A major California craft brewery is winding down operations at its longtime home, marking the end of an era for one of San Diego County’s best-known beer destinations.
Sapporo USA is closing three facilities in Escondido, California, that were formerly associated with Stone Brewing. The shutdown is expected to affect approximately 220 workers as the company winds down its operations and moves beer production elsewhere.
First layoffs begin in October
The closure is taking place in phases. Sapporo USA has filed WARN notices indicating that the first 58 employees will be laid off on October 19. Additional job cuts are expected as the company completes the transition, with a total of over 200 employees expected to be impacted.
Sapporo has said it is winding down the Escondido operation after failing to find a viable long-term solution for the site. The company plans to permanently close the facilities, including the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido.
Stone beer will continue
Despite the closure, Stone Brewing itself is not going out of business.
Sapporo sold the Stone Brewing brand earlier this year to Firestone Walker Brewing Company and Duvel Moortgat USA. The Escondido manufacturing facilities were not included in that transaction, leaving Sapporo responsible for winding down the site.
Production of Stone beer is being shifted to Firestone Walker’s brewery in Paso Robles, California, and Duvel’s Boulevard brewery in Kansas City, Missouri. The new owners have also indicated they plan to retain a significant number of former Stone employees.
End of an era in Escondido
Stone Brewing began in San Marcos in 1996 and moved to Escondido a decade later, becoming one of the most recognizable names in the American craft beer movement.
Sapporo previously announced that beer manufacturing at its Escondido plant would cease by the end of 2026 as part of a broader effort to consolidate U.S. production and reduce fixed manufacturing costs.
For longtime customers, the closure means the end of Stone’s longtime Escondido brewing operation, even as the brand itself moves forward under new ownership.
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