Stone Brewing to Release 2016 Edition of ‘Stone Farking Wheaton Wootstout’

11 July 2016 --- ESCONDIDO, CA – Calling all fangirls / fanboys, gamers, otaku, and simply anyone who truly appreciates rare, great-tasting beer. Beginning July 11, Stone Brewing is releasing the latest regeneration of its geekiest collaboration beer—Drew Curtis / Wil Wheaton / Greg Koch Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout—in 22-ounce bottles and on draft to retailers, bars and restaurants in select markets nationwide.

This is not a trap! The collaborative trio composed of Stone CEO & self-proclaimed beer geek Greg Koch, Fark.com creator & craft beer-loving Drew Curtis, and web celeb & actor Wil Wheaton (see “Stand by Me” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) developed a recipe that pulls from each of their individual backgrounds and predilections. This year’s release of Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout is an exact clone of 2013’s—a superhero-level imperial stout brewed with wheat, rye and pecans and partially aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels. The result is a beer bursting with a plethora of aromatics and flavors: cocoa, coffee, licorice, oak, nuts, vanilla and, of course, bourbon. One sip may fool taste buds into believing this beer bestows Jedi mind control powers.

“Each edition of Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout has been a little different, whether it’s adding an ingredient, featuring a new collaborator or bringing in a new comic book artist to design the bottle label,” said Koch. “Hardcore beer fans really loved our 2013 Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout recipe, so in honor of those beer geeks, we’re going back to a good thing. This time the bottle art features Wil, Drew and me in some…well…very clever characterizations.”

A famed illustrator celebrated for her characters Vampirella, Power Girl, Silk Spectre and Harley Quinn and comics “Gatecrasher” and “Gargoyles,” Amanda Conner embraced the term “Stone’s bearded leader” for this year’s bottle art design. She transformed the three collaborators into unique renditions of “Star Wars” characters, with Koch playing the woolly role of everyone’s favorite wookiee.

At 13 percent alcohol by volume and with the highest concentration of midi-chlorians seen in a beer, the Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout may be enjoyed fresh, or cellared for several months or years to give way for the deliciously rich flavors to mature and develop more prevalent dark cocoa, coffee and nut notes.

A beer with this amount of geekiness and grandeur deserves to be celebrated with a festival dedicated to the convergence of geek culture and beer culture. Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout will be honored on Wednesday, July 20, at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station. Hop-Con 4.0: The w00tstout Festival is an annual celebration of nth-degree beer geekery, and attendees will enjoy:

• A commemorative Hop-Con 4.0 glass for guests to keep
• 15 three-ounce beer samples per guest
• Unlimited plays in the HOP-CADE
• Complimentary gourmet food
• Lots of geeky good times!

With each admission to Hop-Con, fans may purchase a signed litho of the bottle artwork designed by Conner, with 100% of proceeds going to Hero Initiative, a charity organization that provides financial assistance to comic book creators in need.

Five bars will serve more than 80 beers on tap, including all four vintages and six custom cask variations of 2016’s Drew Curtis / Wil Wheaton / Greg Koch Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout. Additionally, three collaboration beers were brewed exclusively for Hop-Con 4.0 with Liberty Station Brewing Manager Kris Ketcham and will be tapped that evening for guests to enjoy. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit stonebrewing.com/hopcon.

QUICK FACTS: DREW CURTIS / WIL WHEATON / GREG KOCH STONE FARKING WHEATON W00STOUT

• Name: Drew Curtis / Wil Wheaton / Greg Koch Stone Farking Wheaton w00stout
• Stats: 13% ABV, 65 IBUs
• Availability: Limited 22-ounce bottles and draft, beginning July 11
• Hop Varieties: English Target
• National Distribution: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA and Puerto Rico
• International Distribution: Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
• Find Beer: find.stonebrewing.com

TASTING NOTES: PROVIDED BY FORMER BREWMASTER MITCH STEELE

• Appearance: A deep, opaque, brownish-black color with a creamy brown head.
• Aroma: Intense cocoa and coffee with nutty coconut. Hints of licorice and loads of fruity fermentation esters. Bourbon, vanilla and oak follow.
• Taste: Some cocoa, coffee and fruitiness up front. Midpalate, the bourbon barrel-aged portion of the beer is apparent, so oak, vanilla, nut and bourbon flavors transition to a slight alcohol heat and hoppy bitter finish. As the beer warms, a nuttiness almost reminiscent of almonds starts coming through (but we used pecans!).
• Palate: Thick and hearty. At 13 percent ABV, this beer is definitely a sipper. It is smooth and creamy, with a slightly warming and drying finish.
• Overall: This beer is a monster. The flavors are a wonderful blend of everything that makes a great imperial stout, loaded with roasty notes and malty complexity. Brewing with rye and nuts always creates challenges for our brewing team, but they rose to the occasion with this one—it’s simply amazing.