When it comes to craft beer in 2018 the definition has seemed to morph a bit from it’s roots. It seems as if today’s definition of craft beer has become all about weekly can releases, wild art designs, long lines, trade value and of course…. haze.
However, that hasn’t always been the case. Originally craft beer meant it was brewed by local business owners for their local community. And while you may not agree, the Brewers Association has put standards around what it means to be craft:
Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships.
Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member which is not itself a craft brewer.
So when a brand like Stoney’s Brewing has been operating for as long as they have, pumping out the same liquid that the market seems to enjoy, they may get lost in the modern day definition of what it means to be craft. But make no mistake, Stoney’s is one of the forefathers of the craft beer movement in Pennsylvania.
You can read the full story of Stoney’s Brewing here. However let us give you a quick summary. It all started in 1907 when William Benjamin “Stoney” Jones moved Eureka Brewing (founded in 1881) to Smithton, PA. As the story goes, Stoney won the Eureka brewery in a poker game!
Fast forward to the 1930’s, after prohibition ends Stoney Jones renames the brewery to Jones Brewing Company. Decades later, after many different owners throughout the Jones family, a new family is introduced into ownership; the LaCarte family joins the Jones’ to run the brewery.
However, in 1988 Gabby & Sandy Podlucky purchase Jones Brewing Company meaning it was the first time in the companies history that the Jones family would not be behind the Jones Brewing Brand.
Unfortunately financial challenges, that included a Chapter 11 filing in November of 2000, lead the beer to be made on a contract basis and no longer as an independent brewery. That is, until 2017 when the brand was revived.
Jon King, great-grandson of Stoney Jones himself, in partnership with John LaCarte joined together to buy back the trademarks of all things Stoney’s. Not only will it be owned by the Jones’ once again, but brewed by them as well! Greg King (Jon King’s brother and great-grandson of Stoney Jones) joined the new venture to serve as brewmaster.
And that is how Stoney’s has come to be in 2018 from that poker game in 1907. In a world full of hazy beers dominating the market space, it is refreshing to see a brand come back to life that was built on the backbone of craft beer in America. Stoney’s will continue to produce and distribute their award winning beer by the same family that started the brewery in 1907.
We recently sat down to enjoy a Stoney’s Light and Stoney’s Premium. We recommend you do the same, and take yourself back to a time where beer wasn’t for the trading forums, but for the local community. Find a Stoney’s near you.
