Chris C.
Yelp
I don't want to yuck someone else's yum if they just love this place or seem ungrateful because a world class brewery's taproom isn't perfect. People have a wide variety of opinions about Stone and what they do. And I guess my expectations were probably too high. I figured a brewery as well known and successful as Stone would have a ridiculous, off-the-hook taproom or it would have nothing at all.
This place, which is right by the Kettner trolley stop in Little Italy, does indeed serve Stone's beer, so that's a big plus on its own. I know they do too many over-hopped IPAs with odd flavor profiles. But their stuff on the whole is pretty amazing. West Coast IPA, Arrogant Bastard, Stone Pale Ale, Enjoy By....the list goes on.
This taproom is an open air place with indoor seating and a fairly big size patio. It's got a lot of vegetation and both small and large communal tables. Cool vibe, especially with the great weather.
But....
I was expecting a lot of beer that's small batch and isn't bottled or available anywhere else. That's part of the allure of going to a taproom. You go to the source and get stuff you'd have zero chance of getting anywhere else. But this particular one wasn't really like that. Just a mix of their big beers and a few odd choices like heavy stouts and a somewhat flimsy German style, a pilsner, I think.
No food, which is fine. And if you need to use the bathroom, you have to enter the building that the taproom is kind of built into, go down a long set of stairs, find the bathroom and, oh by the way, you had better have memorized or written down the code to get in (which I actually understand having a code, otherwise you'd have homeless people pitching tents and bathing in the sinks in there non-stop).
So despite the good beer, it was just a meh experience for me. Others may really love it, and in that case I say great, enjoy. I honestly don't know if I'd come back.