Stone Brewing Company is entering a new chapter. Starting on Monday, Sept. 14, the San Diego based brewery will have a new CEO when Maria Stipp takes charge. Formerly of Lagunitas, the move makes Ms. Stipp one of the highest ranking women in craft beer, as Stone is currently the US’s ninth largest craft brewery.

“Maria has all the qualities we were looking for in a CEO,” said Steve Wagner, co-founder & interim CEO. “She brings experience from a very well-respected brewery, and experience from outside the industry too. She lives up to our values and has long admired our revolutionary spirit. Most importantly, she’s someone co-founder Greg Koch and I are honored and excited to work with. And the latter is a must, because we’re sticking around!”

Ms. Stipp led Lagunitas through a period of massive expansion, doubling the brewery’s production during her five year term. She joins Stone Brewing a month after former CEO Dominic Engels announced his resignation, and leadership is excited to welcome her aboard.

“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Maria to Team Stone,” said Greg Koch, co-founder and executive chairman. “She has experience with companies both similar and quite different than our own. We’ll no doubt benefit from her strong leadership. In addition, she is clearly passionate about the beers, the ideals and the philosophies that Stone represents. I’m excited, knowing that we’re bringing a leader on who’s already clearly one of our own. We welcome her with great enthusiasm and promise.”

Before his resignation, Engels had famously pledged that Stone Brewery would not enter the hard seltzer business. However, we’re seeing more craft breweries turn to hard seltzer out of necessity as beer’s market share continues to shrink in favor of alcowaters. Consumer tastes are changing, and breweries and distilleries alike need to innovate in order to stay relevant. 

Ms. Stipp would be a natural fit for the emerging market of hard seltzer, having overseen Lagunitas during a time of similar dynamic growth for craft beer. Will we see a renewed push for Stone Brewery to enter the hard seltzer space?

“When I started (at Lagunitas) there were 3,200 craft breweries in the U.S. When I ended my time there, I think there were 8,400, and I imagine all of them make at least one IPA, if not five or ten” said Ms. Stipp. 

Today consumer tastes are moving away from heavy IPAs and toward fruity, spiked and sparkling beverages that are light and easy to drink. Where we used to see craft breweries with five to ten IPAs in their portfolios, today it is not uncommon for a label to release that many flavors of seltzer. 

Ms. Stipp joins a storied history at Stone Brewing. Founded in 1996 by Wagner and Koch, BeerAdvocate magazine has twice named it the “All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth.” In order to retain that title among the changing landscape of the drinks industry, Stone should consider upping its beer alternative game and introducing a hard seltzer.

Erin Grafton
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