Stone Brewing Launches Yearlong 30th Anniversary Program Featuring Gold IPA Packaging, Rebrews

Stone Brewing is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a full-year program that blends nostalgia, limited packaging and experiential perks for fans. The brewery is spotlighting its flagship Stone IPA in limited-time gold packaging, staging a multi-stage sweepstakes that includes brewery-access prizes, rebrewing fan-favorite classics, and running collaboration and draft-only offerings across Stone taprooms throughout 2026.

The company framed the milestone in press-release language: “It’s been 30 years since Stone Brewing sold its first keg of beer, helping to fuel the craft beer revolution that has defined generations of beer fanatics.” The rollout opens with gold cans for Stone IPA and an associated sweepstakes described as the 30th Anniversary Sweepstakes or Stone’s Ultimate Brewery Experience Sweepstakes. “The year kicks off by spotlighting the iconic brewery’s flagship Stone IPA with limited-time gold packaging and a 30th Anniversary Sweepstakes,” the announcement says.

Sweepstakes details available so far name May and September as selection months: “Grand Prize winners will be selected in May and September for a trip to San Diego including behind the scenes brewery experiences with Stone brewers and meals at both Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens locations.” The prize language points to hands-on brewery access and meals at Stone’s Escondido and Liberty Station World Bistro & Gardens locations. Additional first-place winners are listed as receiving “a merchandise bundle valued at $500.” The announcement does not specify how many grand-prize or first-place winners will be chosen, nor does it provide official rules, eligibility or entry mechanics.

For beer nerds and local regulars, the program’s archive and rebrew slate is the headline attraction. Stone is bringing back small-batch, taproom-exclusive and packaged rebrews including Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous IPA and Stone Ruination IPA, plus archive releases such as Stone Imperial Stout and Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine. The release notes that these rebrews and archive beers will be “packaged in small quantities and available only at Stone Brewing locations,” so expect limited runs and taproom queues.

Stone will also run a suite of collaborations and draft-only retrospectives. Beerinfo captured the tone, writing, “True to Stone’s collaborative spirit (remember that DIY distribution van?), 2026 brings a slew of collabs with old and new friends, most on draft at Stone spots, with one big San Diego partnership hitting shelves in 16oz six-packs this summer.” Draft-only highlights named in the rollout include the original Stone Pale Ale, Stone Mocha IPA and “a mind-blowing fresh-hop Ruination made with hops picked at dawn in Washington, flown same-day to San Diego, and brewed immediately for peak freshness.”

Practical next steps for readers: subscribe to Stone’s email list to get early alerts, the announcement advises, “Subscribe to Stone’s emails to be the first to know about this year’s lineup of fan-favorites like rebrews of Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous IPA and Stone Ruination IPA plus archive releases of Stone Imperial Stout, Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine and more.” Also plan San Diego visits if you want draft-only pours or the small-batch packaged releases likely restricted to Escondido and Liberty Station.

Several details remain unresolved publicly: the announcement date was reported between Jan. 26 and Jan. 29, 2026; the number of sweepstakes winners, full official rules, collaborator identities for the shelfed six-pack and broader distribution plans were not disclosed. For collectors and event planners, that means the gold cans and rebrews are worth tracking early, expect limited availability, local taproom exclusives and a surge of nostalgia-focused drop days through 2026.