Greg Koch, Stone Brewing Executive Chairman & Co-Founder, announced today that Stone Berlin Brewery and Bistro has been sold to Scotland’s BrewDog. Said Koch, “Today we announce we are transferring the ownership of the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Berlin facility to our friends at Brewdog. Brewdog has agreed to adopt what we’ve built, and they will make it their own.”

Stone Brewing Company and Greg Koch undertook a bold vision that carried a huge gamble when they announced plans for Stone Berlin in 2014 and opened in 2016. As I wrote after visiting Stone Berlin in 2016 (read my original article by clicking here), their success depended upon changing the view of a vast array of German and European consumers of beer as more than just a cheap commodity. Located about six miles from Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, Stone Berlin’s location also hindered Koch’s endeavor by being isolated from city and tourist traffic.

Unfortunately, those hurdles proved too much. As Greg Koch wrote,

“We started Stone in 1996 because we weren’t OK with the status quo of beer in the U.S. We felt Americans deserved better, so we brewed it for them. When we saw much of Germany stuck in a similar status quo of cheap beer, we were convinced we could help. As it stands now, German beer prices are the cheapest in Western Europe. As most of us know from life, the best things are rarely the cheapest.

Amazing beer is being brewed by amazing brewers all over the country. Unfortunately, according to the stats, most Germans are still ignoring these wonderful beers and buying the cheap stuff.”

BrewDog takes over the Stone Berlin property on May 1st. The deal’s financial terms were not announced. However, BrewDog will continue to make some Stone beers at the Berlin plant. Also, Stone will continue to own and operate a taproom in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg district.

Wrote Koch, “My heart is broken. It’ll mend, but I’m gonna let it be broke for a bit.”

To read the full announcement by Greg Koch on Stone Berlin, click here.

To call the opening of Stone Brewing Berlin historic is not hyperbole. Stone Brewing became the first U.S. craft brewery to independently build, own and operate a brewery in Europe. Although their vision did not succeed as planned, I applaud Greg Koch and Stone Brewing for working to invigorate and catalyze craft beer in Germany as well as throughout Europe.