Craft beer is making its rounds in the world of collegiate athletics. The latest to add an official beer to its roster is The University of Southern California (USC) Athletics, which just announced the debut of its first-ever official craft beer, Stone Fight On! Pale Ale. This beer is brewed by California- based Stone Brewing, a brewery with almost three decades of craft beer innovation under its belt.
Sports and Beer
How does a university select a brewery with which to partner? The factors are many, but it makes sense to go with a brewery widely known and respected in the local region. Drew DeHart, Vice President/General Manager, USC Sports Properties and Playfly Sports, says that Stone Brewing was the right choice for USC. And Stone Fight On! Pale Ale is exactly the type of beer to represent the college.
“USC Athletics has been seeking the perfect beer partner – a regional brand that would be meaningful to our fans and add to the gameday experience, ” explained Drew DeHart,. “Stone really nailed a Pale Ale that’s representative of the SoCal craft beer scene, and easy drinking too. We’re honored to see our USC colors, marks and Trojan alongside the Stone Gargoyle.”
Stone Brewing SVP of Marketing Erin Smith is equally proud to be part of USC athletics.
“Stone beers are popular nationwide and across the globe, but SoCal is where we started and is home to our biggest population of fans,” explained Smith. “We’re thrilled at the opportunity to create a beer that instills local pride in that cross-section of craft beer drinkers and USC fans and alumni. It’s our hope that this beer is enjoyed year-round for its incredible flavor, and that it truly adds to the gameday experience across all USC sports.”
Where to Find
Stone Fight On! Pale Ale will be distributed throughout Southern California and can be found at stores, bars, and restaurants. It will be available onsite at the Los Angeles Colosseum and the Galen Center, the sporting venues that the USC Trojans call home. It is packaged in 16oz cans featuring classic USC iconography and colors. The beer itself is a balanced SoCal- style Pale Ale, a beer that features tropical and citrusy hop flavors. The body is light overall, and the beer contains a modest 5.5% alcohol by volume.
Stone Fight On! Pale Ale is available starting the week of August 14, 2023. To find the beer near you, visit the Stone Beer Finder online at Find.StoneBrewing.com. If you want to place an order online for delivery in California and select other states, visit Shop.StoneBrewing.com.
This is a fantastic idea! Sports and beer go hand-in-hand. I’m eager to see more of these partnerships.
This really does seem like the perfect pairing. I hope to see more teams and breweries doing this soon.
Love the imagery on this beer! This is certainly one I can get behind!
I’ve never drank. However, this does seem like sports and beer go hand and hand.
Wow, what an exciting development! As a sports enthusiast and a beer lover, I couldn’t be happier about USC’s first-ever collegiate athletics beer. I can already imagine myself cheering on the team with a cold, specially crafted brew in hand. Fight on and cheers to this brilliant idea! 🍻
I can’t wait to try Stone beers this football season! Our family loves craft beer. Thanks for letting us know what to look forward to at the next game!
This sounds absolutely amazing and perfect! I’m sure many athletes are going to love this
Such an exciting read! Your coverage of USC’s partnership with Stone Brewing for their official craft beer is spot-on. The insight into the selection process and the connection to local pride makes for a captivating story. Cheers to enhancing the gameday experience for USC fans!
It sounds like such a wonderful and fantastic idea, and I know there are going to be many athletes who will love this
Interesting to see how craft beer is becoming a part of the collegiate athletics world. USC Athletics is joining in with its official craft beer, Stone Fight On! Pale Ale, brewed by Stone Brewing, is a great addition. With Stone Brewing’s years of experience crafting quality beers, I’m sure this new brew will be a hit among USC fans and craft beer enthusiasts.
This is great and I know many players love beers and this could help more exposure. That’s nice to have in many places. Thank you for sharing!