit late. The tap list was extensive and it was hard to choose, but being a fan of their Cali-Belgique IPA and never having had a chance to try it on draught proved to make my decision. Robert read up about some of Stone’s beers online the night previous and was intrigued to try the 10.10.10 Vertical Epic because of its inclusion of varietals of wine grapes. We were both pleased with our choices.
We wandered into the garden, which had unfortunately been pummeled by rain over the last few days, leaving a couple of small puddles and the ground a bit soft. Undaunted, we admired the pond and the various areas for sitting and enjoying the space that were dotted in the nooks and crannies. My personal favorite was the table comprised of drift wood carved in such a way to appear completely natural in its state as a table.
Dave and Courtney arrived and we returned to the front desk to get our table on the patio. The skies were overcast but the rain thankfully stayed away as the afternoon progressed. Our groups selection of ales was quite varied with Courtney tending towards the darker, Robert towards hoppy beers and Dave and I jumping all around the beer map. The Oaked Arrogant Bastard was incredible on draught (although I was disappointed they had emptied the cask of it earlier) and I relished in the fresh hop flavors in the Ruination IPA.
The whole spectrum of food needs was also well addressed, ranging from Dave’s buffalo burger to my vegan tempeh shepherd’s pie. Conversation continued as we finished up our meals and ordered one last round for the non-drivers and retired back to the garden. Eventually we ended up at the drift wood table and except for a slight interruption from an adorable family wanting to use the space to take some pictures, it would not have taken much convincing us that we were nowhere near a crowded restaurant.
As we headed our separate ways, I contemplated how world class the entire experience was. Stone has definitely set the bar pretty high; although I admit I haven’t been to many of the other “destination” breweries in the world. I will have to control how much inspiration I “borrow” from my time there when building my own brewery in the future, lest I directly copy any part of the experience.
That is the benefit of traveling around and experiencing different breweries and restaurants. It affords me the opportunity to absorb what works and what doesn’t at each location, which will eventually coalesce with my own original ideas to become what will hopefully in turn be known as a “destination” brewery.
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