posted Thursday, Dec 22, 2016 | 09:45PM
‘Twas the night before Christmas and at the Stone house
Not a soul was working…not a single click of a mouse.
The kegs were all stacked, ready to be filled with amazing Stone beer
Many for the worthy fans of the Buckeye, Hoosier, and Sunshine State…via our friends at Cavalier.
The crew of hundreds were long gone, nowhere to be seen
Except at Stone Farms, where David was strangely planting a bean.
Steve was at home with the family, holiday music filling the air
Greg out planning something…hmm, maybe this year he’ll cut his hair.
When out behind the brewery there rose some serious clatter and noise
Wagner knew right away something was wrong…but hid it with poise
Using technology from the IT team he quickly viewed some high-res pics
Nothing to see – “better check it out” he thought, so off went Christmas W/ Styx.
He knew the Distribution team was exhausted and had been up since dawn
The Sales & Production teams – probably out getting their eggnog on
And well, the HQ Staff – you never know about that crazy, eclectic crew
Definitely out somewhere quaffing an incredible Stone brew…maybe two.
The Company Store teams were not to be found…even that wild Pasadena bunch
And the Bistro peeps, well they were all sipping and stirring Holiday punch
Then Steve thought aloud “Well, at least I didn’t take the Hippocratic oath”
Back to the issue at hand…maybe it had to do with Stone’s constant growth.
In his shiny Lincoln he jumped, and to the brewery he went…heading up the I-15
As he neared he could smell a fresh batch, sighed, and sipped from his Kleen Kanteen
Jets of steam from the roofstack poured, and the President couldn’t believe himself
Especially when he drove ‘round the back, and noticed the sleigh guarded by an Elf.
Steve’s jaw dropped when he opened the door, as there stood the one-and-only Santa
Then he heard “Don’t just stand there Wagner, I need some help…put down that Fanta!”
Seems good ‘ol St. Nick is much better with tinsel, lists, and creating a smile
Than working the Brewhouse and making great craft beer…Stone-style.
So together the two men added hops to the brew kettle on this very special night
When the jolly old man exclaimed “At Stone Brewing, damn…they do beer right!”
He proceeded to chuckle…“On Magnum, Galaxy, Chinook, Cluster and Mt. Hood,
Centennial, Amarillo, Columbus, Simcoe & Ahtanum…mmm, hops are so good.”
So before they went to the Bistro for a cold draft beer, they transferred the wort
With Mr. Claus stating “I made a mess, how about gifting me a kick-ass Stone shirt?”
The men enjoyed their fine ale, with Steve thankful there wasn’t a much bigger issue
And wondered if one day we’d be like the band KISS and have our own gargoyle tissue.
So there stood Steve as he took in the priceless moment, one he would certainly never forget
And reminded St. Nick to make a stop in Ohio…they’ve loved Stone since the day they met
Then he locked up the brewery and hurried down the road to his family…like a laser
Driving away he thought “Damn, I should have asked Santa to give Greg a razor!”
At Stone we are a family…hard work, fun, sweat, and laughs always part of the plan
And we’ll continue to do it the Stone way and the Stone style; sticking it to the man.
So, Steve and Greg would like to wish you and yours all the very, very best in 2017
As well as reminding you to get some rest…’cause there’s no stopping the Stone machine!
– A CochranCreation ©
