Achtung! Stone Launches Berlin Brewery As U.S. Craft Beer Sweeps Europe.
This former gasworks complex in Marienpark Berlin, built in 1901, will become Stone Brewing Company's first European production facility.
California's Stone Brewing Company — the nation's tenth largest craft brewer in terms of sales — has announced plans to open a sprawling two-acre brewery and restaurant complex in Berlin. The projected $25 million project will include the renovation of a century-old former gasworks facility into a shiny, custom-built stainless steel brewhouse, complete with a retail store and farm-to-table, "slow-food-style" restaurant. In a statement, Stone CEO and co-founder Greg Koch calls it a "historic moment" for the company, which claims to be the first American craft brewer to "independently own and operate a brewery in Europe." The facility is expected to open in late 2015 or early 2016.
Other U.S. craft brewers have been looking to expand their European presence, as well — albeit not entirely on their own. Brooklyn Brewery, for one, previously partnered with D. Carnegie & Co. and Carlsberg Sweden to open a production facility in Stockholm. Sweden, oddly enough, is the outer-borough brand's second biggest market after its own home state of New York. Here's a video from Stone about the forthcoming Berlin project:
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