ESCONDIDO, Calif. – This month, Stone Brewing’s newest year-round beer storms ashore – Stone Tropic of Thunder Lager. With a long and celebrated heritage of big, bold and flavorful porters, stouts, sours, IPAs, strong ales and more, Stone is proud to continue this tradition of pushing bounds with an unconventional lager. The beer debuts now in all 50 states.
“More than 75 percent of US beer sales are lagers – predominantly from Big Beer,” said Dominic Engels, Stone Brewing CEO. “So given our history in challenging convention, and our successes in the category of IPAs, we’re releasing what I’m affectionately referring to as a ‘lager for IPA lovers.’ It’s finely crafted, intensely flavorful and undoubtedly independent, because lagers deserve flavor too.”
Hitting that sweet spot of a lager that appeals to IPA lovers, Stone’s newest core beer arrives as the brewery closes out 2018 positive in depletions year-over-year. Notably, Stone celebrated a volume increase of 17.5 percent for its combined year-round IPAs. These include Stone IPA, Stone Delicious IPA, Stone Go To IPA, Stone Tangerine Express IPA, Stone Scorpion Bowl IPA, Stone Ruination Double IPA 2.0 Sans Filtre and Stone and Fear.Movie.Lions Double IPA. The latter, born out of Stone Brewing – Richmond, will debut nationwide in 2019.
Jeremy Moynier, Stone’s senior manager of brewing & innovation, explains of the beer, “This is unlike your traditional lager. When we were discussing what our next year-round beer might be we all agreed that we wanted something super flavorful and yet really crushable, all while exemplifying the genre-defying qualities we’re known for at Stone. So while we did our signature thing – seeking out the newest and most interesting hops to contribute big flavor – we really stayed focused on producing a balanced beer with classic lager characteristics. It turned out crisp, clean, intensely fruity, and definitely way crushable.”
The beer’s name is a nod to the uncharted tropical islands on which most of us would willingly castaway ourselves, provided that we could have our perfectly stocked beer fridge in tow. It is just right for a self-imposed “three hour tour,” be it on an island, on a boat or simply on the couch. Aromas of citrus, pineapple and coconut are followed by flavors of lime, orange and passion fruit. A newer hop variety – Cashmere – when harvested at just the right time imparts flavors of ripe cantaloupe that elevate the juicy qualities of this beer. A welcome oasis, Stone Tropic of Thunder Lager proves to be the perfect island companion to a tropically-inspired, fruit forward lineup of IPAs, including Stone Tangerine Express IPA, Stone Scorpion Bowl IPA and the upcoming Stone Revengeful Spirit IPA.
The new addition to Stone’s lineup is now available throughout the US in 12 oz. 6-pack cans, 19.2 oz. single-serve cans and draft. The lager packs a 5.8 percent ABV and is brewed to be enjoyed fresh, which means the rescue boat has 120 days to get the castaways home or, more likely, re-stock the island’s refrigerator.
Quick Facts
- Name: Stone Tropic of Thunder Lager
- Web: stonebrewing.com/tropicofthunder
- Stats: 5.8 percent ABV, 45 IBUs
- Featured Hops: Cashmere, Citra and Mosaic
- Availability: 12 oz. 6-pack cans, 19.2 oz. cans & draft
- Distribution: October 2018 in California and Stone Brewing Tap Rooms and January 2019 nationwide
- Beer finder: find.stonebrewing.com
- #TropicOfThunderLager
Tasting Notes
- Appearance: Straw yellow, clear, fluffy white head.
- Aroma: White wine, melon, citrus and hints of pineapple with clean malt aroma.
- Taste: Ripe Cantaloupe, citrus and passion fruit. Flavors of fresh hops with white wine and biscuit.
- Palate: Slight sweetness and good bitterness with a dry, clean finish.
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. In 2018, Stone opened Stone Brewing – Napa in the heart of California’s wine country. 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 to 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.