Stone Brewing contributes more than $490,000 to charity in 2014

Those folks at Stone Brewing Co. are pretty cool. Anytime we ask for great brewing info, ultimate, celebrated, craft brewmaster Mitch Steele is always ready to step up and help us. That’s just how these folks work. They’re givers. Case and point: Stone Brewing contributed more than $490,000 in cash and donated more than $230,000 worth of beer to various charities in 2014. The big giving starts at the top.

“Since establishing Stone Brewing Co. in 1996, we have donated more than $3 million to charitable and nonprofit organizations throughout the world,” said Stone CEO and Co-founder Greg Koch said in a press release. “We are dedicated to supporting our community and promoting a culture of social responsibility. Through the various events held this year and the donations we provided, Stone is investing in organizations that make a positive difference in the cities where we live. Cheers to our fans and the people who made these donations possible!”

Ok, drum roll, please. Here are the 2014 charitable efforts from Stone Brewing (also some cool ideas for other charitable-focused craft brewers):

Stone 18th Anniversary Celebration & Invitational Beer Festival

The Stone 18th Anniversary Celebration & Invitational Beer Festival was held on August 15 and 16. One hundred percent of the proceeds, $270,000 in all, was donated to San Diego County area charities, including the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos, Fight ALD, Palomar Family YMCA, Surfrider Foundation and California State University San Marcos Foundation. In addition to covering a number of expenses, Stone paid employees for more than 3,000 hours worked alongside charity volunteers to produce the event.

Stone Brewing Co. Brewery Tours

A portion of proceeds from Stone brewery tours, $45,000, was donated to San Diego County charities, including Urban Corps of San Diego County, Community HousingWorks, Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego, the San Diego Blood Bank and Palomar College Foundation. Stone made this possible by contributing $1 from each public brewery tour admission.

Matt’s Burning Rosids Imperial Cherrywood-Smoked Saison

Stone donated $75,000 from the proceeds of Matt’s Burning Rosids Imperial Cherrywood-Smoked Saison to two nonprofit organizations: GoDesignInc.org and TKF (Tariq Khamisa Foundation). Additionally, Stone contributed $25,000 to the Matt Courtright Memorial Brewing Scholarship, which is administered by the Southern California District of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas.

May 2014 Fire Siege Fundraising Event

Stone partnered with the San Diego County Council of Firefighters to host a fundraising event at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens — Escondido that netted in $20,000 for families impacted by May’s Cocos and Poinsettia fires. Stone freight trucks were also parked outside the restaurant to accept donations of new and gently used clothing and housing goods to assist families devastated by the fires.

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens — Liberty Station 12/15 IPA: Ales for ALS IPA

Stone donated $17,000 from the proceeds of Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station 12/15 IPA: Ales for ALS IPA to Ales for ALS, an organization that supports research for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens — Liberty Station Operation Homefront IPA

Stone donated more than $27,000 from sales of Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station Operation Homefront IPA to the Hops for Heroes initiative, benefiting the nonprofit organization Operation Homefront, which supports and betters the lives of U.S. military families.

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens — Liberty Station Going Red

In a support of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, Stone donated funds from the sale of Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station Going Red, a pink-hued Belgian wheat ale brewed with hibiscus.

Hop-Con 2.0: The w00tstout Launch Festival

Dave Gibbons, famed comic artist and co-creator of the “Watchmen” series, signed lithographic prints of the Stone w00tstout 2.0 label he designed at the second annual Hop-Con 2.0 event. At the suggestion of the artist, Stone donated $1,800 to The Hero Initiative, a charity organization that provides retirement funds to golden-age comic book artists.

San Diego Blood Bank

Stone hosted a public blood drive in support of the San Diego Blood Bank in September. Thanks to participating fans and Stone employees, the two-day drive that took place at both Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens locations collected 51 units of blood, which the San Diego Blood Bank tells us was equivalent to 153 lives saved.

Thanksgiving Dinners

Stone donated 45 Thanksgiving meals to Casa de Amparo, an organization that treats and prevents child abuse and neglect throughout San Diego County, and five dinners to the Oceanside Yacht Club, which served them to Camp Pendleton Marines and U.S. Marine Corps veterans.

Beer Donations

Stone supported more than 350 local, regional and national charities by donating more than $230,000 worth of Stone beer for nonprofit events in 2014 and contributing countless hours of labor to the events as well.