Escondido, San Diego County, CA --- Construction is well under way on Stone Brewing's new facility and one of the major architectural features is a massive stone wall that will extend from inside the restaurant, and outside into the beer garden. In a truly unique manner, Stone Brewing recently raised a lot of money for deserving local charities and along with the money, raised community awareness and pride.

Dubbed the "Stone Wall Project," the brewery invited Stone fans and community leaders to place stones picked from the construction site, or their own yard, into the wall. The Mayor of Escondido ceremoniously placed the first stone, and many local dignitaries followed suit. Then came the Stone fans. And come they did. "Our fans have a tremendous sense of loyalty," said CEO Greg Koch. "When we ask them to support something, especially for charity, the turnout is not only flattering, but a little humbling too!"

Once word got out that a place could be reserved in Stone Brewing and North County history by purchasing a stone to go into the wall, the support just escalated. With the price of the stones ranging from $125 to $1000, the money started to pile up rather quickly." Right now we have raised more than $63,000 for charity and that's amazing," said Koch.

Amazing is good news if you're one of their beneficiaries. "The Palomar Family YMCA is very thankful to Stone Brewing and honored to be a recipient of these donated dollars. These funds will enable the YMCA to fulfill its mission in building strong kids, strong families and strong communities," stated Fran Waller of the Palomar Family YMCA.

Shelly Anguiano, CEO of The Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos had this to add: "The Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos is very appreciative of the continuous support of Stone Brewing. They are very philanthropic people that care about the kids of our community." Proceeds from the Stone Wall Project also benefited the Escondido Sunrise Rotary and the CSUSM School of Business.

Founded in 1996, the Stone Brewing Co. is one of the fastest growing breweries in the country. Additionally, Stone Brewing is one of the highest rated breweries in the world according to both RateBeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com. Stone Brewing Co. is currently open for tours and tastings every Friday from 3-6pm and Saturday from 11-3pm, at [OLD ADDRESS REMOVED]. The new location will be at 1999 Citracado Parkway, Escondido, CA. For more information, go to www.stonebrewing.com